When to travel

Best places to visit in January

January in India is winter at its most photogenic — snow in Auli, fog over Kashmir, beach weather in Goa, and the brilliant Bikaner Camel Festival.

Busy

Gujarat

Mehsana

Mehsana is a busy city in northern Gujarat, known for the Dudhsagar dairy — one of India's largest cooperative dairies — and for its oil and gas fields. For travellers it is most useful as a base for the Solanki-era Sun Temple at Modhera and the Bahucharaji Shakti Peeth temple nearby.

Crisp, cool winter climate with clear bright blue skies.

Peak crowds

Rajasthan

Jaipur

Jaipur repays getting up early more than almost anywhere in Rajasthan, because by ten the coaches have arrived and Amber Fort stops being a fort and becomes a queue. Be at Amber for opening. Walk up rather than taking the elephants — the welfare of those animals is a long-running problem and a jeep does the same job. Inside, the Sheesh Mahal is the room everyone photographs, but the Ganesh Pol above the second courtyard is the better piece of work. Hawa Mahal disappoints people, and it is worth knowing why before you stand in front of it: it is a screen, one room deep, built so the women of the household could watch the street unseen. There is almost nothing behind the facade. The good view is from the rooftop cafés opposite, looking back at it. Jantar Mantar is the one to book a guide for. Without someone to explain them the instruments are handsome shapes; with someone, they are a working observatory and the visit turns into the best hour of your day. For fabric go to Johari Bazaar, for everyday chaos and better prices go to Chandpole. October to March. April onwards the stone gets too hot to touch by mid-morning.

Crisp chilly days with beautiful sunny afternoons.

Busy

Rajasthan

Bikaner

Bikaner gets a fraction of Jaisalmer's and Jodhpur's visitors and is a better city for it. Nothing here is queued. Junagarh, begun in 1589, is unusual among Rajasthan's forts in standing on flat ground rather than a hill, and it was never taken — which is why the painted interiors survived intact. The lacquer ceilings and the gold-leaf Anup Mahal are the reason to come, and the museum has a First World War biplane in it. Inside the old walls the city is a grid of red Dulmera sandstone havelis, the Rampuria cluster being the best of them and most still lived in. Bhujia was invented here. The Karni Mata temple at Deshnoke, thirty kilometres south, is the one with the rats — you go barefoot or you do not go. October to March. April to June sits well over 40°C.

Crisp cool daytimes with excellent clear desert horizons.

Busy

Goa

North Goa (Baga & Calangute)

Baga and Calangute form the high-energy, commercial beach core of North Goa, stretching along a continuous golden sand coastline on the Arabian Sea. Characterized by a coastal ecosystem, this region transitions from sun-drenched daytime water sports hubs into an epicenter of nightlife and entertainment. The shoreline is densely lined with dynamic open-air food shacks, water sports operators, and international music bars. Calangute beach functions as a prime retail and family leisure avenue, while Baga creek marks the launching pad for late-night clubbing and beachside parties.

Delightful crisp coastal conditions with mild afternoon heat.

Busy

Goa

South Goa (Palolem)

Palolem is a crescent-shaped natural bay located in the Canacona region of South Goa, known for calm water, dramatic rocky headlands, and a dense fringe of leaning coconut palms, it presents a relaxed, alternative to the commercialized hubs of the north. The unique topology of the bay ensures minimal ocean currents. The shoreline features temporary eco-friendly wooden stilt cottages and slow-paced beach shacks that are dismantled entirely before the monsoon, preserving a village-like coastal environment.

Mild pleasant daytimes with cool evening offshore winds.

Busy

Kerala

Munnar

Munnar is a high-altitude hill station at about 1,600 metres in the Western Ghats of Idukki district. Positioned at the scenic confluence of three mountain streams (Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni, and Kundala), the region is visually dominated by an uninterrupted, rolling green carpet of commercial organic tea plantations. The town and its surrounding valleys feature landscape contours lined with dense shola forests, aromatic spice farms, and high-altitude mist-covered grass hills. The commercial core functions as a gateway base for exploring deep wildlife corridors, including the protected cliffs of Eravikulam National Park and the towering peak of Anamudi, the highest summit in South India.

