Capitol Complex Amongst the must visit places in Chandigarh is the monumental Capitol Complex at Sector 1. The tourist attraction happens to dominate the skyline of Chandigarh. Standing aloof at the foothills of the city of Chandigarh, like the Grecian Acropolis, the geometrical concrete buildings rise from the mounds as giant playful sculptures. The places to be visited in the Capitol complex of Chandigarh are the three major buildings of the Secretariat, the Assembly, and the High Court. All the three are interlocked to one another as part of a subtle visual composition, delicately balanced, and enclosing grandiose spaces. Between the silhouettes of these magnificent edifices is juxtaposed the Chandigarh city's most popular visible symbol: the Open Hand
The Open Hand One of the most significant monuments planned by Le Corbusier in Chandigarh is the Open Hand. The monument is a place to visit in Chandigarh. Rising 85 feet high from a sunken trench, a giant hand in metal sheets is designed to rotate "like a weather cock, not to show the incertitude of ideas, but to indicate symbolically the direction of wind (that is the state of affairs)." It is also meant to convey a message of peace "open to receive."
Amongst the other monumental places to visit in Chandigarh are the Tower of Shadows, Geometric Hill, and Martyr's Memorial.
One of the most important places to visit is Sector 17, Chandigarh's sleek shopping area and the city center. Planned around four pedestrian concourses meeting at a central chowk (intersection), the Sector 17 of Chandigarh is a pedestrian's paradise dotted with fountains, sculptures, and groves of trees. In summers the tourists move from one end of the sector to the other, under the shade of a corridor, and in winter it is nice to be out in the sun-drenched piazzas. In the evenings, when the colorful mosaic of neon signs and the aesthetically illuminated fountains come alive, Sector 17 becomes the Chandigarh city's biggest outdoor club.
Sukhna Lake Another favorite recreation spot of the nature-loving people of Chandigarh is the Sukhna Lake in Sector 1. Created by building an artificial dam on a seasonal stream, Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake is spread over a large area. A 2-km-long promenade along the lakeshore is a popular place to be visited in Chandigarh by the tourists and localities alike.
The Rock Garden No description of Chandigarh city can be complete without a mention of its most celebrated creations-the Rock Garden. Spread over 12 acres of wooded land near the Capitol Complex the Rock Garden of Chandigarh is the creation of a humble road inspector called Nek Chand. The urban waste material turned into creative patterns and textures, mute rocks turned into art objects attract tourists to Chandigarh. A visit to the Rock Garden is a must for all the tourists travelling to Chandigarh.
Leisure Valley Another place to tourist interest in Chandigarh is its leisure valley, which, like a garland of gardens, ornaments the Chandigarh city from one end to the other. The Rose Garden of Sector 16, which with an area of 25 hectares is one of the largest in Asia. The Rose Garden is a place worth visiting in Chandigarh for being home to thousand varieties of roses. Other prominent and worth visiting parks of the Chandigarh city are the Garden of Tranquillity, Garden of Rare Plants, Garden of Annuals, the Bougainvillea Garden, Botanical Garden, and the Garden of Aromatic Plants.