Chandigarh is the best-planned city in India, with architecture which is world-renowned, and a quality of life, which is unparalleled. As the capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh it is a prestigious city. The face of modern India, Chandigarh, is the manifestation of a dream that Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru envisaged and Le Corbusier executed.
Serenity and a city are two diametrically opposite concepts, which however, get belied in the 'City Beautiful'. Chandigarh is a rare epitome of modernization co-existing with nature's preservation. It is here that the trees and plants are as much a part of the construction plans as the buildings and the roads. India’s first planned city, is a rich, prosperous, spic and span, green city rightly called “ THE CITY BEAUTIFUL ”.
PLACES TO VISIT
ROCK GARDEN
Chandigarh has the distinction of having a unique world-acclaimed Rock Garden. It consists of art objects, fashioned from industrial and urban waste. It is situated between the Capitol Complex and Sukhna Lake in Sector 1. It nestles amidst
20 acres of woods in the form of an open air exhibition hall, theatre trove and a miniature maze all rolled into one vast fantasy land of art and landscape. It is without doubt, a tourist spot that is a must on the itinerary of every visitor to Chandigarh.
SUKHNA LAKE
The manmade picturesque Sukhna lake in the foothills of Shivalik range is an idyllic place for quiet communion with nature and for offer water sports activities such as boating, yachting, water skiing, etc..Sukhna is an inseparable part of the city. Le Corbusier had foreseen that the residents of the city would be drawn towards it for the 'care of the body and spirit'. The planners of the city will be thrilled to find that this beautiful gift to the city has extended its attraction beyond its boundaries.
The evenings see Sukhna again coming alive with tourists, and families thronging the promenade, the Chef Lakeview, CITCO's fast food joint, shops and of course the jetties for a boat ride. For children there are a number of joy-rides and a mini train. As night descends, the lights from the hill resort of Kasauli reflect in the lake and present a bewitching sight.
Sukhna is a sanctuary for many exotic migratory birds like the Siberian duck, Storks and Cranes, during the winter months. The Lake has been declared as a protected national wetland by the Government of India. People of Chandigarh love Sukhna. During summers, 
there are streams of men, women and children from all walks of life offering voluntary service to desilt the lake bed for about three months. This annual ritual has been a regular feature since long.
LEISURE VALLEY
A continuum of various theme gardens to take "Care of the Body and Spirit" of the city.
Le Corbusier retained the eroded valley of a seasonal rivulet ('City Map' ) on the original site of the city and sculpted it into a linear park, now over 8 kilometers long, running through the whole of Chandigarh. It traverses the heart of the city and has been developed into a series of special "theme gardens" weaving a garland of gardens for the city : of varied hues, textures and colours. Enter this Leisure Valley, and the proximity of the city becomes a blur. Let us walk you through this meandering parkland.
MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
The Government Museum & Art Gallery was designed as a building for the Museum by Le Corbusier. It came into being on the 6th of May, 1968 with untiring efforts of Late M.S. Randhawa, the then Chief Commissioner.
Like the City of Chandigarh, the Museum owes its existence to the partition of the country. The collection of arts objects, paintings, sculpture and decorative arts was housed in Lahore, the then Capital of Punjab. On 20th April 1948 the division of the collection took place by which 60% of the objects were retained as 
were the objects already re-produced in books and excavated from the sites falling in erstwhile Punjab. The remaining 40% collection consisting mainly of Gandhara Sculpture and miniature paintings fell in the East Punjab’s share. Received in 1949, the collection was first installed in Amritsar and then shifted to Shimla. In 1954, the exhibits were shifted to Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala. It was decided in 1960 that the Museum should have a building of its own in Chandigarh. The plan was approved in 1962 and the work remained suspended for sometime and finally, the 
Museum was constructed and opened to public in May, 1968.
The Museum possesses the largest collection of the world famous Gandhara Sculptures after Lahore. There is also a well appointed library in the Museum, which meets the needs of the scholars and students through its stock of 4600 books and references of arts and allied subjects.
The Art Galleries are classified as follows:-
* Gandhara and Hindu Sculptures
* Miniature Paintings
* Contemporary Art Gallery
* Decorative Arts and Coins
