Good Places to Visit in India in July: Weather, Where to Go and What to Avoid

By IMD's normal dates the monsoon has spread over the whole country by 8 July, so in July the question is not whether it rains but how much. The figures below are IMD's long-term averages for named weather stations; one year can differ a good deal from another.

• The northern plains are hot, humid and wet in bursts. New Delhi (Safdarjung) averages 35.6°C by day and 27.5°C at night, with 196 mm of rain on about ten days of the month; Varanasi gets about 299 mm. Between showers the heat stays heavy.
• The Himalaya splits in two. The foothills take a lot of rain: July is Shimla's wettest month, at about 334 mm. Behind the main range it is a different climate: Leh averages 13.8 mm of rain in July, with days around 28°C and nights around 15°C. Srinagar, in the Kashmir valley, averages 64 mm, 30°C by day and 18°C at night.
• The desert is hot and only lightly wet. Jaisalmer averages 38.4°C by day and 64 mm of rain on three or four days; on IMD's normal dates the monsoon reaches Jodhpur, at the edge of the Thar, only on 2 July.
• The west coast has its wettest weeks. Goa averages 907 mm of rain in July, on 26 days of the month, and Mumbai (Santacruz) about 841 mm; Kochi gets about 576 mm.
• The south away from the west coast is far drier. Bengaluru, on the Deccan plateau, averages 116 mm with days around 28°C and nights around 20°C, and Chennai about 102 mm, though Chennai is hot, around 36°C by day: Tamil Nadu lies in the rain shadow of this monsoon.
• The east and north-east are wet. Kolkata (Alipore) averages about 396 mm in July, on 18 days, and Guwahati about 326 mm.

The monsoon guide has the normal arrival and departure dates for each region.

Ladakh

July is in the middle of Ladakh's season. The Leh district administration describes the climate as mainly dry, with little or no rain, and the Manali–Leh and Srinagar–Leh highways are both normally open: the district gives May or June to September or October for the first, and May to November or December for the second. IMD does list flash floods and mudslides among Ladakh's hazards, so leave a spare day. Our guide to the best time to visit Ladakh goes month by month, and our Ladakh tour packages run through July.

Spiti

Spiti is in the Himalaya's rain shadow and gets scanty rain, according to the Lahaul and Spiti district, which counts mid-May to mid-October as the best time to visit. Two cautions for July: the Kunzum route from Manali usually opens only in June or July, and the district rates Spiti's landslide and flood risk as high. Our Spiti Valley travel guide covers both routes in.

Kerala, for the monsoon itself

Kerala Tourism presents the monsoon as a season to visit for, not to avoid. It says the rain falls for a few hours at a time with sunny interludes, and that, according to Ayurveda, the monsoon is the best season for rejuvenation therapies. The backwaters and the hills are at their greenest; the beaches are not for swimming. See our guide to the best time to visit Kerala.

Bengaluru and the Deccan plateau

With about 116 mm of rain in July and days around 28°C, Bengaluru is one of the more comfortable big cities in India this month. Our Bengaluru travel guide covers its gardens, palaces and day trips.

• Beach holidays on the west coast. Goa and Mumbai are in their wettest month, with rain on most days.
• Long drives in the Himalayan foothills. The Geological Survey of India says landslides strike every year, mostly in the monsoon, and counts large parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir as landslide-prone. If you go, drive in daylight, leave spare days and check the state's road status before setting out.
• Wildlife in Assam. The Assam Forest Department gives November to April as Kaziranga's season.
• Long outdoor days on the plains. Delhi, Agra and Varanasi can be seen in July, but plan the mornings outdoors and keep the afternoons for museums and indoor sights.

• Rath Yatra, Puri. Odisha Tourism places the chariot festival of Lord Jagannath in the month of Ashadha, which it gives as June–July; the date moves each year with the lunar calendar. Our Rath Yatra guide explains how it unfolds.
• Teej, Rajasthan. Rajasthan Tourism describes Teej as the monsoon festival of the western and northern states, and in Jaipur a royal procession leaves the City Palace and winds through Tripolia Bazaar and Chhoti Chaupar. The festival follows the lunar calendar, so check the year's date; see our Jaipur travel guide.