Things to do in Haridwar
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Haridwar
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The season: cool clear weather, Rajaji open from mid November, and December to February is the sweet spot.
Hot Char Dham shoulder season, with Rajaji open to 15 June, Ganga Dussehra in the window and rafting to late June.
Monsoon: heavy rain, a swollen fast Ganga, Rajaji closed and rafting suspended, so mostly avoid for leisure.
What's on
- Ardh Kumbh Mela 14 January to 20 April 2027
The six yearly Ardh Kumbh with four royal Amrit Snans for the first time, agreed by all 13 akharas.
- Kanwar Mela Shravan, roughly July to August
Millions of Kanwariyas collect Ganga water in Haridwar, filling the city and diverting the highways.
- Ganga Dussehra May or June, lunar date varies
The Ganga's descent to earth, marked by special aartis and festive crowds at Har Ki Pauri.
- Kartik Purnima November full moon
The ghats are lit with countless diyas for the full moon bath, in the best weather window of the year.
Best things to do in Haridwar
Har Ki Pauri
The great bathing ghat where priests perform the Ganga Aarti at sunset and pilgrims set leaf lamps drifting on the river.
Mansa Devi Temple
The wish fulfilling goddess temple above the old city, reached by ropeway or a steep path for the best view in Haridwar.
Chandi Devi Temple
The second Siddh Peeth, on Neel Parvat, with a ropeway ride and a summit view over the Ganga channel and Rajaji forest.
Maya Devi Temple
An 11th century temple that completes the Siddh Peeth triangle, small and genuinely old, and still a neighbourhood shrine.
Daksh Mahadev Temple
The great Shiva temple of calm Kankhal, on the site of Daksha's yajna, spacious and devotional away from the ghat crowds.
Bharat Mata Mandir
An eight storey temple to Mother India with a marble relief map of the country, unlike any other sight in Haridwar.
Sapt Rishi Ashram
A green, peaceful ashram where the Ganga splits into seven streams, best at dawn for an hour of sitting by the water.
Pawan Dham
A modern temple built around intricate glass and mirror work, so the whole interior glitters under the lights.
Where to stay in Haridwar
Har Ki Pauri and Ram Ghat
first timers who want to walk to the aarti
Inside the pilgrimage, with the aarti, bazaars and cheap food on the doorstep, at the cost of noise and no vehicle access.
Niranjani Akhara Road and Sharvan Nath Nagar
best all round base
A calmer riverside quarter a short walk from Har Ki Pauri and the station, holding the city's two best hotels.
Bhupatwala and the Rishikesh road
space, gardens and quiet nights
Garden hotels with parking and pools near Shantikunj and Rajaji, with Har Ki Pauri 10 to 15 minutes away by auto.
Think twice about
- SIDCUL and highway industrial strip
Safe but a poor Haridwar: business hotels among factories, far from the ghats, with nothing to walk to at night.
- Station front and Jwalapur road
Busy, traffic choked and drab rather than dangerous, but the least pleasant walk home in the city at night.
- Lanes immediately behind Har Ki Pauri in Kumbh and Kanwar peaks
Crowd pressure, noise and sealed routes make them a bad base exactly when the city is fullest.
Best restaurants in Haridwar
The Dining Room
Haridwar's top table, refined sattvik and vegetarian cooking in the art deco dining room of Pilibhit House by the river.
The Patio
A rooftop restaurant looking straight over Har Ki Pauri, where the Uttarakhandi thali is the order at aarti hour.
Invitation Restaurant
The local families' celebration restaurant, generous North Indian mains and courteous service away from the tourist lanes.
Sattvik Restaurant
Sattvik cooking without onion and garlic served as a calm restaurant, the first choice for restricted diets in Haridwar.
Big Ben Restaurant
The station area institution, a long running multi cuisine room that is the reliable first or last meal of a Haridwar trip.
Hoshiyarpuri
The old city sit down classic near Ram Ghat, generous North Indian vegetarian plates and sweets at pilgrim prices.
Mohan Ji Puri Wale
The iconic puri sabzi breakfast by Har Ki Pauri, hot puris with aloo and pumpkin sabzi, kachori and ghee halwa.
