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Nainital Lake in the evening under a pink sky, with the town lights on the far shore and dark hills behind
ArticleVerified 2026-10-05

Best time to visit Nainital — month by month

When to go to Nainital: the cold winter from mid-November, warm spring, the monsoon from mid-May with July at 725 mm, and the clear weeks after the rains.
Photo: Harshit.S.R · CC BY-SA 4.0

How this guide is built

The only weather source we have for Nainital is Wikipedia's climate section. It gives July as the wettest month at 725 mm and November as the driest at 7.9 mm. The July range is 16.4 to 23.5 °C and the January range 1.7 to 10.7 °C. It describes the seasons in words. There is no monthly table, so this guide describes the seasons and does not invent a figure for each month.

Month by month

  • Mid-November to mid-March. Winter. Frost and mist are common in December and January, and the January range is 1.7 to 10.7 °C. Snow falls

on the peaks above 2,000 m.

  • March to early June. The temperature rises through March, with hailstorms possible in March and April, and keeps climbing in May and early June.

Nights stay cool.

  • Mid-May to mid-October. The monsoon. July is the wettest month, with 725 mm, and its range is 16.4 to 23.5 °C. Wikipedia notes the monsoon

weakens by mid-September.

  • October. Bright skies after the rains, with temperatures falling.

What to plan around

Landslides are a real concern on the slopes around Nainital Lake; the slip of 18 September 1880 followed heavy rain. Check the road with your hotel in the monsoon. The fair at Kainchi Dham falls on 15 June each year.

For where to go, see things to do in Nainital, the one-day plan and the two-day plan.

Plans that include this

All Nainital itineraries →
Rows of boats with red cushioned seats moored on Nainital Lake, with forested hills across the water
Day plan · First visitleisure
One day in Nainital — the lake, the Naina Devi Temple and Kainchi Dham
A one-day Nainital plan: the lake and its boats, the Naina Devi Temple on the north shore, then the Kainchi Dham ashram on the Almora road. Free to copy.
Best Mar–Jun · Oct–Nov
See the plan →
Bhimtal Lake under a blue sky with houses on the slope beside it
1 night · 2 days · First visitleisure
Two days in Nainital — the lakes, Kainchi Dham and Sattal
A two-day Nainital plan: the lake, the Naina Devi Temple and Kainchi Dham on day one, then Bhimtal Lake and the seven lakes of Sattal on day two. Free to copy.
Best Mar–Jun · Oct–Nov
See the plan →

Questions people ask

What is the best time to visit Nainital?

Spring, from March to early June, and the clear weeks after the rains. Wikipedia says the monsoon usually starts around mid-May and runs to mid-October, with July the wettest month at 725 mm, and that the post-monsoon months bring bright skies. Winter, from mid-November to mid-March, is cold, with frost and mist.

How cold does Nainital get?

January is the coldest month, with a range of 1.7 to 10.7 °C, according to Wikipedia, and the lowest temperature on record is -5.6 °C, in 1953. Frost and mist are common in December and January, and snow falls on peaks above 2,000 m, not usually in the town.

Is Nainital worth visiting in the monsoon?

It can be, with rain, mist and slower roads, and landslides are a real risk on these slopes; the great slip of 1880 followed days of heavy rain. July averages 725 mm, so check the road with your hotel and leave margin. The hills are green and the lake is full.