Incredible India
7 Things to Do in Landour, the Cantonment Town That Keeps Mussoorie's Crowds at Arm's Length
Landour, the old British cantonment adjoining Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, has kept a slower pace than its busier neighbour, built around pine-shaded lanes, a handful of century-old institutions and views out to the high Himalaya.
Sep 25, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Landour was established in 1827 as a British military sanatorium on a ridge above Mussoorie, and its cantonment status has kept it smaller and less commercially built-up than the hill station it adjoins, even as Mussoorie's Mall Road has grown crowded in season. The two towns run into each other, but Landour's steep, quiet lanes, lined with old stone cottages, feel distinctly separate. Here's how to spend a couple of days there.
1. Start at Char Dukan
A cluster of four old shops near Landour's clock tower, Char Dukan has functioned as the town's informal meeting point for generations, serving simple breakfasts, maggi and coffee to a regular mix of Woodstock School students, long-term residents and visiting walkers.
2. Walk up to Lal Tibba
Landour's highest point offers one of the more accessible Himalayan viewpoints in the region, with paid telescopes for a closer look at the snow-bound peaks on a clear day; the walk up from Char Dukan is steep but short.
3. Browse Sisters Bazaar
A small row of shops at the western edge of Landour, Sisters Bazaar is best known for homemade cheese, jams and peanut butter sold from a family-run store with roots going back generations, alongside a well-stocked general store dating to the colonial period.
4. See Kellogg Memorial Church
Built in the early 1900s and still in use, this small stone church sits along Landour's main loop road and is a fixture of the town's quiet, unhurried walking routes.
5. Walk the Woodstock School loop
Woodstock School, founded in 1854, is one of the oldest international residential schools in Asia; the road looping past its campus gates is a popular walking route with regular views over the valley below.
6. Stop at Landour Bakehouse
A long-running bakery known for its bread, cinnamon rolls and coffee, Landour Bakehouse has become a fixture for both residents and visitors making the rounds of the town's walking loops.
7. Browse Cambridge Book Depot
A small independent bookshop on the Mussoorie side of the ridge, Cambridge Book Depot is closely associated with the writer Ruskin Bond, who has lived in the Landour area for decades and has held regular reading and signing sessions there.
Traveller tips
- Landour has no railway station of its own; the nearest is Dehradun, roughly 35 kilometres away, followed by a taxi up to Mussoorie and Landour.
- Most of Landour is best explored on foot; the lanes are steep and narrow, and vehicle access is limited in several stretches.
- Spring and autumn offer the clearest Himalayan views; the monsoon months bring heavy cloud cover and rain.
- Warm layers are advisable year-round given the elevation, even in summer.
Where this is
Landour, Uttarakhand