Best culture destinations in India
174 curated culture destinations across 35 states, each with the months it is worth going and the months it is not.
Best of culture India
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Beypore
Kerala
Estuary port where Kerala still hand builds wooden dhows
Peak: Nov to Feb
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McLeod Ganj
Himachal Pradesh
Dalai Lama's home-in-exile - Tibetan culture hub
Peak: Mar to May and Oct to Nov
-
Jaipur
Rajasthan
Pink City gateway to Rajasthan's forts and bazaars
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Ahmedabad
Gujarat
UNESCO old city of pols, stepwells and street food
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Darjeeling
West Bengal
Queen of the Hills - tea, toy train, Kanchenjunga views
Peak: Mar to Apr and Oct to Nov
-
Gwalior
Madhya Pradesh
Hilltop fort, Jain rock colossi and Tansen's dhrupad town
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Fatehpur Sikri
Uttar Pradesh
Akbar's red sandstone capital, abandoned after fourteen years
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Mysuru
Karnataka
Palace city that peaks during Dasara in October
Peak: Oct to Jan
-
Benreu (Mount Pauna)
Nagaland
Zeliang village at 1,900 m under Mount Pauna, a moss-forest climb with Barail views
Peak: Oct to Mar
-
Basar
Arunachal Pradesh
Galo valley of rice terraces, cane bridges and clean villages
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Jagdalpur (Bastar)
Chhattisgarh
Bastar's tribal capital, weekly haats and bell-metal workshops
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Ajanta-Ellora
Maharashtra
2,000-year-old rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Kanchipuram
Tamil Nadu
Pallava sandstone temples and silk looms on the same street
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Araku Valley
Andhra Pradesh
Eastern Ghats coffee valley on a tunnel-laced toy train
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Hajo & Sualkuchi
Assam
Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim shrines, and a town that weaves muga silk
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Kokernag & Verinag
Jammu and Kashmir
Verinag's Mughal spring tank and Kokernag's trout gardens
Peak: Apr to May and Sep to Oct
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Leh
Ladakh
Ladakh's backpacker capital and high-pass road-trip hub
Peak: Jun to Sep
-
Shillong
Meghalaya
Northeast's hill capital: cafes, lakes, live music
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Amritsar
Punjab
The Golden Temple and its free kitchen for all
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Hyderabad
Telangana
Old-city bazaars, Golconda Fort, and biryani everywhere
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Panaji (Fontainhas & Old Goa)
Goa
Portuguese Latin Quarter and the churches of Old Goa
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Shirui (Ukhrul)
Manipur
Tangkhul Naga village under the 2,835 m peak where the Shirui lily blooms
Peak: Apr to May and Oct to Nov
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Aizawl
Mizoram
Mizoram's hillside capital: churches, cafes, rock music
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Chandragiri (Jirang Tibetan Settlement)
Odisha
Tibetan refugee camps and a gold-roofed monastery in the Gajapati hills
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Rishikesh
Uttarakhand
Yoga capital and rafting hub on the Ganges
Peak: Feb to Mar and Oct to Nov
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Pinjore (Yadavindra Gardens)
Haryana
Seven-terrace Mughal water garden at the foot of the Shivaliks
Peak: Feb to Mar and Oct to Nov
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Ghatshila
Jharkhand
Subarnarekha river town of Bengali holiday lodges, Burudih lake and Dharagiri falls
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Gangtok
Sikkim
Sikkim's capital and gateway: monasteries, MG Marg cafés
Peak: Mar to Apr and Oct to Nov
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Agartala & Unakoti
Tripura
Palace capital plus giant rock-cut carvings at Unakoti
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Mayabunder (Karmatang Beach)
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Turtle beach at Karmatang with Karen villages inland on Middle Andaman
Peak: Dec to Mar
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Madhubani (Mithila art villages)
Bihar
Painters' courtyards at Jitwarpur and Ranti in the Mithila plain
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Chandigarh
Chandigarh
India's planned modernist city, orderly and green
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Silvassa
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
Warli country and boat rides on the Dudhni backwaters
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Delhi
Delhi
Mughal monuments and India's transit hub
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Minicoy (Maliku)
Lakshadweep
Maldivian-speaking atoll with a 19th-century lighthouse to climb
Peak: Dec to Mar
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Fort Kochi
Kerala
Colonial port town of fishing nets, spice lanes and art
