When to go
Since in India there are different types of climate, it is difficult to find a single period that fits for all of the country. Nevertheless, the best time to visit most of India, at least in the lowlands, is winter, from
November to February. It must be said that in the Indo-Gangetic plain (see New Delhi) it can get cold at night, moreover, fog can form, and the air is often very polluted. March is still a dry month, but it begins to be hot, with peaks that during the month can exceed 35 °C (95 °F) in the south.
On the south-east coast and the southern islands, the rains continue until December; moreover, cyclones in this month are still possible, so you can go in January and February.
If you can only travel in
summer, from June to August, you can choose the northwest and the south-east. In Rajasthan, the monsoon is less intense; you will find hot and muggy weather and some downpours, usually not abundant (at least in the western part). In summer, you can visit the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir too, because they are located in a "rain shadow" area. A very different situation is found on the eastern part of the Himalayas, which is affected by the summer monsoon in full strength.
Also in the south-east, in Tamil Nadu (see Chennai), and in the interior of Karnataka (see Bangalore), the summer monsoon is not particularly intense, while the rains increase starting from September.
As mentioned, the
sea in India is warm enough for swimming all year round. For a beach holiday, the west coast (see Goa) is good from December to February, and the eastern coast only in January and February.
What to pack
In
winter: in the far north at low altitude (see Jammu, Amritsar) and in the southern mountainous areas (see Ootacamund), bring spring/autumn clothes, and a sweater and a warm jacket for the evening.
In the north (see New Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Patna), bring spring/autumn clothes (light for the day), a jacket and a sweater for the evening, and possibly a hat and a scarf for cooler evenings.
In the center and in inland south-central areas (Calcutta, Hyderabad), bring light clothes for the day, and a sweater and a light jacket for the evening.
On the south-central coast (Mumbai, Goa, Trivandrum, Chennai, Pondicherry), bring light clothing, a scarf for the breeze, and a light sweatshirt for the evening; on the south-east coast (Chennai, Pondicherry), a light raincoat or umbrella still in December.
On the islands (Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands), light clothing, a scarf for the breeze, a light sweatshirt for the evening, and a light raincoat or umbrella until December or mid-January.
When going to the reef, you can bring snorkeling equipment, including water shoes or rubber-soled shoes.
In the Himalayas: around 1,500/2,000 meters (5,000/6,500 feet, see Srinagar, Darjeeling), pack warm clothes, a jacket, a hat, and a scarf. Above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), warm winter clothes, hiking boots, sunglasses, and sunscreen. At the highest altitudes, cold weather clothing, synthetic, thermal long underwear, gloves, a down jacket, a hat, and a scarf.
In
summer: in all areas at low altitude, bring tropics-friendly, loose-fitting clothing, made of natural fibers, a light raincoat or umbrella, a light sweatshirt and a scarf for air conditioned places; a desert turban in the north-west; a scarf for the breeze on the coast, and a light sweatshirt for the evening at low-mountain elevations (see Bangalore).
In the southern mountains (see Ootacamund), spring/autumn clothes, a raincoat, a sweater, and a jacket.
In the Himalayas: around 2,000 meters (6,500 feet, see Darjeeling), spring/autumn clothes, a raincoat, a jacket, and a sweater. At the highest altitudes, a warm jacket, a down jacket, a hat, gloves, and a scarf.
When visiting temples, it is customary to remove shoes, dress neatly and cover a little.
In rural areas, closed-toe shoes may be useful against snakes.
Back to the climate of
India