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Month by month

Best places to visit in India in December

566 of 772 curated destinations are in peak season in December, and 51 are ones to stay away from. No listicle lies: every verdict here comes from the place's own season window.

Where India is at its best in December

Each line below is the reason this place works in the winter, written for that place, not a generic blurb.

Also in peak season in December

530 more, all of them in their best window this month.

Where not to go in India in December

These 51 are hard no's this month: a closed gate, a snowed-in pass, cancelled boats, landslide season or heat that makes the trip pointless. The app will never suggest them in December.

Shoulder season in December

Fewer people, cheaper beds, and a real chance the weather does not cooperate. 139 places sit in shoulder season this month.

Festivals in December

  • Ajmer, Rajasthan: Dec: Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (Rajab, Islamic calendar, shifts ~11 days earlier yearly)
  • Anjuna-Vagator, Goa: Dec: Sunburn Festival (nearby Vagator)
  • Basar, Arunachal Pradesh: Dec: BasCon, the Basar Confluence festival (dates shift)
  • Bishnupur (Terracotta Temples), West Bengal: Dec: Bishnupur Mela (23-27 Dec)
  • Dambuk, Arunachal Pradesh: Orange Festival of Adventure and Music (Dec)
  • Fatehgarh Sahib (Sirhind), Punjab: Dec: Shaheedi Jor Mela (around 25-27 Dec)
  • Fort Kochi, Kerala: Dec: Kochi-Muziris Biennale (biennial art festival)
  • Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh: Dec: Tansen Samaroh, four nights of dhrupad at Tansen's tomb
  • Hanuwantiya Tapu, Madhya Pradesh: Dec: Jal Mahotsav water carnival (runs to Feb-Mar, dates shift yearly)
  • Kannur, Kerala: Dec-Mar: Theyyam ritual season at village shrines
  • Kohima, Nagaland: Dec 1-10: Hornbill Festival, Kisama Village
  • Konark, Odisha: Dec: Konark Dance Festival
  • Koraput, Odisha: Dec: Parab tribal dance festival
  • Kurukshetra, Haryana: Dec: International Gita Mahotsav
  • Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), Tamil Nadu: Dec-Jan: Mahabalipuram Dance Festival at the Shore Temple
  • Mayabunder (Karmatang Beach), Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Dec/Jan: Karen New Year at Webi village
  • Medak, Telangana: Dec: Christmas services at Medak Cathedral
  • Shantiniketan (Bolpur), West Bengal: Dec: Poush Mela (starts 7 Poush, about 22-25 Dec)
  • Tamenglong (Barak Waterfalls), Manipur: Dec: Tamenglong Orange Festival, orchard stalls and Rongmei dance in town
  • Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh: Dec/Jan: Torgya Festival at Tawang Monastery
  • Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu: Dec/Jan: Vaikunta Ekadasi at Srirangam
  • Uthirakosamangai, Tamil Nadu: Dec/Jan: Arudra Darshan, the emerald Nataraja unveiled
  • Valiyaparamba (Nileshwar backwaters), Kerala: Dec: theyyam season at the Nileshwar kavus

Across the border in December

No visa needed for Indians: 11 places in Nepal and Bhutan are in peak season this month.

Best states to visit in December

Rajasthan (46)Karnataka (42)Maharashtra (40)Kerala (36)Tamil Nadu (36)Andhra Pradesh (31)Madhya Pradesh (31)Uttar Pradesh (29)

Common questions

Where should you travel in India in December?

566 of the 772 destinations in this catalogue are in peak season in December, with another 139 in shoulder season. The states with the most places at their best are Rajasthan (46), Karnataka (42), Maharashtra (40) and Kerala (36).

Where should you avoid in India in December?

51 places in this catalogue are marked avoid in December: closed park gates, snowed-in passes, cancelled ferries, landslide roads or plain 45 degree heat. Agasthyakoodam (Athirumala), Alchi (Sham Valley), Aryan Valley (Dha & Garkon), Badrinath & Mana, Bangus Valley (Bungus) and Bhaderwah are among them.

Is December a good time to visit India?

December falls in the winter season. It is one of the strong months: roughly 73 per cent of the catalogue is at its best.