Most people traveling from Delhi actually go Shimla first, since it's the shorter first leg (around 350 km, roughly 8-9 hours), and it lets you ease into the mountains before the longer Manali stretch. Doing Shimla first also breaks up the total journey — instead of a straight 12-14 hour haul to Manali, you split it into two manageable drives with a stop in between. A lot of
Shimla and Manali tour packages from Delhi are structured this way for exactly this reason. That said, if snow is your main priority and you're tight on time, some travelers skip Shimla on the way up and head straight to Manali, then cover Shimla on the return leg instead. Either way works, it really just depends on whether you want to ease into the trip or prioritize snow time first.
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