The Ultimate Chandigarh Guide
Things to do, eat, shop and explore in Chandigarh.
Last updated: 1st October 2026
01 Eat & Drink in Chandigarh
From Sector 17’s old-guard dining rooms to the newer openings in Sector 26 and Kasauli Road — restaurants, cafes, and bars, each tagged by sector so you know exactly where you’re headed.
Back to Source
A farm-to-table concept restaurant, cafe and bakery — everything cooked without pressure cookers or aluminium, in earthen pots, copper and brass, with cold-pressed oils and single-source dairy. Opposite the Taj Hotel. Known for slow-fermented sourdough and a genuinely different pace of North Indian food.
Founder’s Picks:
“Dal makhani with black wheat lachha parantha, mushroom masala, and malai kofta. For something heartier, the mutton rogan josh with roshan naan, mutton seekh, or Afghani chicken korma.”
Map
Address
SCO 10-11-12, First Floor, Sector 17A, Chandigarh, 160017
Phone
0172 466 8444
Price Band
₹₹₹ (~₹1,800–2,000 for two)
Pheasant - A Culinary Conservatory
A design-forward, plant-filled dining room in Sector 7 that lives up to its name — reviewers consistently call out the interiors before the food. The kitchen leans seasonal and shareable: wood-fired pizzas, produce-forward small plates, and pasta built for sharing.
Founder’s Picks:
“Start with the pistachio pesto salad, then go savory with the fish & chips, the lobster roll, or a spicy vodka pasta. The honey-pie pepperoni pizza is the one people come back for, and if you’re there for brunch, don’t skip the French toast.” — Arpit Singh, Founder
Dochi Pizzeria
Chandigarh outpost of Dochi Pizzeria & Coffee House, which started as a small roadside cafe in Dochi village near Kasauli and has since become genuinely well known in the hills before expanding down to the city. Wood-fired, hand-tossed Neapolitan pizzas and Italian mains, both indoor and outdoor seating.
Map
Address
SCO 10 A, Back Lane, Sector 7-C, Sector 7, Chandigarh, 160019
Rojo Tomate
Wood-fired sourdough pizza and handmade pasta, opposite Mount View Hotel. The garlic bread with sautéed mushrooms is the standard opener; the Pizza di Montiana (porcini, sun-dried tomato, smoked chicken, mozzarella and parmesan) is the one regulars order without looking at the menu.
Map
Address
SCO 15, opp. Mount View Hotel, Coal Depot Complex
Price Band
₹₹ (~₹1,200 for two)
Casa Bella Vista (Vegetarian-friendly)
Twenty-three years in, Casa Bella Vista is built around long-fermented pizza dough, vibrant salads, and an in-house bakery — everything made with Italian flour, fresh mozzarella, seasonal vegetables sourced daily, and good olive oil. The room matches the food: warm, lively, and genuinely welcoming, with good music and a mixed-age crowd rather than one particular scene
Founder’s Picks:
“Start with the Casa Bella Vista salad, the French onion soup, or the bruschetta. Then the farm house pizza or the green ravioli — everything here is crafted in-house.” — Martha, Founder
Map
Address
QQ3P+WW3, 10D, Sector 10, Chandigarh, 160011
Price Band
₹₹ (~₹1,500 for two)
Good For
Vegetarian & vegan
Phone
0172 466 9963
Swagath (traditional Indian)
A Chandigarh stalwart on Madhya Marg’s restaurant row — swish, modern, and reliably excellent across four very different regional menus in one place. Good for a family dinner or an occasion meal.
Must try: Butter chicken, fish gassi, kadi pata chicken.
Map
Address
SCO No.7, Sector 26, Madhya Marg, Sector 26, Chandigarh, 160019
Phone
0172 504 5678
The Back Room
India’s first pour-only cocktail bar, from the same team as Tin Tin. Every cocktail is batched, rested, and sealed in advance rather than mixed to order, then poured straight from the bottle at the table — and the menu uses a three-digit coding system that borrows directly from Chandigarh’s own sector-grid logic instead of drink names. Small plates built to pair, from chilli coconut corn ribs to burrata with charred peppers.
