India , A land of Hills & Valleys is truly a paradise that beautifies the earths surface with its gems.The picturesque Indian hill stations are among the top hill stations of the world.

Much of the sub-continent's landscape is dotted by hills and mountain ranges and hill resorts on these ranges are popular getaways with both locals and foreigners. Not only do they offer relief from the heat and dust of the plains, their beautiful green surroundings, solitude, salubrious weather and spectacular views makes them ideal holiday spots offering quick relief from the hustle and bustle of city life. Most are well connected by rail and road and offer some beautiful retreats to stay in.

The British must be given credit for developing most of India's hill stations. They did so to escape the blistering heat of the long Indian summer. And with seven principal mountain ranges all over the country available to them they had the opportunity to explore each one of them and create their retreat towns, many of which are well maintained and retain their old-world charm. In the North, the Himalayan ranges stretch 2500 kms across the breadth of the subcontinent, and house some of India's oldest and most charming hill stations.

The most popular of these is Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, which was the erstwhile summer capital of British India. Also popular are Kasauli - a cantonment town also developed by the British, Nainital - famous for its beautiful lake, and Mussoorie popularly known as the queen of the hills. Towards the East in the lower Himalayan ranges are hill stations which produce the world's finest tea - the most famous of them being Darjeeling. Also well known are Shillong, Kurseong and Kalimpong.

A little further south of the Himalayas are the one of the world's oldest mountain ranges the Aravallis that stretch along the West of the country from Delhi to Gujarat. The most popular hill resort in these ranges is Mount Abu. In Central India the Vindhyas separate the wide Northern plains from the South. Though the ranges aren't very high, a few small hill stations dot them offering retreat from the heat. The Satpura ranges, which run parallel along to the Vindhyas, have quaint and charming hill resorts like Pachmarhi.

Along the West coast the Sahyadris ranges have many pretty hill stations - many of them near Mumbai like Mahabaleshwar and Matheran. In the South the Nilgiris have beautiful hill-towns such as Ootacamund commonly known as Ooty. Further south are the hill stations of Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu and Munnar in Kerala.

Take a break in any of India's hill stations and you will always come back for more of their idyllic beauty and quaint charm.