Crisp mountain conditions with clear afternoon visibility lines.

Busy

Kerala

Alleppey (Backwaters)

The mistake in Alleppey is the day boat. A houseboat only becomes worth it once the day-trippers have gone home and the water goes quiet. Book an overnight, and if you can, book a smaller boat that can leave the main channel. The big two-storey ones are restricted to the wide canals where they queue up alongside each other; the small ones get into the narrow waterways between the paddy fields, which is where the backwaters stop being a boat trip and start being a place where people live. Better still, spend a morning on a public ferry. The government service from Alleppey to Kottayam costs almost nothing, takes a couple of hours, stops at village jetties, and carries schoolchildren and shopping. You will see more of the actual backwaters from its deck than from most houseboats. The paddy fields here are farmed below sea level, kept dry by dykes and pumps — Kuttanad is one of the few places in the world where that is done. October to March. The monsoon has its own case, and the snake boat races in the wet season are worth planning around, but the water is high and the light is grey.

Mild pleasant daytimes with comfortable coastal evening conditions.

Busy

Kerala

Varkala Beach

Varkala is a coastal town unlike anywhere else on India's shoreline in the Thiruvananthapuram district of southern Kerala. Unlike the flat sandy shorelines standard across most of India's coast, Varkala is famous for its unique geological clifftops, massive near-vertical red laterite cliffs that rise sharply right next to the breaking waves of the Arabian Sea. The commercial heart of the beach spreads along the paved North Cliff edge, packed with bohemian open-air cafes, international seafood grills, yoga centers, and local handicraft stores. Down below, the beach front opens into wide sandy bays popular for swimming, surfing, and sunbathing, while natural mineral springs cascade down the laterite walls.

Delightful crisp coastal conditions with stable waves.

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Gujarat

Sasan Gir (Talala)

Gir, near Talala, is the last place in the wild where the Asiatic lion survives. Its dry-deciduous forest and scrub also shelter leopards, deer and a wide range of birds, and safaris run from the sanctuary's gates.

Perfect crisp weather, good for tracking all-day wildlife movements.

Busy

Odisha

Puri (Jagannath Temple & Beach)

Puri is an ancient holy city on the Bay of Bengal coast in Odisha, serving as one of the four primary sacred nodes in the traditional Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. The spiritual and civilizational identity of the metropolis revolves entirely around the monumental, 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple, housing the unique wooden manifestations of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra. The city's layout presents a dynamic transition from the deep devotional crowd corridors of the Grand Road to the wide, sandy shores of Puri Beach. Puri operates on a continuous pulse governed by ancient temple rituals, transforming into a massive global phenomenon during mid-summer when it hosts the historic Rath Yatra chariot festival.

Crisp beach weather with bright sunny afternoons.

Busy

Gujarat

Bhuj

Bhuj is the historic capital of the Kutch district. Highly resilient following major earthquake eras, it is a maze of royal palaces, historic stepwells, and ancient markets, serving as the ultimate jumping-off point into the vast salt flats of the Great Rann of Kutch.

Chilly, crisp climate, great for textile village tours.

Peak crowds

Goa

Goa, India's smallest state on the western Konkan coast, pairs golden Arabian Sea beaches with a relaxed Indo-Portuguese culture. From the lively sands and nightlife of the north to the quieter palm-fringed south, plus whitewashed churches, spice plantations, fresh seafood and easygoing susegad charm, it remains India's favourite beach getaway.

