When is the best time to go to India?

India is ready for a tour all year round, because if the climate in one region is less favourable, than in other regions the climatic conditions can be pleasant or ideal. In order to choose when to visit India and discover the territory, both in the north and in the south, it is important to simply emphasize the period from mid-November to late March which is the perfect timing from a the weather's point of view. One will have the opportunity to relax in the beautiful region of Rajasthan or marvel at the splendors of the Taj Mahal without having to worry about the upcoming temperature.

The months of May and June are the hottest and according to the region, rain can be heavy or moderate. For this reason, hiking and trekking in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir or for enjoying the climate in Himachal Pradesh, this period can be interesting. Furthermore, as tourists are few at this period of time, one is faced with a unique chance at discovering a world totally apart and authentic.

So, when is the best time to go to India? Here's some more information to help you in your decision:

  • In India, the weather is good everywhere in January, February, March and December
  • The best months to go to Delhi are January, February, March, April, September, October, November and December
  • On average, the warmest months in Delhi are April, May and June, and the coldest month of the year is January
  • The rainiest months in this city are July and August
  • The cities with the best climate are Varkala, Nandi hills (Nandi betta) and Coimbatore, with good weather at least 11 months a year
  • The sea temperature is suitable for swimming all year round in Thiruvananthapuram



Where and when to go based on the weather?

Map of the best times to visit India
Map of the best times to visit India ©whereandwhen.net

Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Middle Andaman Island , Port Blair...

February and March
83°F to 86°F°C
0 to 3 days
85°F
January, April, November and December
83°F to 88°F°C
3 to 14 days
83°F to 88°F
May and October
85°F to 88°F°C
17 to 19 days
85°F to 88°F
June, July, August and September
85°F to 86°F°C
21 to 25 days
85°F

Eastern India
Darjeeling, Kolkata, Puri...

January, February, November and December
50°F to 94°F°C
0 to 3 days
72°F to 83°F
March and October
59°F to 101°F°C
1 to 10 days
79°F to 86°F
April, May, June, August and September
65°F to 112°F°C
0 to 29 days
83°F to 86°F
July
70°F to 94°F°C
15 to 30 days
85°F to 86°F

Goa
Panjim, Canacona, Mollem...

January and February
90°F to 97°F°C
0 to 1 days
83°F
March, April, May, October, November and December
86°F to 103°F°C
0 to 12 days
83°F to 86°F
September
83°F to 86°F°C
12 to 18 days
83°F to 85°F
June, July and August
79°F to 86°F°C
13 to 30 days
83°F to 86°F

Gujarat
Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot...

January, February, March, November and December
76°F to 103°F°C
0 to 2 days
74°F to 83°F
April, September and October
85°F to 108°F°C
0 to 14 days
81°F to 85°F
May, June and August
85°F to 110°F°C
0 to 20 days
83°F to 86°F
July
86°F to 94°F°C
7 to 24 days
85°F

Himalayan North
Himachal Pradesh (Shimla), Manali, Ladakh...

March, October and November
16°F to 94°F°C
0 to 9 days
January, February, April, May, September and December
5°F to 106°F°C
0 to 20 days
June
36°F to 108°F°C
2 to 15 days
July and August
45°F to 103°F°C
6 to 29 days

Karnataka
Bangalore (Karnataka), Hampi, Mangalore...

January, February and December
81°F to 95°F°C
0 to 3 days
83°F to 85°F
March, April, May, June, October and November
81°F to 106°F°C
0 to 27 days
85°F to 86°F
September
81°F to 90°F°C
9 to 19 days
83°F
July and August
77°F to 90°F°C
5 to 30 days
81°F to 83°F

Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode...

January
85°F to 97°F°C
0 to 3 days
83°F to 85°F
February, March, April and December
83°F to 101°F°C
0 to 20 days
85°F to 86°F
May, September, October and November
85°F to 94°F°C
5 to 21 days
83°F to 86°F
June, July and August
83°F to 88°F°C
8 to 30 days
81°F to 85°F

Maharashtra
Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur...

