The main tourist attraction in Chandigarh is the rock garden. Besides the rock garden, the Rose Garden and Sukhna Lake are the other tourist attractions in Chandigarh. 

Excursions

Pinjore
Pinjore is located about 20 km from Chandigarh on Kalka road. Pinjore is known for the famous Yadavindra Gardens. These gardens are very cool, delightful and a popular picnic spot. This Mughal gardens was laid out by Aurangzeb’s foster brother Nawab Fidai Khan, who also designed the Badshahi mosque in Lahore. Within the gardens, there are various palaces built in a Mughal and Rajasthani style like the Shish Mahal, Rang Mahal and Jai Mahal.

Bhakra Nangal Dam
The Bhakra Nangal Dam is built on the Sutlej river and is about 70 km, north-west of Chandigarh. This dam is the highest dam in the world at 225 m. The multi-purpose river-valley project is certainly the largest irrigation system of its kind in Asia and was built as a part of the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan. The building of Bhakra Nangal Dam was supervised by the well-known American Dam builder Harvey Slocum. It provides electricty to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

Patiala
Patiala was once the capital of an independent state whose ruling Jind and Nabha houses were Sikh. It suffered at the hands of the European adventurer George Thomas and was later consolidated into the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh who included it in treaty arrangements made with the British in 1809. Thereafter, the Maharaja remained loyal to the British. Patiala is surrounded by intensively cultivated fields and has no palaces or pleasure gardens. The most impressive building in this town is the Bahadurgarh Fort, which was the creation of Maharaja Ala Singh in the late 18th century. It is a huge concentric fort with two walls surrounded by a moat. This large fort is built on a plain and capable of housing a garrison large enough to repulse strong attacks like the fierce Maratha attempt in 1794. The Old Motibagh Palace of 19th century is one of the largest homes in Asia. This huge and rambling central building is surrounded by lawns and tress. A combination of European, Rajput and Mughal styles, part of it is now National Institute for Sports.

Ludhiana
Ludhiana is situated about 20 km from Chandigarh. This town is situated on the southern banks of the Sutlej river and a major textile and light engineering centre. Hero bicycles are also manufactured here. The rich agricultural area around it supports a large grain market. This city was founded in 1480 by Lodi prince from Delhi and subsequently passed through a number of hands. In the north-west of the town is the fort which includes the shrine of Piri–I–Dastgir who was also known as Abdul Kadir Galani. There is an annual pilgrimage of Muslims and Hindus to the Muslim Saint’s tomb. There are various other tombs that belongs to members of Shah Shuja’s family while they were in exile from Afghanistan. The town is also the home of the Christian Medical College Hospital, which along with the CMC hospital in Vellore, is one of the south Asia’s major teaching and research hospitals.

Jalandhar
Jalandhar, formerly known as Jullundur is an ancient city of which very little survives. This city was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni and under the Mughals it was an important centre administering the area between the Beas and Sutlej rivers. The cantonment area was established in 1846 to house army units. It covers an area of 20 square km. The modern city of Jalandhar consists of a number of wards, each originally enclosed by a wall.

Kapurthala
Kapurthala is situated about 19 kms. from Jalandhar. Kapurthala was the capital of the former Sikh princely state. It was also the home town of the Ahluwalia family who conquered it in 1747. Its army fought against the British at Aliwal in the first Sikh War but took the British side during the Second Sikh War (1848) and the Mutiny (1857). This city was later governed as a model city–state. The Jagajit Singh who ascended the throne in 1890 and was educated in France, attempted to turn the city into a scrap of Paris. The Jalaukhana, designed by Monsieur Marcel and based in part on Fontainebleau, was first built in red sandstone but later built in pink stucco, was the Maharaja’s palace. It is now a boys school. 

Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib is a picturesque village, situated about 75 km towards Dharamsala from Chandigarh. This village is framed between the Shivalik hills to the east and the Sutlej river in the west. This historical site also boasts of an imposing 17th century fortress and an impressive Gurudwara. It is one of the holiest Sikh shrines.