Perfect beach weather, peak season

Busy

Jammu & Kashmir

Gulmarg

Gulmarg is a bowl of meadow at 2,650 metres in the Pir Panjal, and it does two completely different jobs depending on the month. December to March it is the only serious ski resort in India. The Apharwat face has real off-piste terrain and the snow is dry enough to justify the trip. May to September the snow is gone and it is a meadow full of wildflowers with a golf course on it, one of the highest anywhere. The gondola climbs in two stages. The first, to Kongdoori, almost always runs. The second, up to just under four thousand metres on Apharwat, is frequently closed for wind and its tickets are capped daily — buy both stages early or accept that you may only get the first. If you are skiing off-piste, a guide is not optional. This is avalanche terrain and it has killed people.

Freezing conditions with massive accumulations of powder snow.

Busy

Rajasthan

Jodhpur

Mehrangarh is the best fort in India, and if you only climb one in Rajasthan it should be this one. It sits on a cliff a hundred and twenty metres above the city with no gap between rock and wall — the masonry simply continues the escarpment. The audio guide is one of the few in the country genuinely worth taking. Look for the handprints beside Loha Pol, left by royal widows on their way to the pyre. About the blue: people arrive expecting an entirely blue city and find a mostly ochre one. The blue is real but it is concentrated in the Brahmpuri quarter below the fort's north-east wall, and the way to see it is from the ramparts looking down, or by walking those specific lanes. Anywhere else in Jodhpur you will wonder what you were promised. Toorji ka Jhalra, the restored stepwell in the old city, is where everyone goes at sunset now and it has the cafés to prove it. Rao Jodha desert rock park, just outside the fort gates, has almost nobody in it and is the better hour. October to early March. By May the afternoon heat here is not a discomfort, it is a hazard.

Pleasant breezy conditions with clear blue sky perimeters.

Busy

Rajasthan

Chittorgarh Fort

Chittorgarh Fort is a monumental, historic citadel that stands as the largest fort complex across the Indian subcontinent, spread over a fish-shaped plateau spanning nearly 700 acres, it rises sharply 180 metres above the surrounding plains. The fortress is a masterpiece of military design, historically secured by seven massive stone gates and surrounded by deep vertical cliff line drops. The interior layout functions as an extensive open-air museum of Rajput history, housing grand ruined palaces, intricate temple groups, and multiple natural water reservoirs fed by subterranean springs. The skyline is dominated by towering stone structures including the Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory), a multi-story carved monument that can be seen from miles away. The entire complex is inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Pleasant breezy conditions with clear blue sky perimeters.

Busy

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)

Havelock Island, officially Swaraj Dweep, is the most popular island in the Andamans and a tropical dream for young travellers — home to the famous Radhanagar Beach, scuba diving and powdery white sand. It blends beach-bliss with adventure in a way that has made it a bucket-list staple. With turquoise water, coral reefs, mangrove kayaking and laid-back beach shacks, Havelock is the Andamans' adventure-and-relaxation hub. Diving and snorkelling at Elephant Beach, sunsets at Radhanagar and easy island life draw honeymooners, divers and backpackers alike.

Calm seas, perfect diving visibility.

Busy

Tamil Nadu

Marina Beach (Chennai)

One of the world's longest urban beaches, Chennai's Marina is a vast city shoreline of promenades, statues, sunrise crowds and street food along the Bay of Bengal. The best months to visit are roughly November to February, when seas are calm and skies are clear; the monsoon (June to September) brings rough water and many beach shacks shut. Plan water sports and swimming for the dry winter window.

Pleasant coastal weather and clear water.

Busy

Maharashtra

Mumbai

Mumbai runs on its trains, and the fastest way to stop being a tourist here is to work out which line you need and get on it. The stretch people photograph without knowing what it is runs from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus down to Oval Maidan: Victorian Gothic on one side, Art Deco on the other, facing each other across the park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is best walked at seven in the morning when the light is low and the traffic has not started. Skip the crush at the Gateway of India unless you are taking the ferry to Elephanta, which is worth a half day for the rock-cut Shiva in cave one. Instead go to Banganga tank in Walkeshwar — a stepped water tank in the middle of the richest neighbourhood in India, almost always empty of visitors. Monsoon, June to September, is when the city is most itself and most difficult. The rain is genuinely heavy, the trains flood, and locals will tell you both that it is beautiful and that they dread it. Both are true. November to February is the easy window.

