Puri
Jagannath Temple pilgrim town with a long, easy beach
Best time to visit Puri
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, best avoided
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to September
Puri season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Best beach weather of the year. Dry, cool sea breeze, comfortable for temples and sand alike.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Apr-Jun heat is severe even by the coast; the sea offers little relief from the humidity.
Monsoon June to September Do not go
Rough surf and heavy rain most of the season, though Rath Yatra (Jun/Jul) draws huge crowds anyway.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct is warm but improving fast; by Nov it's comfortable and less crowded than December.
What Puri is actually like
More pilgrims than backpackers, but easy day trips to Konark and Chilika keep it social.
Getting to Puri
Direct train from Kolkata/Bhubaneswar; Puri has its own station.
Practical ways in: flighttrainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Busy at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 0 m
- State
- Odisha
- Coordinates
- 19.8135, 85.8312
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Puri?
November to February is peak season in Puri. March and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to September. Oct is warm but improving fast; by Nov it's comfortable and less crowded than December.
How many days do you need in Puri?
2 days is the usual stay. More pilgrims than backpackers, but easy day trips to Konark and Chilika keep it social.
How do you get to Puri?
Direct train from Kolkata/Bhubaneswar; Puri has its own station. Practical ways in: flight, train and road.
Is Puri expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs busy at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Is there a festival in Puri?
Jun-Jul: Rath Yatra. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Konark
Odisha
13th-century Sun Temple: a UNESCO stone chariot in rock
40 km from Puri, roughly under an hour by road
-
Mangalajodi (Chilika Wetlands)
Odisha
Ex-poacher guides row you into Chilika's winter clouds of waterbirds
60 km from Puri, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Chilika Lake (Satapada)
Odisha
Asia's largest lagoon: dolphins and migratory birds
60 km from Puri, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Bhubaneswar
Odisha
Temple city of 700 shrines plus the Khandagiri Jain caves
70 km from Puri, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Ratnagiri-Udayagiri-Lalitgiri (Diamond Triangle)
Odisha
Odisha's Buddhist diamond triangle of hilltop monasteries
140 km from Puri, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Gopalpur
Odisha
Sleepy colonial beach town, quiet alternative to Puri
150 km from Puri, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Satkosia Gorge (Tikarpada)
Odisha
Mahanadi squeezed into a 22 km gorge of mugger and gharial
180 km from Puri, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Bhitarkanika National Park
Odisha
Mangrove creeks packed with 6 m saltwater crocodiles
190 km from Puri, roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Odisha
- Bhitarkanika National Park Odisha
- Bhubaneswar Odisha
- Chandipur (Balasore) Odisha
- Chilika Lake (Satapada) Odisha
- Daringbadi Odisha
- Debrigarh (Hirakud Reservoir) Odisha
- Deomali Odisha
- Duduma Falls (Machkund) Odisha
- Gopalpur Odisha
- Gupteswar Caves (Koraput) Odisha
- Khandadhar Falls Odisha
- Konark Odisha
- Koraput Odisha
- Mangalajodi (Chilika Wetlands) Odisha
- Ratnagiri-Udayagiri-Lalitgiri (Diamond Triangle) Odisha
- Satkosia Gorge (Tikarpada) Odisha
- Simlipal National Park (Baripada) Odisha
- Taptapani Odisha