Patiala
Royal Punjab: pegs, palaces and heritage gardens
Best time to visit Patiala
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, shoulder season
- Aug, shoulder season
- Sep, shoulder season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March and July to October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to June
Patiala season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Comfortable weather for touring Qila Mubarak and the Sheesh Mahal grounds.
Summer March to May Shoulder
March is still fine at 28C, then April jumps to 35C and May to 39C with a 47C record - the fort courtyards offer no shade at all.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
Green parks and gardens, but heavy humidity makes the walking tour uncomfortable.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Mild and pleasant: a good shoulder-season stop between Delhi and Amritsar.
What Patiala is actually like
Almost no traveler infrastructure: you'll be sightseeing largely on your own.
Getting to Patiala
1h train/bus from Chandigarh, or 4h from Delhi
Practical ways in: flighttrainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Doable solo with some planning
- Altitude
- 250 m
- State
- Punjab
- Coordinates
- 30.3398, 76.3869
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Patiala?
November to February is peak season in Patiala. March and July to October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. Mild and pleasant: a good shoulder-season stop between Delhi and Amritsar.
How many days do you need in Patiala?
2 days is the usual stay. Almost no traveler infrastructure: you'll be sightseeing largely on your own.
How do you get to Patiala?
1h train/bus from Chandigarh, or 4h from Delhi. Practical ways in: flight, train and road.
Is Patiala expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Doable solo with some planning.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Fatehgarh Sahib (Sirhind)
Punjab
Mughal Sirhind ruins beside Punjab's most solemn December mela
50 km from Patiala, roughly under an hour by road
-
Chandigarh
Chandigarh
India's planned modernist city, orderly and green
80 km from Patiala, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Kurukshetra
Haryana
The battlefield of the Bhagavad Gita
80 km from Patiala, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Pinjore (Yadavindra Gardens)
Haryana
Seven-terrace Mughal water garden at the foot of the Shivaliks
90 km from Patiala, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Morni Hills
Haryana
Chandigarh's nearest hills, low-key and quiet
120 km from Patiala, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Kasauli
Himachal Pradesh
Cantonment pines, colonial bakeries and a Sunset Point ridge
120 km from Patiala, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Anandpur Sahib
Punjab
Birthplace of the Khalsa and the Nihang horsemen of Hola Mohalla
130 km from Patiala, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Chail
Himachal Pradesh
Deodar hill station with the world's highest cricket ground
160 km from Patiala, roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Punjab
- Amritsar Punjab
- Anandpur Sahib Punjab
- Bathinda Punjab
- Fatehgarh Sahib (Sirhind) Punjab
- Harike Wetland (Harike Pattan) Punjab
- Kapurthala Punjab
- Nangal (Sutlej Lake) Punjab
- Sultanpur Lodhi Punjab
- Talwandi Sabo (Takht Damdama Sahib) Punjab