Delightfully breezy coastal days with comfortable noon temperatures.

Moderate crowds

Maharashtra

Tarkarli (Malvan)

Situated in the Malvan region of Sindhudurg district near the Goa border, Tarkarli lies roughly 500 km south of Mumbai. The beach sits right where the Karli River backwaters meet the open Arabian Sea, surrounded by dense betel nut and coconut palm plantations. Tarkarli is renowned for having the clearest, most transparent coastal waters in Maharashtra, offering underwater visibility up to 20 feet on calm days. It serves as the state's premier scuba diving and snorkeling hub, complete with vibrant coral reefs, marine life, and luxury MTDC backwater houseboats.

Pleasant warm daytimes with refreshing evening ocean breezes.

Busy

Maharashtra

Ajanta Caves

The Ajanta Caves are a world-famous group of 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments hidden deep inside a scenic horseshoe-shaped mountain gorge in Aurangabad district. Hand-carved meticulously out of vertical basalt cliff walls between the 2nd century BCE and 5th century CE, the site functioned as a peaceful monsoon sanctuary for monastic scholars. The caves were lost completely to human memory for centuries, completely swallowed by dense wild jungle foliage until their accidental rediscovery in 1819. The unique cave interiors are globally known for hosting the finest surviving masterpieces of ancient classical Indian wall fresco art. The paintings utilize distinct natural mineral pigments to portray complex Jataka tales and celestial figures with incredible emotional depth.

Crisp winter daytimes with mild sunshine hours.

Busy

Gujarat

Kevadia (Ekta Nagar)

Kevadia, now officially Ekta Nagar, is home to the Statue of Unity — at 182 metres, the tallest statue in the world — on the banks of the Narmada River. Once a quiet settlement, it has been developed into a large tourism hub with theme gardens, a safari park, viewpoints and adventure activities.

Chilly, refreshing evenings and sunny daytime conditions.

Busy

Maharashtra

Ellora Caves

The Ellora Caves are a group of 34 rock-cut shrines carved into the basalt cliffs of the Charanandri Hills near Aurangabad. Stretching over two kilometres, they bring together Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples cut between the 6th and 10th centuries CE — a rare place where all three faiths sit side by side. The centrepiece is Cave 16, the Kailasa Temple: the largest monolithic rock-cut structure in the world, carved top-down from a single cliff. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of basalt were removed to reveal a multi-storey temple with carved pillars, life-size elephants and detailed galleries.

Cool refreshing afternoon hours with perfect photo lighting lines.

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Tamil Nadu

Madurai (Meenakshi Amman Temple)

The Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Dravidian temple complex located in the heart of Madurai, an ancient city on the banks of the Vaigai River. Dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, a powerful form of Parvati, and her consort Sundareswarar, a form of Shiva, the complex stands as a supreme architectural masterpiece of South Indian civilization. The complex is enclosed by massive high stone walls and dominated by 14 towering gateway towers, or gopurams, completely carpeted with thousands of brightly painted stone sculptures of deities, demons, and celestial beings. Inside, the temple features grand columned assembly halls, including the legendary Hall of a Thousand Pillars, and a sacred golden lotus pond that serves as a ritual center for millions of annual devotees.

Crisp refreshing afternoon hours with mild sunshine.

Busy

Karnataka

Hampi

Hampi is an open-air archeological destination along the banks of the boulder-strewn Tungabhadra River in the Vijayanagara district. Spanning a massive area of over 41 square kilometers, it preserves the ruined remains of the imperial capital of the historical Vijayanagara Empire. The architectural ruins feature a cross-section of palaces, military bastions, symmetric bazaar corridors, and complex stone temples. From the delicate carvings of the Hazara Rama Temple to the stone chariot structure at the Vittala complex, Hampi brings out the high-water mark of medieval South Indian artistic expression. The entire landscape is inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Crisp pleasant afternoons with refreshing evening breezes.