DEVGAMAN

North India · Lake

Nainital

A green lake in a bowl of hills, with Kumaon beyond

29.39° N · 79.45° E
Naini Lake in Nainital ringed by hills and colonial-era buildings

Photo: Skalvanov · CC BY-SA 4.0

Best months to be here

  • January — a best month
  • February — a best month
  • March — a best month
  • April — a best month
  • May — a best month
  • June — a best month
  • July
  • August
  • September — a best month
  • October — a best month
  • November — a best month
  • December — a best month

Best: Sep–Jun

At a glance

State
Uttarakhand
Region
North India
Kind of place
Lake · Colonial
Ideal stay
3 days
Altitude
2,084 m
Coordinates
29.39° N, 79.45° E

A sugar trader named P. Barron rowed across Naini Lake in 1841 and built the first house; within two decades it was the summer capital of the North-Western Provinces, and by 1880 it had a boat club, Sherwood College and a landslip that killed 151 and taught the town to terrace its slopes. The lake is the reason for everything.

Naina Devi temple at its north end, rebuilt after that landslip, is a Shakti Peeth where Sati's eyes fell, and the Nanda Devi fair in September fills the Flats with Kumaoni drums. Mallital and Tallital, the two ends, are joined by the Mall on one shore and the shady Thandi Sadak on the other, and the town's rhythm is a loop: rowing boat in the morning light, a ropeway ride to Snow View for the line of Nanda Devi and Trishul, a walk or pony to Tiffin Top on Ayarpatta hill, tea at the Boat House Club, and evening on the Mall with Kumaoni singori in a malu leaf. Raj Bhavan, a Victorian Gothic pile of 1899 modelled on Buckingham Palace, has a golf course you can play.

Naina Peak at 2,615 m is the top of the bowl. Around the town are the lake district: Bhimtal, Sattal's seven lakes full of birds, Naukuchiatal's nine corners, Pangot and Kilbury for Himalayan woodpeckers, and Mukteshwar's fruit orchards facing the snow. Jim Corbett grew up here at Gurney House.

Nainital is the softest introduction to the Himalaya, and Kumaoni food is the reason to stay a day longer.

What not to miss in Nainital

  1. Rowing on Naini Lake at dawn
  2. Naina Devi temple
  3. Snow View by ropeway
  4. Tiffin Top and Naina Peak
  5. Raj Bhavan and its golf course
  6. Sattal and Bhimtal lakes

Best Sep–Jun

Best time to visit Nainital

March to June for boating and clear peaks; September to November for the Nanda Devi fair and autumn light; December to February for occasional snow.

Give Nainital 3 days and it repays the time; with fewer you are choosing between Rowing on Naini Lake at dawn and Naina Devi temple. We build the hours around the weather — early starts when it is hot, long afternoons when it is not.

  • Ideal stay — 3 days
  • Season — Sep–Jun
Plan a trip here

On the ground

Things to do in Nainital

The days we would actually plan for you, in the order that suits the light.

  • Birdwatching at Pangot and Kilbury with a local guide
  • Heritage walk past Sherwood, St. John in the Wilderness and Gurney House
  • Kumaoni cooking lunch in a village near Mukteshwar
  • Cycle or walk the Thandi Sadak loop around the lake
  • Nanda Devi Mahotsav in September

At the table

What to eat in Nainital

  • Bal mithai
  • Singori in malu leaf
  • Bhatt ki churkani
  • Aloo ke gutke with bhang chutney
  • Momos at Sonam's on the Mall

Getting there

How to reach Nainital

Pantnagar airport 65 km; Kathgodam railhead 35 km with direct trains from Delhi (Shatabdi and Ranikhet Express); Delhi 300 km by road (7–8 h).

Airport pickups, station transfers and the driver for the days here are all part of what we arrange — including the hour you should leave, which is usually earlier than you think.

Travel tips from our trips

  • Mall Road bans private cars from 6 to 9 pm in season; park at the Tallital or Mallital lots
  • Book stays for May–June and the Christmas week months ahead; the town fills to bursting
  • Boat fares are fixed by the Boat Union; hire from the Mallital or Tallital jetties, not from touts
  • Snow View and Tiffin Top are clearest before 10 am; afternoon haze hides the peaks
  • Leeches on the Pangot trails in the monsoon; wear socks and carry salt

Next door

Near Nainital

Places that join Nainital without a long drive — the way a real week is built.

Wild elephants crossing the Ramganga grasslands in Jim Corbett National ParkWildlife
Themes:WildlifeNatureFamilyPhotography

Uttarakhand

Jim Corbett National Park

India's first national park, where Project Tiger began on the Ramganga

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
November to June; Dhikala zone is open mid-November to mid-June; April to June gives the best tiger sightings; Jhirna and Dhela run year-round
Pilgrims gathered at Har Ki Pauri ghat on the Ganga in HaridwarRiver
Themes:SpiritualCultureFoodPhotography

Uttarakhand

Haridwar

The gateway of the gods, where lamps float down the Ganga

Ideal stay
2 days
Best time
October to March for cool days and clear evenings; Kanwar Yatra crowds in July–August; Ardh Kumbh 2027 and Kumbh 2033
Suspension bridge over the green Ganga at Rishikesh with temples and forested hillsRiver
Themes:SpiritualWellnessAdventureFood

Uttarakhand

Rishikesh

Where the Ganga leaves the Himalaya and the world comes to breathe

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
Late September to December and February to April; rafting runs mid-September to June; the International Yoga Festival is in the first week of March
Mussoorie town spread along its ridge with the Doon valley below and the Himalaya behindHill station
Themes:HeritageFamilyRomanceFood

Uttarakhand

Mussoorie

Queen of the Hills, with Landour's cedar lanes and Ruskin Bond's bookshop

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
March to June for clear skies and rhododendron; September to November for post-monsoon views; December to February for occasional snow in Landour

Before you ask

Questions we are asked about Nainital

When is the best time to visit Nainital?
March to June for boating and clear peaks; September to November for the Nanda Devi fair and autumn light; December to February for occasional snow. On the calendar that is Sep–Jun. We build Nainital into a journey inside that window wherever we can; when your dates are fixed outside it, we re-plan the hours of the day around the weather rather than talk you out of the trip.
How many days do you need in Nainital?
We plan 3 days in Nainital. That is enough for Rowing on Naini Lake at dawn, Naina Devi temple and Snow View by ropeway, at a pace that still leaves room for a long lunch. Add a day if you are continuing to Jim Corbett National Park and Haridwar.
How do you reach Nainital?
Pantnagar airport 65 km; Kathgodam railhead 35 km with direct trains from Delhi (Shatabdi and Ranikhet Express); Delhi 300 km by road (7–8 h). We arrange the transfer and the driver as part of the journey, so you are met on arrival instead of negotiating a taxi at the gate, and the timings are set around when Nainital is at its best rather than around the clock.
What is Nainital famous for?
Nainital is a lake in Uttarakhand, North India, best known for Rowing on Naini Lake at dawn, Naina Devi temple and Snow View by ropeway. Travellers come for family, romance, nature and heritage, and most give it 3 days.
Is Nainital good for families?
Yes. Nainital is one of the places we plan for families: 3 days is enough, the highlights sit close together, and Sep–Jun keeps the weather kind. Tell us the children's ages and we will trim the driving, start the mornings early and leave an afternoon free.

Photograph of Nainital: Skalvanov · CC BY-SA 4.0

All destinations

Nainital, planned by hand

Shall we begin?

चलिए, शुरू करते हैं

Tell us how many days you have. We will build Nainital into a journey that suits them.