PVT LTD (at Hyatt Centric)
A genuinely hidden speakeasy behind an unmarked door inside Hyatt Centric — 1920s theme, smooth jazz, bespoke cocktails and Neo-Indian small plates. This one takes planning: reservation is mandatory and entry is by access code, so it’s worth setting up before guests arrive rather than turning up on the night.
Map
Address
Block No. 10, Ground Floor, Hyatt Centric, sector 17A, Sector 17, Chandigarh, 160017
Phone
095018 97777
Hours
5pm–1am
Booking
Mandatory, access code required
Dress Code
Smart casual
Peachy
A health-forward cafe built around smoothies, salad bowls, matchas, and bagels rather than the usual indulgent cafe menu.
Founder’s Picks:
“Shaken brown sugar coffee or the matcha to start, and the kiwi-berry bliss juice if you want something cold. For food — smash lamb burger, a focaccia sandwich, or the bagels.” — Arpit Singh, Founder
Map
Address
SCF-24, inner market, 8B, Sector 8, Chandigarh, 160009
Phone
082888 41113
Price Band
₹₹ (~₹800 for two)
Kanel
A cozy, wood-accented bakery leaning into proper Scandinavian bakes — the name itself is Swedish for cinnamon, and the cinnamon rolls (kanelbulle) are the reason it’s on this list, alongside a well-regarded tiramisu and flourless chocolate raspberry cake.
Batter Bar
A minimalist cafe built on Chandigarh’s own connection to Le Corbusier and the spirit of French cafe culture. Batter Bar brings together French pastry, specialty coffee, and matcha with an all-day breakfast menu — sandwiches, French toast, pancakes, smoothies, and fresh juice. At its centre is a pastry chef who trained in Chicago and went on to work at Pierre Hermé in Paris, bringing real French pastry technique to the city.
Founder’s Picks:
“Start with the Chef’s Special or the Pestoast Mushroom, and don’t skip the Plaisir Sucré. Hazelnut cappuccino if you want coffee, Berry Boujee if you want something cold, Work It Up decaf if you’d rather go without the caffeine.” — Abhinav Sundra, Founder
Natural Ice Cream
Founded in 1984 by R.S. Kamath out of a 200 sq ft shop in Mumbai’s Juhu, Naturals built its name on a simple rule: just three ingredients — real fruit, milk, and sugar, no artificial colours or flavouring. That fruit-first approach is still the whole pitch, and it’s why the flavours taste like the actual fruit rather than a syrup approximation of it. The Chandigarh outlet in Sector 7 opened as the brand’s 150th store nationally.
Map
Address
Ground Floor, SCO -2, Madhya Marg, Sector 7-C, Sector 7, Chandigarh, 160019
Chhota Banaras
Banarasi-style street food in the middle of Sector 17. Simple, unfussy, and reliable — go for the masala dosa or the tawa kulcha rather than anything fancier.
Founder’s Picks:
“Chana bhatura, pav bhaji, idli/vada sambar, kachori subzi, and samosa chana. For something sweet, the rabri rasmalai and milk cake.” — Puja, Founder
Map
Address
17/18/19, near Tdi Mall, Sector 17A, 17D, Sector 17, Chandigarh, 160017
Phone
090569 68964
Aja India (Vegan Options)
A health-forward menu with real depth of vegan and gluten-free options — not an afterthought kids’ menu. One of the city’s first cafe’s for healthy vegetarian and vegan options, Aja is the perfect spot for a light bite or a filling meal.
Founder’s Picks:
“Start with the Siam Sole or the Indian Earth Bowl, and don’t miss the charred lemon broccoli. If you want something heartier, the chipotle rice bowl, the Bangkok noodles, or the tender chilli rooster burger — that one’s slow-baked and marinated in Darjeeling cherry bomb peppers.” — Raj, Aja India
Map
Address
S.c.o 129,130, 131, Madhya Marg, Sector 9, C, Chandigarh 160009
Phone
098887 88802
Oven Fresh (Nostalgic Chandigarh bites)
One of Chandigarh’s oldest continuously running bakery-cafes, and still the name most locals default to. What started as a single counter has grown into a proper city-wide presence. Walk in at almost any hour and it’s busy — regulars picking up the same order they’ve had for years, alongside a new generation discovering it for the first time.
