MUSSOORIE By Air The nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun. Indian Airlines runs flights (50 minutes) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday to Jollygrant from Delhi. By Train Mussoorie does not have a direct rail link. Dehradun Railway station (34 km away) serves for Mussoorie too. This station is linked by superfast trains to other major cities in the country. Some important trains are: 3009/3010 Dehradun-Howrah (Calcutta) Exp; 4041/4042 Mussoorie Exp (Delhi); 4265/4266 Dehradun-Varanasi Exp; 9019/ 9020 Dehradun-Bombay Exp; 4309/4310 Ujjaini Exp (Ujjain); 4113/4114 Dehradun-Allahabad Exp., Shatabdi Exp. By Road Mussoorie is accessed from two points: the Library and Picture Palace. Buses from Dehradun go to the Library bus stand (Gandhi Chowk) or Kulri Bazaar, but not both. By bus/car, Mussoorie is 26 km from Dhanaulti, 26 km from Chakrata, 34 km from Dehradun, 77 km from Rishikesh, 90 km from Hardwar, 110 km from Saharabpur, 250 km from Gangotri, 276 km from Shimla and 278 km from Delhi, 355 km from Nainital. April to June and September to November. When the plains of North India are reeling under heat waves, Mussoorie provides a respite. September - November is springtime here. During this season, the Himalayas are clearly visible. From the Airport Take a tourist bus or a taxi to your place of stay. From the Bus Station There are four bus stations: the Library Bus Stand, Masonic Bus Stand, Tehri Bus Stand and the Kempty Bus Stand. From the bus stations, cycle rickshaws will take you to your hotel. Local buses for Barlowganj and Jharipani are available from the Masonic Bus Stand) from 8 am to 5 pm. From May to October, buses are available for Kempty Falls near Hotel Riviera, Library. Private cars are available from taxi stands and travel agents for excursion and sightseeing places around and nearby Mussoorie. With its green hills and varied flora and fauna, Mussoorie seems straight out of a picture postcard. Snow ranges to the north-east and glittering views of the Doon Valley and Shiwalik ranges in the south, the town presents a fairyland atmosphere all round the year. Small wonder that Mussoorie is known as the "Queen of hill stations." Mussoorie derives its name from the shrub, Coriaria Nepalensis, the vernacular name of which is Mansur or Mansuri, found in abundance on these hills. Historically, the area where the present town of Mussoorie stands, formed part of the State of Garhwal. Mussoorie came into being sometime during 1822, when Captain Young of the British Army alongwith his companion Mr. Shore, the Superintendent of Doon, explored the present site and laid the foundation of this fascinating hill resort. The shooting Box on Camel's Back was the first European construction and the building on the Zephyr Lodge estate the second. None, however, remain. The first home, still recognizable, was built at Landour. When the Landour Cantonment was set up, Captain Young became its Commandant. The enchanting surroundings soon attracted British attention and by 1836, over 100 bungalow-style buildings had come up. Mussoorie has the best of everything. Immense beauty, bungalows and well laid out gardens in which you can put up a chair, sit back and watch the world go by. It's a wonderful place to unwind, soothed by the sound of bubbling Himalayan streams. A long, quiet walk on winding roads amidst dark pinewoods is another option. No local din by way of noisy festivals, the cold, never too cold, no rush -- Mussoorie pushes you to do nothing. If that's the way you want it. All that changes with summer and the first car/busload of tourists. As the mercury shoots up in the plains, tourists simply flow into Mussoorie. One just has to walk the Mall to identify the types: the foreign tourist, the much-sweatered, much-mufflered, capped people from the east of India, rugged hardy types making do with a light cardigan, the student groups under their guardian's eagle eye. Mussoorie is also a special draw as the major Hindu pilgrimages like Kedranath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Hardwar, Rishikesh are all within easy distance. . In summer, the temperature ranges between 23ºC to 10ºC and in winter between 10ºC and 1ºC. The snowfall season is December-end to mid-February. The average rainfall is 180 cm per annum.