Best places to visit in March

Punjab

Anandpur Sahib

Anandpur Sahib, translating to the 'Holy City of Bliss', matters as much as anywhere in the Sikh faith outside Amritsar. It sits at the foothills of the scenic Shivalik mountain range along the Sutlej River loop in Punjab, the town is structurally dominated by white-stone fortress-style Gurdwaras. It serves as a center for theological studies and martial heritage curation. The spiritual nucleus of the city is the Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five supreme temporal seats (Takhts) of Sikh authority. The city architecture is backdropped by the Virasat-e-Khalsa museum, an architectural marvel designed by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie that meticulously brings out 500 years of rich Sikh history and regional cultural traditions.

Pleasantly warm daytimes with cool refreshing evening winds.

Jammu & Kashmir

Vaishno Devi (Katra)

The Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is an extraordinary spiritual epicenter at an altitude of 1,585 metres inside the Trikuta Mountains of Jammu territory. Katra functions as the base town, from where millions of dedicated pilgrims commence a challenging 12 km uphill foot journey along a well-constructed mountain corridor to reach the main cave temple, known as the Bhawan. Inside the natural rock cave sanctuary, the deity is worshipped not as an idol but in the form of three natural rock structures called Pindis, representing the creative, sustaining, and transformative spiritual vectors of Goddess Shakti (Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati). The entire ecosystem is meticulously managed around the clock by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), featuring automated crowd tracking lanes and extensive shelter stations.

Pleasant spring weather good for long uphill foot travel.

Maharashtra

Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is a high-altitude hill station at an elevation of 1,353 metres on an expansive plateau ridge of the Sahyadri mountain range in Satara district. Enveloped by dense evergreen forests, steep river canyons, and agricultural terraced fields, it stands as the highest and most expansive mountain resort in Maharashtra. The town features an old-world colonial character, distinct multi-tiered valley viewing points like Arthur's Seat, and the scenic artificial Venna Lake. The surrounding fertile soils are internationally famous for high-yield commercial fruit farming, producing nearly 85 percent of the country's strawberries.

Pleasantly warm daytimes with cool mountain evening breezes.

Meghalaya

Cherrapunji & Living Root Bridges

Cherrapunji, traditionally known by its indigenous name Sohra, is a high tableland at an elevation of 1,430 metres on the southern face of the East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. Dropping sharply into the low-lying plains of Bangladesh down below, the region features a rugged mountain landscape cut meticulously by deep vertical canyons, colossal limestone cave networks, and some of the world's highest plunge water drops, including Nohkalikai, the tallest plunge fall in India. The unique bio-engineering highlights of the surrounding valleys are the world-famous Living Root Bridges, grown painstakingly over decades by the indigenous Khasi clans who guide the aerial roots of the Ficus elastica trees across thundering mountain rivers. The crowning achievement is the Double Decker Living Root Bridge hidden deep inside the river valley floor at Nongriat village.

Mild pleasant weather with clear dry canyon trekking tracks.

Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi

Varanasi is the oldest continuously lived-in city on earth and it will either be the best three days of your trip or the worst, with very little in between. Take a boat at dawn, not at sunset. At first light the ghats are working — people bathing, washing, praying, exercising — and the boat is quiet. The evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh is a genuine spectacle but you will watch it shoulder to shoulder with several hundred phones. At Manikarnika, bodies burn around the clock and have done for centuries. You can stand and watch; it is not hidden and nobody will stop you. Do not photograph it, and do not pay the men who offer to take you closer for a donation to the wood. Both requests are as old as the ghat. The galis behind the river are the actual city. They are too narrow for cars, you will get lost, and getting lost is the point — but keep the river to one side in your head so you can always walk back to it. Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, is forty minutes away and a complete change of pace. Go on the day Varanasi has worn you out.

Warm but comfortable

Uttarakhand

Rishikesh

Famed globally as the 'Yoga Capital of the World', this crowded, restless city on the Ganges blends ancient spirituality with high-adrenaline adventure sports. Rishikesh is located in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas where the sacred Ganges leaves the mountains to enter the plains. It is a world-renowned destination for spiritual seekers, yoga enthusiasts, and extreme adventure travelers.

Uttarakhand

Haridwar

An ancient holy city where the Ganges emerges into the Indo-Gangetic plains, world-known for its evening Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri. Haridwar, meaning the 'Gateway to Lord Vishnu', is one of the seven holiest places in Hinduism. Located where the Ganges River exits the Himalayan foothills, the city acts as the launching pad for the entire Char Dham pilgrimage circuit.

Uttarakhand

Mussoorie

Famously nicknamed the 'Queen of the Hills', this historic colonial-era hill station looks out over the Doon Valley and Shivalik ranges. Mussoorie is a legendary hill station at an altitude of roughly 2,009 metres in the Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. It stands as one of India's oldest and most commercialized mountain getaways, established during the British Raj.

Uttarakhand

Auli

India's winter skiing destination, with panoramic views of Nanda Devi and snow slopes. Auli is a high-altitude hill station at an elevation of roughly 2,909 metres in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Flanked by coniferous and oak forests, it has some of the highest and longest ski slopes in Asia.

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.

Warm but pleasant

Goa

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.

Getting warmer, fewer crowds

Himachal Pradesh

Manali

Manali is really two places, and knowing which one you booked matters more than anything else about the trip. Mall Road Manali is a busy Indian hill-station town — traffic, hotels, shops selling the same shawls. Old Manali, up the hill across the river, is quieter, low-rise and where most people actually want to be. Vashisht, on the other side, has the hot springs and a similar feel. Hadimba temple, in the deodar forest above town, is four hundred years old with a tiered wooden roof and is worth the twenty minutes. Solang and Rohtang are the standard day trips and both are congested in season; Rohtang needs a permit, which is capped daily and must be arranged in advance. The Atal Tunnel changed the geography here. Lahaul, which used to be a full expedition, is now well under an hour away, and going through it for the day gives you a completely different landscape. May and June are the peak and are crowded. October and November are clear, cold and quiet. Do not expect snow in town below about December, whatever the photographs suggest.

Snow melting, fresh and crisp