Recommended: Grilled Sandwiches, Baked Pastas, Pastries
Map
Address
SCO 43, Madhya Marg, Sector 7-C, Sector 7, Chandigarh, 160019
Blue Tokai (at Bahrisons Booksellers)
Coffee inside the city’s best-loved independent bookshop — a natural stop for a slow morning. Grab a book and some coffee at this packed little shop!
Map
Address
SCO 14-15, Madhya Marg, near Apollo Clinic, Sector 8C, Sector 8, Chandigarh, 160009
Sagar Ratna
India’s best-known South Indian chains on the strength of crisp dosas, filter coffee, and consistency rather than hype. The Chandigarh branch in Bridge Market keeps to that same script: all-vegetarian, reliable, no frills. Good for paper dosa and dahi idli when you want something that never misses.
Map
Address
47, Himalaya Marg, Shopping Plaza, 17E, Sector 17, Chandigarh, 160017
02 Where to Shop in Chandigarh
The Sector 17 Plaza, Sector 7’s markets, and a handful of independent studios and design shops worth a detour for.
FabIndia
A reliable one-stop for India-meets-modern clothing, home textiles, and lifestyle goods — block prints, natural fabrics, ceramics, and furniture in one browse. Good for anyone wanting a considered gift or a piece of clothing without hunting through multiple shops.
Map
Address
SCO No 50, Near Hyatt Centric and Hotel Taj, 51, Jan Marg, Sector 17A, Chandigarh, 160017
The Shop
A family-run store devoted to blending traditional craftsmanship with modern design to revive craft communities. The flagship store offers an array of women’s ethnic wear, men’s clothing, kids’ apparel, and toys. Our commitment to quality extends to the youngest members of your family, with a delightful assortment of kidswear and adorable toys to fuel their creativity.
Map
Address
SCF 40, Inner Market, Sector 7-C, Sector 7, Chandigarh, 160019
Anokhi
Known nationally for hand block-printed textiles — cottons, scarves, home linen — made using traditional Rajasthani printing techniques.
Map
Address
SCF 5 Sector 7 C Inner Market, next to Sidhu Petrol Pump, Chandigarh 160019
Suvasa
Suvasa is a Jaipur-rooted brand built on the principles of family and heritage. Expectclothing and homeware designed with care, pieces that are meant to evolve alongside you—effortlessly and simply.
Map
Address
S.C.F. 1 & 2, Inner Market, 8B, Sector 8, Chandigarh, 160009
Khadi
The Khadi India outlet — good-value homespun textiles and herbal beauty products, with proceeds supporting rural spinners and weavers directly.
Map
Address
S.C.O 28, beside Neelam Cinema, 17E, Chandigarh, 160017
Phulkari
The official Government of Punjab emporium — inlaid wooden furniture, GI-tagged Phulkari embroidery (a mother-to-daughter wedding tradition in Punjab), and dupattas. As authentic and traceable as this craft gets.
Map
Address
S.C.O, 27, 17E, Chandigarh, 160017
Jutti Corner
For traditional Punjabi juttis — the embroidered, flat leather slip-ons that are as much a craft object as a shoe. Worth a stop for anyone wanting something genuinely regional to take home; expect hand-stitched leather and zari or thread embroidery, with prices ranging from simple everyday pairs to elaborate wedding-worthy ones.
Map
Address
SHOP - 4280, BAY, 4280, Jan Marg, near Bata Shoe Store - Sector 22, Chandigarh, 160022
Sharman Jain Sweets (for Indian sweets)
Walk into a wonderland of authentic Punjabi and North Indian sweet treats. Expect a classic Punjabi mithai counter, likely stocking milk-based sweets (barfi, rasmalai, milk cake), syrup-soaked treats (gulab jamun, jalebi), and dry-fruit sweets (kaju katli, pinni), often alongside savoury snacks like samosas and kachori.
