Asia’s nine best hill stations, and how they’ve stood the test of time
From Shimla in India to Da Lat in Vietnam, the upland settlements colonialists built in Asia are still as charming as ever
Venture into the highlands of Southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent and sooner or later you’ll stumble upon a hill station. These lofty, purpose-built settlements offered imperial administrators, military officers and planters a home away from home where they could rest, recuperate and socialise when summer temperatures at sea level became unbearable.
The colonials are long gone but close one eye and you could still be in Europe. Cream tea and a game of billiards, anyone?
1 Shimla, India
In the 1820s, the only way for hot-under-the-collar colonials to reach Shimla was by elephant. The construction of a narrow-gauge railway in 1898 made the journey easier and today’s tourists can also hop on a bus. The venerable Clarkes Hotel; the Gaiety Theatre, where Rudyard Kipling once performed; and Christ Church, with its brass plaque marking the Viceroy’s pew, all hark back to a time when Shimla was the summer capital of British India. The Queen of the Hills is still a popular destination, particularly with Indian visitors curious to experience cedar-scented air and snow. Sooner or later every visitor gravitates to the pedestrianised Mall Road – a sepia-tinted mix of colonial and contemporary architecture where vendors serve up spicy snacks, bakeries churn out sugary treats and (from December) ice skaters have the only natural rink in India at their disposal.
