Snow-capped Himalayan peaks and green pastures surround this hill station, the capital of Himachal Pradesh. Summer is the best time for a heritage walk through its 19th-century colonial architecture, labyrinthine bazaars and lengthy pedestrian shopping mall. Scandal Point, a large, open square, provides a good look at the town, but hiking is a must to soak up the area's natural beauty. A Georgian mansion that served as Mahatma Gandhi's retreat from the mid-1930s to '40s is in Shimla's suburbs.