Best city destinations in India
48 curated city destinations across 25 states, each with the months it is worth going and the months it is not.
Best of city India
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Mumbai
Maharashtra
Colonial architecture, street food and Bollywood energy
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Jaipur
Rajasthan
Pink City gateway to Rajasthan's forts and bazaars
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Jhansi
Uttar Pradesh
Rani Lakshmibai's granite hill fort above Bundelkhand
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Mandi
Himachal Pradesh
Choti Kashi: eighty stone temples along the Beas ghats
Peak: Feb to Mar and Oct to Nov
-
Mysuru
Karnataka
Palace city that peaks during Dasara in October
Peak: Oct to Jan
-
Gwalior
Madhya Pradesh
Hilltop fort, Jain rock colossi and Tansen's dhrupad town
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Tiruchirappalli (Trichy)
Tamil Nadu
Rockfort stairway and the 156-acre Srirangam temple city
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Haridwar
Uttarakhand
Har Ki Pauri, the ghat where the Ganga leaves the hills
Peak: Feb to Mar and Oct to Nov
-
Visakhapatnam (Vizag)
Andhra Pradesh
Port city where the Eastern Ghats meet the Bay of Bengal
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Guwahati
Assam
Northeast's gateway city: Kamakhya Temple, river cruises
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Fort Kochi
Kerala
Colonial port town of fishing nets, spice lanes and art
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Amritsar
Punjab
The Golden Temple and its free kitchen for all
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Port Blair
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Andaman capital, Cellular Jail history and island ferries
Peak: Nov to Mar
-
Chandigarh
Chandigarh
India's planned modernist city, orderly and green
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Jagdalpur (Bastar)
Chhattisgarh
Bastar's tribal capital, weekly haats and bell-metal workshops
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Delhi
Delhi
Mughal monuments and India's transit hub
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Panaji (Fontainhas & Old Goa)
Goa
Portuguese Latin Quarter and the churches of Old Goa
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Ahmedabad
Gujarat
UNESCO old city of pols, stepwells and street food
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Shillong
Meghalaya
Northeast's hill capital: cafes, lakes, live music
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Aizawl
Mizoram
Mizoram's hillside capital: churches, cafes, rock music
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Bhubaneswar
Odisha
Temple city of 700 shrines plus the Khandagiri Jain caves
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Gangtok
Sikkim
Sikkim's capital and gateway: monasteries, MG Marg cafés
Peak: Mar to Apr and Oct to Nov
-
Hyderabad
Telangana
Old-city bazaars, Golconda Fort, and biryani everywhere
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Agartala & Unakoti
Tripura
Palace capital plus giant rock-cut carvings at Unakoti
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Kolkata
West Bengal
India's cultural capital - colonial streets, great food
Peak: Oct to Jan
-
Nanded (Hazur Sahib)
Maharashtra
Takht Sachkhand Hazur Sahib, a Sikh takht on the Godavari
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Jodhpur
Rajasthan
Indigo lanes stacked under Mehrangarh's 120 m clifftop fort
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Prayagraj (Triveni Sangam)
Uttar Pradesh
Ganga-Yamuna Sangam, Magh Mela sands and Anand Bhavan
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Shimla
Himachal Pradesh
Colonial hill capital with Mall Road and a toy train
Peak: Apr to May, Oct and Dec
-
Vijayapura (Bijapur)
Karnataka
Gol Gumbaz and the Adil Shahi capital of the Deccan
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Bhopal & Sanchi
Madhya Pradesh
Lake city gateway to the UNESCO Sanchi Buddhist stupas
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Madurai
Tamil Nadu
Temple city built around the towering Meenakshi Amman Temple
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Mussoorie
Uttarakhand
Colonial 'Queen of the Hills', Delhi's easiest escape
Peak: Apr to May and Oct to Nov
-
Vizianagaram
Andhra Pradesh
Pusapati fort town of gate towers and Telugu music schools
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Tezpur
Assam
Gupta-era stone carving on a bluff over the Brahmaputra
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Thrissur
Kerala
Kerala's percussion capital and the ground zero of Pooram
Peak: Nov to Feb
Every city destination in the catalogue
- Agra Uttar Pradesh
- Ajmer Rajasthan
- Alwar Rajasthan
- Bathinda Punjab
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) Maharashtra
- Dalhousie Himachal Pradesh
- Jabalpur & Bhedaghat (Marble Rocks) Madhya Pradesh
- Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) Karnataka
- Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
- Nainital Uttarakhand
- Nashik Maharashtra
- Vellore Tamil Nadu
When to go
January, February and December are the months with the most city places in peak season.
By state
Uttar Pradesh (4)Rajasthan (4)Maharashtra (4)Madhya Pradesh (3)Himachal Pradesh (3)Uttarakhand (3)Karnataka (3)Tamil Nadu (3)Punjab (2)Kerala (2)
Common questions
How many city destinations are there in India?
This catalogue lists 48 tagged city, across 25 states and union territories. It is a curated list, not an exhaustive one: places earn a spot on the strength of the landscape or the heritage.
When is the best time for a city trip in India?
January, February and December put the most of them in peak season. Each place carries its own window, though, so check the one you are aiming at.
Which states have the most city destinations?
Uttar Pradesh (4), Rajasthan (4), Maharashtra (4), Madhya Pradesh (3) and Himachal Pradesh (3).
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