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The Hipster Chandigarh Architecture History Tour

By Rusty
10 out of 10
Exceptional
Free cancellation available
The previous price was $76 and current price is $69 per adult
Features
  • Free cancellation available
  • 2d
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
  • Selective hotel pickup
  • Multiple languages
Overview

I've been a journalist for 11 years and am a 3rd generation citizen here.
I spent 24 years of my life living in Corbus’s public social housing, studied in Pierre’s designed schools & went to Maxwell Fry’s designed offices – so I live, breathe, and exist as Chandigarh.

Later, I utilized my journalism skills to research deep into facts about the city, learned architectural skills & master my hilariously entertaining storytelling skills to curate these unique daily group tours.

I know when to slow down and allow architects & urban planners to click their one million photographs, keep my jokes politically neutral for Diplomats & foreign dignitaries, keep our food stops budget friendly for students and backpacking couchsurfers, keep facts entertaining and gentle for families, couples, and kids.

No matter the size of your group, caring for the individual needs of my guests is a responsibility I cherish.

Activity location
  • Capitol Complex
    • Sector-1
    • Chandigarh, India
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • Capitol Complex
    • Sector-1
    • Chandigarh, India

Check availability


One day tour (6 hours)
  • Activity duration is 2 days2d
    2d
  • English

Duration: 6 hours: We will cover as many architectural spots as possible during 6 hours.
I will present you all options, and you get to choose.
Pickup included

Starting time: 9:00AM
Price details
$75.23
$69.21 x 1 Adult$69.21

Total
The previous price was $75.23 and current price is $69.21
8% off
2 Day Chandigarh Architecture History Tour
  • Activity duration is 2 days2d
    2d
  • English

Duration: 12 hours: We will cover 6 hours for each day for two days. This ensures a comfortable pace.
Thus, a total of 12 hours.
Pickup included

Starting time: 9:00AM
Price details
$172.26 x 1 Adult$172.26

Total
Price is $172.26

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Pickup and drop charges included
  • What's includedWhat's included
    All entry tickets everywhere are included
  • What's includedWhat's included
    All taxi, driving, parking, waiting charges included
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Photography tickets and fees are included
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    We'd be making frequent snack stops - paid by you - but they're all very cheap
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Gratuity (optional) is accepted