January, February, March, November and December
83°F to 103°F°C
0 to 4 days
77°F to 85°F
April, May and October
88°F to 112°F°C
0 to 10 days
83°F to 86°F
September
81°F to 90°F°C
11 to 18 days
85°F
June, July and August
79°F to 101°F°C
10 to 30 days
83°F to 88°F

Northeast of India
Guwahati, Imphal, Dibrugarh...

January, February, November and December
67°F to 88°F°C
0 to 5 days
March, April and October
76°F to 97°F°C
2 to 22 days
May
76°F to 95°F°C
14 to 29 days
June, July, August and September
76°F to 94°F°C
15 to 31 days

Plains of India
Delhi, Agra (Taj Mahal), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)...

January, February, March, November and December
68°F to 97°F°C
0 to 3 days
April, September and October
86°F to 108°F°C
0 to 12 days
July and August
85°F to 104°F°C
9 to 20 days
May and June
99°F to 113°F°C
0 to 8 days

Rajasthan
Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur...

January, February, March, October, November and December
72°F to 99°F°C
0 to 2 days
April and September
90°F to 106°F°C
0 to 9 days
May, June, July and August
86°F to 112°F°C
0 to 19 days

South East of India
Chennai, Hyderabad, Pondicherry...

January and February
81°F to 94°F°C
0 to 5 days
79°F to 85°F
March, April, June, July, August, September and December
79°F to 104°F°C
0 to 22 days
81°F to 88°F
May, October and November
79°F to 106°F°C
1 to 25 days
83°F to 88°F

To get all the information about the climate and weather in India for a specific month, click on the corresponding link below:

India in january India in february India in march India in april India in may India in june India in july India in august India in september India in october India in november India in december


Best time to travel to India by cities

See full list of cities


Climate and Weather in India

A very vast country among the continent of Asia, India has a very wide access to the sea and many inland neighbors such as China, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Thanks to its great extent in latitude, India boasts a wide variety of climates and temperatures that allow for enjoyment all the time and in all seasons, depending on where one is. In order to best describe the Indian temperatures, we can divide the country into two: Northern and Southern India, where the seasons are not quite the same.

India: Taj Mahal à Agra

Climate in Northern India

Hot and humid in the summer, Northern India at this time may face climates that are very hard to bear. The end of the monsoon season, that ranges from June to September, does not help in decreasing the overall temperatures, despite the very heavy rainfalls. Beware though, because in the winter the temperatures can drop significantly and sometimes well into the negative, particularly due to the presence of several mountains.

The West

Very green, this part of northern India which is located along the Western Ghats, benefits from an almost tropical climate with lush vegetation. During the monsoon season, the rains are abundant.

The Indus Region

The climate of India in this part of the country, which is particularly home to the cities of Rajasthan and Jaipur, is fairly barren. Despite the fact that it is very hot during the day, one can feel the cool settling in once night falls.

The North-East

The north east including Assam, Sikkim and the eastern Himalayas is surprising with its lush vegetation, savannas and rainforests. Greenery is of course a result of the many rains during the monsoon season. Due to the mountainous regions, the temperatures fall very very low - both at night and in the winter.

Climate in Southern India

The summer climate of southern India is quite painful to endure, due to the high heat and high humidity that prevails throughout the entire season. Furthermore, there are less temperature fluctuations than in the north of the Ganges, except towards the southern tip where it is generally much hotter. During the monsoon season from June to September, but equally in November and December towards Madras, the country is completely covered by the continuous rainfalls.

The Southern Tip

The southern tip is one of the nicest parts of India and it is very hot, allowing for the enjoyment of the many beaches within this area of the country. Therefore, towards Pondicherry, the same temperatures are enjoyed as its neighbor - Sri Lanka and its capital, Colombo. It is important to note that the monsoon season extends until November or even until December in certain years.

The West Coast

The climate is mild, however, this part of India has a very long rainy season. The latter affects five to six months of the year, characterized by particularly heavy rainfall.

South East

For the southeast coast of India, especially around Madras, the risk of cyclones is quite important, just as with its neighbor, Burma. In fact, the Bay of Bengal is highly and commonly exposed to natural disasters.

