Dehradun

Dehradun, capital of Uttarakhand in the Doon Valley at 640 m elevation, is one of North India's most pleasant mid-sized cities — a temperate town of British-era boulevards, towering deodar cedars, and India's most prestigious educational institutions (the Indian Military Academy, the Forest Research Institute, Doon School, and the Wildlife Institute of India).

• As a travel base its value is immense: Mussoorie (the Queen of the Hill Stations) is 35 km up the mountain via a scenic road, Rishikesh and Haridwar are 45-55 km east, and the Char Dham pilgrimages (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, Gangotri) begin 200-300 km to the north.
• Within the city, the Forest Research Institute — an immense Greco-Roman colonial building from 1929 (one of the world's largest brick structures) set in 450-hectare botanical grounds, home to Asia's largest forestry museum — is open to visitors and worth 2 full hours for the architecture and campus alone.
• The Robber's Cave (Gucchupani, 8 km from the city centre) is a natural limestone canyon cut by a stream that vanishes underground — a popular easy walk through the streambed that rewards with fern-dripping cave walls and crystal water in the dry season.
• The Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple (5 km) is a riverside Shiva cave shrine with an ancient self-manifest Shivalinga, its sanctum draped with dripping stalactites that naturally shower the lingam — a rare and beautiful natural temple setting.
• The Sahastradhara (12 km) is a series of sulphur-spring waterfalls and bathing pools; Clement Town's Mindrolling Monastery (home to the Great Stupa, among the largest stupas in Asia) is worth an afternoon visit.
• For vegetarian travellers, Dehradun introduces Garhwali Kumaoni cuisine: kafuli (spinach-fenugreek curry), aloo ke gutke (crispy mountain-spiced potato), gahat ki dal (horse-gram dal), chainsoo (roasted black-gram), and Garhwali kheer with fresh mountain milk.
• Ellora's Bakery (since 1953, Dehradun's oldest bakery) produces the same walnut cake, fruit loaf, and butter biscuits it has for over 70 years.
• The Dehradun basmati rice (a GI-tagged variety grown in the Doon Valley) is considered the finest long-grain basmati in India.
• October to June is comfortable; avoid July-August monsoon landslides.