Know before you book

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Day 1: Le Corbusier's Burutalist Architecture Day 1
  • 9 stops
  • Meals: Not included
  • Accommodation: Not included
Capitol Complex
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
Insider-guided access to the UNESCO World Heritage site at the Capitol Complex, featuring the Secretariat, the Assembly Hall, and the Open Hand Monument, which exemplify brutalist concrete forms, innovative spatial dynamics, and symbolic urban planning. Get exclusive access to restricted areas (subject to daily political variables), including the Assembly’s legislative chambers, rare archival drawings, maps, historical constructional insights and gain technical insights into Le Corbusier’s design principles, structural innovations, and urban theories, enriched with expert analysis. Entry is subject to local political conditions.
Le Corbusier Centre
  • 50m
  • Admission ticket included
Guided insider tour of the old architects' building, now a museum / memorial center dedicated to Le Corbusier. See with visual demonstrations of the first attempt at a green, sustainable and naturally cooled building in the brutalist architecture era and rare documents, letters, maps, and plans of Chandigarh's formation.
Gandhi Bhawan
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket included
An insider, guided, private tour of the heart of the University, one of the most recognizable structures of Chandigarh, designed by Pierre Jeanneret. Observe how the distinctive spinning lotus-shaped roof cuts sunlight, surrounded by a reflective pool, which eliminates the need for air conditioning even today. Learn about Jeanneret's design principles and the building's role as a hub for academic and cultural activities.
Chandigarh Architecture Museum
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
Insider, guided tour of our homage to Le Corbusier’s 1965 Zurich Pavilion, this raw concrete form and tubular stairway set the stage for Chandigarh’s modernist saga. We’ll explore three levels of rare exhibits, starting with the basement’s 1947 Partition archives, showcasing Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki’s early plans through original maps. The second level unveils Le Corbusier’s vision, with blueprints, models, and unbuilt designs like the Museum of Knowledge, crafted with Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew, and Maxwell Fry. On the third, see Chandigarh’s evolution, including Jeanneret’s furniture and his recreated living room. With insider access, you’ll view restricted sketches and tapestries, offering a personalized glimpse into this UNESCO city’s creation. Tickets already included, no waiting in lines!
Open Hand Monument
  • 25m
  • Admission ticket included
Get insider up and close access to the crowning jewel symbol of Chandigarh, a symbol of peace and unity and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hear the story of Le Corbusier's vision, and if you're lucky on a windy day see the hand gently sway with the wind, embodying flexibility and openness. Click pictures and give a speech in the assembly pit, next to the judiciary and the legislation of Chandigarh. Hear the real story behind this sight - is it still used to its original purpose?
Geometric Hill
  • 20m
  • Admission ticket included
Get insider, personalized guided access through this sculptural landscape. Designed as part of the Capitol Complex, Geometric Hill’s grid-like earth mounds and concrete forms embody Le Corbusier’s fascination with geometry and nature’s harmony. Guests will explore its precise alignments, inspired by his Modulor system, and learn how it contrasts with Chandigarh’s organic urban grid. The tour includes insights into its symbolic role as a meditative space within the administrative hub. Hear the story of the never-completed structure here, the untold story of political turmoil, its original designed purpose vs current use.
The Tower of Shadows - Chandigarh, India
  • 15m
  • Admission ticket included
Get an insider, expert guide through this open-air concrete structure designed by Le Corbusier as a "demo" building to study the solar movement. The Tower of Shadows showcases Le Corbusier’s obsession with light and climate-responsive design, using geometric forms to cast precise shadows. Guests will explore its minimalist framework, learning how it embodies his principles of environmental harmony and the Modulor system. Get insights into its role as a functional yet symbolic piece within Chandigarh’s modernist landscape. One of the most iconic photographic spots in all of Chandigarh!
Panjab University
  • 40m
  • Admission ticket included
Insider tour
Museum Maison Jeanneret
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket included
Get a rare visit to the first house constructed in Chandigarh turned museum. Originally the residence of Pierre Jeanneret for 11 years, a key collaborator of Le Corbusier, this house showcases his innovative design principles. Built-in the 1950s, Maison Jeanneret reflects the modernist architecture characteristic of Chandigarh's urban planning, featuring clean lines, open spaces, and functional design. I'll take you through the meticulously preserved interiors, where you'll find mid-century modern furniture designed by Jeanneret himself. The minimalist aesthetic and use of local materials like teak wood highlight his practical yet elegant approach. You'll also see rare photographs, sketches, and personal artifacts that provide a glimpse into Jeanneret's life & his pivotal role in shaping Chandigarh. We will get rare access to the garden and verandas which reflect his architectural philosophy of integrating indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly. Tickets are already included!
Day 2: Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew & Maxwell Fry's Design & Urban Planning Day 2
  • 6 stops
  • Meals: Not included
  • Accommodation: Not included
Sukhna Lake
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket included
Gentle walkaway at the manmade lake designed by Corbusier, made to refresh the groundwater and cool the northern sectors of the city. Hear the incredible story of the lake's creation, to its evolution as the ground zero for migratory birds across continents & fitness rituals by the residents while we walk by the stunning views of the foothills of the Himalayas
Sector 17 Market
  • 1h
Walk and talk in the often-ignored commercial designs of Corbusier in the heart of the city, where commerce, culture, and community converge. We will take the shaded tree-lined walkways, do people watching by the fountains, and see local artists perform at open spaces, blending brutalist concrete with green landscapes. Bask in the immense pride of how much locals utilize these public spaces, despite a constant struggle of gentrifying the city, and how the well-oiled machinery just works!
Chandigarh War Memorial
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket included
A solemn walk through the poignant tribute park tucked within the Bougainvillea Garden of Sector 3, where architectural subtlety meets profound historical resonance. Conceived by Lt. Gen. J.F.R. Jacob and designed by students, this sunken, spiral arena honors over 10,500 martyrs from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh who were martyred post-Independence. We talk about the political history of the city as we walk by the metallaitc eternal flame memorial, and see the citizen-funded park & discuss citizens' involvement in keeping the city running.
Chandigarh
  • 1h
Private, very RARE, access through a walking guided tour of Pierre Jeanneret’s public socialist housing in Chandigarh (subject to local variables), still functional in its original stance. Having lived personally in these housings for over two decades, we'd talk of its genius but simple sunlight protective design, cost-cutting & communal living spaces and talk about its evolution over the decades.
Government Museum and Art Gallery
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
Guided tour of this 1960's heritage museum designed by Le Corbusier, which houses artifacts from the pre-partition era from Pakistan, including one of the world's largest collections of Greco-Buddhist art objects, paintings, and sculptures.
Lake Club
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket included
Insider, guided tour of the most ignored rarely known private yacht club for recreational boating & socializing designed by Corbusier mere a year before his death. Explore the architectural design of what was once the ground zero for testing homemade self-designed boats by Corbusier & Jeannert, now a luxurious gym, sports and fitness area during the daytime, serving charcoal roasted chicken tikkas with ice cold beers in the evening

Location

Activity location
  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Capitol Complex
    • Sector-1
    • Chandigarh, India
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Capitol Complex
    • Sector-1
    • Chandigarh, India

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