Central India

The center of India, unlike the northern and southern parts, is particularly dry. The winters are also quite mild and dry with rather dangerous temperatures in the month of April. During the monsoon season, which ranges from June to September, the rain is rare and rather irregular.


Temperatures and rainfall in India

On these 3 graphs, we present the evolution of temperatures of India and month-by-month rainfall for the cities of Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Panjim, Jaipur and Agra (Taj Mahal), as well as the month-by-month sea temperature for coastal cities.


Peak visitor numbers and tourist seasons in India

Find out when India has its high tourist season (the period when the influx of tourists is highest) and off-peak tourist season using our data and figures.

Tourist seasons in India

The months with low numbers of tourists are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. The number of visitors to India is high in: December.

  • Very low season in India: February, March, April, May, July, August and September.
  • Low season in India: January, June, October and November.
  • Peak season in India: December.

Figure: Visitor index for India month by month


Average price for flights to India

A return flight between Toronto and Delhi is generally cheaper if you go in october ($ 1554 on average): this is the best time for travellers on a tight budget. In contrast, you may end up paying $ 514 more for your airline ticket to Delhi if you go in december.

Find the best price for your flight Flight prices to India




Where to go in India?

This table allows you to see the maximum temperature for each city and our opinion on the weather month by month (see colour legend below the table).

Cities jan.feb.mar.apr.mayjun.jul.aug.sep.oct.nov.dec.
Delhi74°F81°F92°F104°F112°F112°F103°F97°F97°F97°F88°F77°F
Thiruvananthapuram92°F94°F94°F92°F90°F86°F86°F86°F86°F88°F88°F90°F
Panjim92°F92°F92°F94°F92°F86°F83°F85°F85°F90°F92°F92°F
Jaipur76°F83°F94°F103°F108°F108°F99°F94°F95°F95°F86°F79°F
Agra (Taj Mahal)76°F83°F95°F106°F113°F112°F101°F97°F97°F97°F88°F79°F
Bangalore (Karnataka)85°F88°F94°F97°F94°F86°F83°F83°F83°F83°F81°F81°F
Chennai83°F85°F88°F92°F95°F94°F92°F92°F90°F88°F85°F83°F
Darjeeling59°F65°F72°F76°F76°F77°F76°F76°F76°F72°F67°F61°F
Hyderabad86°F92°F99°F104°F104°F94°F86°F86°F86°F88°F86°F85°F
Kolkata85°F92°F99°F104°F103°F101°F94°F94°F92°F92°F90°F85°F
Mumbai90°F90°F94°F94°F94°F88°F85°F85°F86°F92°F94°F92°F
Pondicherry83°F85°F88°F92°F95°F94°F92°F92°F90°F88°F85°F83°F
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)79°F86°F97°F108°F112°F108°F97°F95°F94°F94°F88°F81°F
Kochi90°F92°F92°F92°F90°F86°F85°F85°F86°F88°F88°F90°F
Kozhikode90°F92°F92°F92°F90°F86°F85°F85°F86°F88°F88°F90°F
Canacona90°F92°F92°F92°F92°F85°F83°F83°F85°F88°F90°F92°F
Mollem94°F94°F94°F94°F94°F86°F83°F85°F86°F90°F94°F94°F
Jodhpur76°F83°F94°F103°F108°F106°F99°F95°F97°F97°F88°F79°F
Udaipur79°F86°F95°F103°F106°F101°F92°F88°F90°F94°F88°F81°F
Ahmedabad86°F94°F103°F108°F110°F104°F94°F92°F94°F99°F95°F88°F

Legend:

perfect weather

good weather

tolerable weather

bad weather

very bad weather


About India

What can I do in India?

Beaches / swimming

Nature and countryside

Culture and heritage

Sports

Family travel

Crafts / shopping

Gastronomy

Nightlife




Is this weather information for India reliable?

Climate data for India has been gathered every day since January 2009. The analysis of these meteorological data for India allows us to determine the average for each month in Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Panjim, Jaipur, Agra (Taj Mahal), Bangalore (Karnataka), Chennai, Darjeeling, and 204 other cities.

So yes: this data is reliable except in cases of temporary climate disruption in the region.

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