Peak: Dec to Feb
Every culture destination in the catalogue
- Abhaneri (Chand Baori) Rajasthan
- Agra Uttar Pradesh
- Alleppey (Alappuzha) Backwaters Kerala
- Anandpur Sahib Punjab
- Aranmula Kerala
- Aryan Valley (Dha & Garkon) Ladakh
- Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh
- Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal Karnataka
- Bageshwar Uttarakhand
- Bagh Caves (Bagh village) Madhya Pradesh
- Baghmara (Balpakram gateway) Meghalaya
- Balotra & Tilwara Rajasthan
- Barmer Rajasthan
- Barsana & Nandgaon Uttar Pradesh
- Barsur Chhattisgarh
- Belpahari (Kankrajhore) West Bengal
- Belur-Halebidu Karnataka
- Bhimbetka (with Bhojpur) Madhya Pradesh
- Bhoramdeo (Kawardha) Chhattisgarh
- Bhuj Gujarat
- Bidar Karnataka
- Bishnupur (Terracotta Temples) West Bengal
- Bundi Rajasthan
- Burhanpur Madhya Pradesh
- Chamba Himachal Pradesh
- Champakulam (Kuttanad) Kerala
- Champhai (Murlen & Vangchhia) Mizoram
- Chandannagar West Bengal
- Chanderi Madhya Pradesh
- Chandor & Loutolim Goa
- Chettinad (Karaikudi) Tamil Nadu
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) Maharashtra
- Chitrakote Falls (Bastar) Chhattisgarh
- Chittorgarh Rajasthan
- Dalhousie Himachal Pradesh
- Damro (Yamne valley) Arunachal Pradesh
- Dindi (Konaseema Backwaters) Andhra Pradesh
- Divar Island Goa
- Dungarpur Rajasthan
- Dzongu (Lepcha Reserve) Sikkim
- Gondal Gujarat
- Gurez Valley (Dawar) Jammu and Kashmir
- Guruvayur Kerala
- Jampui Hills (Vanghmun) Tripura
- Jaunpur Uttar Pradesh
- Jawhar Maharashtra
- Jhalawar (Gagron & Jhalrapatan) Rajasthan
- Jhansi Uttar Pradesh
- Jhargram West Bengal
- Jogimara Caves (Ramgarh Hill) Chhattisgarh
- Kalna (Ambika Kalna) West Bengal
- Kalpathy (Palakkad) Kerala
- Kannur Kerala
- Kanthalloor Kerala
- Kapurthala Punjab
- Kargil Ladakh
- Karsog Valley Himachal Pradesh
- Kaza (Spiti) Himachal Pradesh
- Khajuraho Madhya Pradesh
- Khiching (Kichakeswari Temple) Odisha
- Khonoma Nagaland
- Kishangarh Rajasthan
- Kohima Nagaland
- Kokkare Bellur Karnataka
- Kolkata West Bengal
- Koraput Odisha
- Kullu Himachal Pradesh
- Kumbakonam (with Darasuram) Tamil Nadu
- Lambasingi Andhra Pradesh
- Lepakshi Andhra Pradesh
- Longwa (Mon district) Nagaland
- Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
- Madhavpur Ghed Gujarat
- Madurai Tamil Nadu
- Majuli Island Assam
- Malana Himachal Pradesh
- Malari (Niti Valley) Uttarakhand
- Mandawa (Shekhawati) Rajasthan
- Mandu Madhya Pradesh
- Maski Karnataka
- Mawlynnong Meghalaya
- Mayapur (Nabadwip) West Bengal
- McCluskieganj Jharkhand
- Medak Telangana
- Modhera (Sun Temple) Gujarat
- Mokokchung Nagaland
- Murshidabad (Hazarduari) West Bengal
- Muziris Heritage (Kodungallur) Kerala
- Naggar Himachal Pradesh
- Nampong (Pangsau Pass) Arunachal Pradesh
- Nashik Maharashtra
- Nawalgarh (Shekhawati) Rajasthan
- Nilambur Kerala
- Orchha Madhya Pradesh
- Padmanabhapuram Palace (Thuckalay) Tamil Nadu
- Palampur & Andretta Himachal Pradesh
- Pandharpur Maharashtra
- Pasighat Arunachal Pradesh
- Patan (Rani ki Vav) Gujarat
- Patiala Punjab
- Pfutsero (Glory Peak) Nagaland
- Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (Mayong) Assam
- Pragpur & Garli Himachal Pradesh
- Ramappa Temple (Palampet) Telangana
- Rann of Kutch (Dhordo) Gujarat
- Sevagram (Wardha) Maharashtra
- Shantiniketan (Bolpur) West Bengal
- Shergaon Arunachal Pradesh
- Shimla Himachal Pradesh
- Sidhpur (Bohra Havelis) Gujarat
- Sittong (Orange Village) West Bengal
- Sivasagar Assam
- Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir
- Sujanpur Tira Himachal Pradesh
- Surajkund Haryana
- Tamenglong (Barak Waterfalls) Manipur
- Tamia & Patalkot Valley Madhya Pradesh
- Tarnetar Gujarat
- Tatapani (Balrampur) Chhattisgarh
- Thalassery (Tellicherry) Kerala
- Thanjavur Tamil Nadu
- Thenzawl (Vantawng Falls) Mizoram
- Thrissur Kerala
- Touphema Village Nagaland
- Tulail Valley (Badugam) Jammu and Kashmir
- Tura (Garo Hills) Meghalaya
- Turtuk Ladakh
- Udaipur Rajasthan
- Vadnagar Gujarat
- Valiyaparamba (Nileshwar backwaters) Kerala
- Varanasi Uttar Pradesh
- Vijayapura (Bijapur) Karnataka
- Vizianagaram Andhra Pradesh
- Vrindavan-Mathura Uttar Pradesh
- Wankaner Gujarat
- Warangal Telangana
- Willong Khullen Manipur
- Ziro Valley Arunachal Pradesh
When to go
January, November and December are the months with the most culture places in peak season.
By state
Kerala (14)Rajasthan (12)Himachal Pradesh (12)Gujarat (11)West Bengal (11)Uttar Pradesh (9)Madhya Pradesh (9)Karnataka (7)Nagaland (7)Maharashtra (6)
Common questions
How many culture destinations are there in India?
This catalogue lists 174 tagged culture, across 35 states and union territories. It is a curated list, not an exhaustive one: places earn a spot on the strength of the landscape or the heritage.
When is the best time for a culture trip in India?
January, November and December put the most of them in peak season. Each place carries its own window, though, so check the one you are aiming at.
Which states have the most culture destinations?
Kerala (14), Rajasthan (12), Himachal Pradesh (12), Gujarat (11) and West Bengal (11).
Other themes
MountainsBeachHeritageSpiritualWildlifeTrekBackpackerDesertIslandLakesWaterfallsCityOffbeatPartySnow