Zirakpur Tourism And Travel Guide

Zirakpur is a small town located in the northern sphere of India, especially famous among the local Indian communities. This town inculcates a sense of religious reverence among all groups of tourists that step onto its bustling streets. This religious importance of Zirakpur is a culmination of the historical events that occurred around this town during the Sikh fraternity's fightback to intruders from all around India and the world. The city boasts of being a developed vicinity equipped with all modern amenities across its expanse. The splendid garden environs, tranquil natural havens, and sacred worship centers around town instill within every visitor a rejuvenating vigor. Let us walk through this travel guide to understand how Zirakpur entices tourism prospects.

By Air:

Chandigarh International Airport is the nearest airport to Zirakpur, located about 5 km away from the central hub of the town. Thanks to the excellent network of flights that ply to this airport, Zirakpur enjoys functional connectivity to the outside world. Some of the international airlines plying to Chandigarh International Airport include Qatar Airlines and Emirates.

By Rail:

The nearest railway station to Zirakpur lies around 5 km away from the heart of the town. Several metropolitan centers of India, such as Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, Amritsar, Patiala, Srinagar, and Ahmedabad have railheads that ply trains in and out of Zirakpur regularly. Some of the significant express trains operating along this route include Ambala Cant – Chandigarh Special, New Delhi – Una Himachal, and Kerala Sampark Kranti Express.

By Road:

Zirakpur enjoys excellent connectivity to other parts of India thanks to its presence along two major national highways, the Patiala-Shimla Highway and Ambala-Chandigarh Highway. The public bus transport network across the whole of Zirakpur is a significant boost for tourists as well as local inhabitants, providing connections to cities such as Bathinda, Patiala, Rajpura, and Delhi. Even privately run buses such as those run by organizations like Travelyaari provide tourists with luxurious options to explore the beautiful city of Zirakpur.

Zirakpur witnesses warm and humid weather across the span of the annual calendar. The temperatures around the city stay temperate for most periods, continually hovering between 22°C and 32°C. Let us check out how the different seasons lure in tourists to the grasslands of Zirakpur.

Summer (March to May):

Zirakpur's summer season turns in with the advent of March and continues to spread heat waves throughout the city until the end of May. The climate remains sultry and arid, with temperatures alternating between 25°C and 35°C for most parts of the season. Keeping the taxing heat waves out of consideration, tourists can still manage to venture across the tourist spots of Zirakpur during the summer season thanks to the positively bright sunshine on offer.

Monsoon (June to September):

Zirakpur's monsoon season experiences severe humidity and a warm climate for its entire duration. The incessant rainfall, however, brings in a soothing effect and keeps a check on the environment, with temperatures hovering between 20°C and 30°C regularly. Zirakpur's grasslands turn picturesque and offer adventurous tourists with several opportunities to partake in exciting trekking activities across the city.

Winter (October to February):

Zirakpur's winter season sets in around the beginning of October and progressively rolls out around the end of February. The whole town witnesses a comforting and chilling climate around this time of the year, making the winter season the best time to explore the town's tourism hotspots. With temperatures alternating between 15°C and 25°C, Zirakpur allures tons of visitors during the initial months of October and November thanks to the slightly warmer weather that prevails around town.

Revered Holy Shrines:

Zirakpur has holy Sikh gurudwara spread across its entire terrain thanks to its rich historical connections to the Sikh fraternity's bygone era. The fact that venerated Sikh stalwarts such as Guru Teghbahadur Singh, Guru Gobind Singh, Bhai Motha Singh, and Guru Hargobind Singh spent significant time at this town during their heydays plays a vital role in the religious significance bestowed upon Zirakpur. Tourists can find various venerated shrines across the city though, including Gurudwara Shri Baoli Sahib, Bhima Devi Temple, Mata Mansa Devi Temple, and Gurudwara Nada Sahib.

Revitalizing Nature Parks:

Zirakpur is blessed with a beautiful reserve of gardens that are meant to provide refreshing environs and entertaining options for children as well as adults. Parks such as Shakti Kunj Park Topiary Park and Cactus Garden breed exotic plant species such as amaltas, jacaranda, pipal, and oak, and attract botanists from all over the world. On the other hand, the rejuvenating Terraced Garden in the area attracts adults with its impressive strolling pathways and kids with its magnificent animal figurines.

Resplendent Wildlife Reserves:

Some of the delightful wildlife sanctuaries located across Zirakpur's expanse include Nepli Reserve Forest and Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park. These nature reserves nurture some of the most attractive animal species across the globe, with the White Tiger, The Royal Bengal Tiger, the Asiatic Lion, the Sambhar Deer, the Asian Elephant, and the Indian Gazelle skillfully strutting their stuff across the territory. Even alluring birds like painted storks, sarus cranes, and lion-tailed macaque breed within this wildlife reserve.

Zirakpur is slowly developing a vibrant social culture with several family dhabas, continental restaurants, and street-side fast food centers coming to the fore. Although people from a variety of religious groups belonging to Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan have settled into this beautiful city over the years, the Punjabis have managed to keep Punjabi cuisine at the top of the pile. On the other hand, those who prefer not to have spicy cuisine would love the Chinese food found around town. Some of the mouth-watering dishes regularly served across every restaurant in the city include Soya Tandoori Chaap, Chicken Rolls, and varieties of Paneer such as Karahi Paneer, Shahi Paneer, and Paneer Butter Masala. The traditional "Dhaba" setup across different restaurants continues to serve the usual Punjabi lip-smacking food specials such as Dal Makhani, Laccha Paratha, and Sarson Da Saag.

Zirakpur is famous for its fantastic shopping center named Paras Downtown Square. Situated within touching distance of S.A.S. Nagar, this shopping mall was constructed thanks to the one-of-a-kind initiative brought forth by the Paras Buildtech company. The company aimed to provide tourists as well as locals with retail and entertainment shopping options at a single shopping hub. Paras Downtown Square houses some of the most prestigious brands in Lifestyle, Entertainment, Fashion, and F&B. The state-of-the-art amenities available at the mall allow these brands to benefit from a retail point-of-view. Other splendid shopping hubs that attract a truckload of tourists to Zirakpur include Zirakpur Shopping Center, Cosmo Mall, and Palika Bazar. Once done with their tourism adventures, visitors can drop by at one of these malls and take home traditional apparel such as popular Patiala Salwars or even Sikh relics such as a sacred Kadha worn by male Sikhs.