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Month by month

Best places to visit in India in February

541 of 772 curated destinations are in peak season in February, and 58 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 February

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 February

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

Where not to go in India in February

These 58 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 February.

Shoulder season in February

Fewer people, cheaper beds, and a real chance the weather does not cooperate. 141 places sit in shoulder season this month.

Festivals in February

  • Agra, Uttar Pradesh: Feb: Taj Mahotsav
  • Ajanta-Ellora, Maharashtra: Feb: Ellora Ajanta International Festival (classical music and dance)
  • Anini (Dibang Valley), Arunachal Pradesh: Feb: Reh, the Idu Mishmi festival (1 Feb)
  • Barsana & Nandgaon, Uttar Pradesh: Feb/Mar: Lathmar Holi at Barsana and Nandgaon (dates shift yearly)
  • Benreu (Mount Pauna), Nagaland: mid Feb: Hega, the Zeliang festival
  • Bhairavakona, Andhra Pradesh: Feb/Mar: Maha Shivaratri fair at the cave shrines
  • Bir, Himachal Pradesh: Feb/Mar: Losar (Tibetan New Year) in the Tibetan colony
  • Chandigarh, Chandigarh: Feb: Chandigarh Rose Festival
  • Chandragiri (Jirang Tibetan Settlement), Odisha: Feb/Mar: Losar at the Phuntsokling settlement
  • Chidambaram & Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu: Feb/Mar: Natyanjali dance festival at Mahashivaratri
  • Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu: Feb: Diu Carnival (Portuguese-Goan-style street parade)
  • Dungarpur, Rajasthan: Feb: Baneshwar tribal fair at the Som-Mahi confluence, 65 km out
  • Gokarna, Karnataka: Feb/Mar: Shivaratri car festival at Mahabaleshwar Temple
  • Gopnath (Talaja), Gujarat: Feb/Mar: Mahashivratri fair at Gopnath Mahadev
  • Gupteswar Caves (Koraput), Odisha: Feb/Mar: Maha Shivratri mela at the cave
  • Hampi, Karnataka: Feb/Mar: Hampi Utsav (Vijaya Utsav) cultural festival
  • Harnai (Dapoli), Maharashtra: Feb: Magh fair at Anjarle's cliff-top Ganpati
  • Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), Karnataka: Feb/Mar: Shivaratri bathing in the Lakshmana Tirtha
  • Jageshwar, Uttarakhand: Feb/Mar: Maha Shivratri Mela at Jageshwar Dham
  • Jaisalmer, Rajasthan: Feb: Jaisalmer Desert Festival
  • Junagadh (Girnar), Gujarat: Feb/Mar: Bhavnath Mahadev fair below Girnar at Shivratri
  • Junnar (Shivneri), Maharashtra: Feb: Shiv Jayanti fills Shivneri fort
  • Kaleshwaram, Telangana: Feb/Mar: Maha Shivaratri jatara at the sangam
  • Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh: Feb: Khajuraho Dance Festival, classical dance below the temples.

Across the border in February

No visa needed for Indians: 15 places in Nepal and Bhutan are in peak season this month.

Best states to visit in February

Rajasthan (46)Maharashtra (41)Kerala (36)Karnataka (36)Tamil Nadu (35)Uttar Pradesh (31)Madhya Pradesh (31)Gujarat (27)

Common questions

Where should you travel in India in February?

541 of the 772 destinations in this catalogue are in peak season in February, with another 141 in shoulder season. The states with the most places at their best are Rajasthan (46), Maharashtra (41), Kerala (36) and Karnataka (36).

Where should you avoid in India in February?

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

Is February a good time to visit India?

February falls in the winter season. It is one of the strong months: roughly 70 per cent of the catalogue is at its best.