The Best Time to Visit India, Region by Region

October to March is the sweet spot for most of the country: the Golden Triangle, Rajasthan, Goa and South India are all at their most comfortable and their busiest. The Himalaya runs on the opposite calendar — Ladakh and Kashmir open up from around April through October, and are effectively closed for winter otherwise. Kerala and the far south stay pleasant for longer than the north, running comfortably from September through March.

October to March is the safest all-round choice for a first trip: it covers the Golden Triangle, Rajasthan, Kerala, South India and Goa all at once, and lines up with most of the big festivals.

If your dates are fixed for April to September instead, look to the Himalaya — Ladakh, Kashmir and the Himachal hill stations — rather than forcing a plains-heavy itinerary into the hottest and wettest months of the year.

Roughly June to September, depending on the region, the south-west monsoon brings rain to most of the country, arriving first in Kerala and moving north. It is not a reason to avoid India altogether — Ladakh stays dry, and Kerala turns a genuinely beautiful, deep green — but it does rule out beach time on the west coast and adds landslide risk to some hill routes. See our full monsoon guide.

Diwali, Holi, and the autumn festival season (Navratri, Dussehra, Durga Puja) can make popular regions busier and pricier than the weather alone would suggest, especially in October and November. See our festivals calendar and our month-by-month guides for the detail.