Map
Address
SCO 25, Sector 7-C, Sector 7, Chandigarh, 160019
Forest Essentials
India’s best-known luxury Ayurvedic skincare house — rosewater, sandalwood, saffron, and classical formulations dressed in genuinely beautiful packaging. Expect a fragrant, unhurried browsing experience rather than a quick in-and-out.
Map
Address
Ground Floor, SCO 110-111, near Sindhi Sweets, Shopping Plaza, Sector 17 -C, 17C, Sector 17, Chandigarh, 160017
Masaba
Masaba Gupta’s label — bold, contemporary festive wear. Worth confirming whether this is stocked at a specific multi-brand store in Chandigarh, since the brand may not have a standalone location here.
Map
Address
SCO-6, Madhya Marg, Sector 7-C, Sector 7, Chandigarh, 160019
Nicobar
A design-led lifestyle brand from the founders of Good Earth — think considered, contemporary Indian clothing and homeware rather than traditional craft-shop browsing. The Chandigarh store carries men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, jewellery, and home décor in a light, plant-filled, natural-wood setting.
Map
Address
Ground at, SCO No.1, Madhya Marg, Sector 7-C, Sector 7, Chandigarh, 160019
03 Chandigarh's Architecture
Chandigarh is the only city in India built to a single modernist masterplan — Le Corbusier’s grid of numbered sectors, and the raw-concrete civic buildings of the Capitol Complex. A short list of what’s worth the visit, and how to see it properly.
The Capitol Complex
[Le Corbusier’s Assembly, High Court, and Secretariat, plus the Open Hand Monument. Note permit/ID requirements and best light for photos.]
Access
ID required, book ahead
Best time
Early morning
From Aura
~40 min drive
Nek Chand Rock Garden
[Built secretly over decades from industrial waste — worth an hour, pairs well with the Capitol Complex visit.]
Hours
9am–6pm
Entry
₹
04 Spa & Wellness
For guests wanting a day out of the studio — massage, salons, and quiet.
[Spa Name]
[Treatments worth booking, how far ahead to reserve.]
Price band
₹₹₹
Booking
24hrs ahead
From Aura
~30 min drive
05 Parks of Chandigarh
Chandigarh was planned with more green space per person than almost any other Indian city. Sukhna Lake at golden hour, the Rose Garden in bloom season, the Garden of Silence.
Sukhna Lake
[Best time to go, the promenade, boating, why sunrise/sunset matters here.]
Best time
Sunrise or sunset
From Aura
~40 min drive
06 Getting Around Chandigarh
The whole city runs on one idea: it’s built as a grid of numbered Sectors, each roughly self-contained and about a kilometre square. Once you understand the grid, you can navigate Chandigarh without a map.
The Sector system, in short
Every address in Chandigarh is given as a Sector number rather than a neighbourhood name — “Sector 17,” “Sector 26.” Sectors run roughly north to south in ascending order, split by the arterial roads (Madhya Marg, Dakshin Marg). Tell a driver the Sector number, and you’ll get there faster than with any street address. A few landmarks — the Oberoi Sukhvilas spa among them — sit outside the numbered grid entirely, in “New Chandigarh”.
Sector 17
City centre: shopping plaza, restaurants, cinemas
Sector 26
Restaurant row along Madhya Marg
Sector 34
Newer dining & nightlife: Tin Tin, The Back Room
Sector 1
Capitol Complex, Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake
Sector 10
Museum complex, Chandigarh College of Art
Sector 5
Pierre Jeanneret House
Sector 8
Quick bites, spa, shop
Use Ubers or auto-rickshaws to get around. If you’d like a trusted Taxi partner to accompany you throughout the day, contact our partners, Nanuan Taxis at +91 92166 10617
06 For Drivers & Guides
A quick reference for taxi partners and city guides working with Aura guests.
Standard routes from the farm
- Aura → Sector 17: 25-20 minutes
- Aura → Sector 26 / Sector 34: 30-35 minutes
- Aura → Capitol Complex / Sector 1: 30 minutes
- Aura → Oberoi Sukhvilas (New Chandigarh): 10-15 minutes
- Aura → Chandigarh Airport (IXC): 45-60 minutes
- Aura → Chandigarh Railway Station: 45-60 minutes
Taxi Partners:
Nanuans Taxi +91 9216800617
Chandigarh Walks — with Siddhartha Wig
Architect, teacher, and Chandigarh native who’s spent his career studying Le Corbusier’s legacy in the city — recently authored a piece on the Rock Garden for an international ceramics magazine. His walks lean into the “why,” not just the “what.”
Walk 1 — Capitol Complex
The main event: Le Corbusier’s High Court, Assembly, and Secretariat, plus the Open Hand Monument, the Geometric Hill, and the Tower of Shadows in the grand piazza. Walk-and-talk format covering how the city was built and how residents actually experience it today.
- Duration: 2 hours — 10am, 12pm, or 3pm start
- Start: Capitol Complex Visitor Centre
- Bring: Passport or national ID (required for entry), water bottle, comfortable shoes
- Note: Assembly building access restricted when in session; photography restricted in some areas; no devices inside the Assembly hall
- Cost: ₹10,000 + 18% GST
Walk 2 — City Museum & Leisure Valley
Starts in the City Museum tracing the documents and stories behind Chandigarh’s founding, moves through the Art Museum (Gandhara collection, Pahadi miniatures) and Natural History Museum, then walks out into Leisure Valley.
- Duration: 2 hours · any day except Monday · museum hours 10am–4:30pm
- Start: Museum Complex, Sector 10
- Bring: Water bottle, comfortable shoes
- Cost: ₹10,000 + 18% GST
Walk 3 — Rock Garden
The story of Nek Chand’s “outsider art” masterpiece — built in total secrecy by a government roads inspector, discovered by accident in the early ’70s, and now the country’s second most-visited attraction. Covers the original garden plus the later Phase 2 and 3 additions.
- Duration: ~2 hours, morning or afternoon
- Hours: Summer (Apr 1–Sep 30) 9am–7:30pm · Winter (Oct 1–Mar 31) 9am–6pm
- Start: Rock Garden entrance
- Cost: ₹10,000 + 18% GST
Combine two walks: ₹17,500 + GST. Walks can be tailored to individual interest.
Chandigarh Architecture History Tour — with Rusty
550+ tours led, with genuine insider access to the city’s architecture. Ex-journalist (12 years covering counter-culture, food, art, music, and fashion) — the tone is knowledgeable but unfiltered and funny, not a formal lecture.
Chandigarh as Le Corbusier designed it: India’s one true experiment in modernist city planning, built as a working model of “practical socialism.” Rusty’s tours dig into how the original design — sun, light, and airflow worked out decades ago — still functions today.
Day 1 — Architecture & Design (6 hours, starts 8:30 am to beat the heat)
Five key architectural highlights, with stops for hyper-local snacks and a brunch along the way. Built for anyone genuinely curious about design, planning, and the social thinking behind the grid.
Day 2 — Heritage, Arts & Everyday Life (6 hours, similar timing/price)
A slower, more personal tour into the city’s markets, centres, crafts, and daily rhythms — how life actually moves through Chandigarh’s grid system. Runs 6 days a week, closed Mondays.
Price: ₹7,500 per person — includes AC car/bus pickup and drop, all entry tickets, photography permits, parking, fuel, and waiting charges. Food and drink not included.
Chandigarh Through its Biggest Fans
Chandigarh reveals itself slowly, and no one sees it better than the people who never stop looking. Follow Aura’s favourite Chandigarh creators to see the city through eyes that haven’t gone tired of it — from 5 am runners chasing empty streets to the photographers who return to Pierre Jeanneret’s house again and again. Here’s who we follow.
That 5 AM lifestyle: 5 AM runs, catching the city’s quaintest spots in its early hours. Follow Amrita and her daily Chandigarh updates on Instagram.
Chandigarhzero172 by Kismet Nakai: The collective memory that is Chandigarh. Captured and preserved by Kismet, a resident and lover of all things Chandigarh. Follow the history that continues to exist on her Instagram.