Mathura Walon Ki Prachin Dukan
Haridwar's sweet institution, rabri, jalebi and desi ghee puri sabzi on Moti Bazaar Road near Thanda Kuan.
Outdoor things to do in Haridwar
Rajaji National Park
A 36 km jeep safari through sal forest and riverbed where wild elephants are regular, open mid November to mid June.
Neel Dhara Pakshi Vihar
Wetland birdwatching at Bhimgoda Barrage, with herons and kingfishers and a sunrise walk locals use to escape the city.
Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi Treks
Walk both ropeway temples instead: a steep 1.5 km climb to Mansa Devi and a 3 km forest trek up Neel Parvat.
Shivpuri River Rafting
The sweet spot rafting day trip from Haridwar: 16 km from Shivpuri to Rishikesh through Grade II and III rapids.
Jumpin Heights
India's highest bungee at 83 metres over a rocky gorge, run to international standards by New Zealand jump masters.
Beatles Ashram
The abandoned ashram where the Beatles wrote in 1968, now forest ruins and graffiti art at the edge of Rajaji.
Best hotels in Haridwar
Pilibhit House, Haridwar - IHCL SeleQtions
A 35 room Taj group mansion with a private ghat, pool and spa, the only luxury stay inside the pilgrimage yet calm.
Hari Ganga Niwas, Haridwar - IHCL SeleQtions
A heritage haveli at Ram Ghat with a private bathing ghat, spa and river view rooms, eight minutes from Har Ki Pauri.
Ganga Lahari
Directly on the river by Har Ki Pauri, with a rooftop over the ghats and staff who arrange a front row aarti place.
Godwin Haridwar
A garden hotel on the Rishikesh road with pool, spa and lawns, the quiet mid range escape from the ghat crowds.
Aalia Resort
A resort in greenery near the Chilla side of Rajaji, built for family weekends that pair the park with the river.
Hotel Krishna Ji
The honest budget pick, a simple air conditioned hotel about 500 metres from Har Ki Pauri at true budget prices.
Is Haridwar expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹4,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹18,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Rajaji National Park: a few days ahead
- Shivpuri River Rafting: a few days ahead
- Jumpin Heights: a few days ahead
- The Dining Room: a few days ahead
- Pilibhit House, Haridwar - IHCL SeleQtions: weeks ahead
- Hari Ganga Niwas, Haridwar - IHCL SeleQtions: weeks ahead
- Ganga Lahari: weeks ahead
- Book rooms months ahead for the Ardh Kumbh bathing dates of January to April 2027.
- Book Rajaji safari jeeps and permits days ahead in the December to April peak, and carry photo ID.
- There is no advance booking for the ropeways, so go before 9am on a weekday with a combined ticket.
- Small luxury hotels sell out on winter weekends and festival dates weeks ahead.
Is Haridwar safe?
- Crowd crush at Har Ki Pauri is the main risk, so hold children, agree a meeting point and keep valuables zipped in front.
- Bathe only at the chained, attended areas of the main ghats and never swim at canals or barrage areas.
- Ghat steps are slippery, so go barefoot or in grip sandals and use the handrails.
- Emergency number in India is 112.
Haridwar travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The public Ganga Aarti and temple darshan are free, so refuse paid VIP aarti seats and unrequested rituals.
- Decide donations before arriving and give through the temple's own channel, not to attached helpers.
- Do not accept the first station or aarti time rickshaw quote, or the first bazaar price near the ghat.
- Monkeys on both temple hills snatch food, bags and glasses, so keep food sealed and do not feed them.
Getting around Haridwar: public transport and more
- Walk the old city: lanes near the ghats are effectively pedestrian and vehicles are restricted.
- Use cycle rickshaws in the lanes and auto rickshaws for Kankhal, Bhupatwala, the station and Chilla Gate.
- Agree private auto fares before sitting down, since meters are not the local custom.
- Haridwar Junction is about 2 km from Har Ki Pauri, and Jolly Grant Airport is roughly an hour by taxi.
- Rishikesh is 25 km away, 45 to 75 minutes by road, with constant buses and shared autos.
Who Haridwar suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Haridwar your trip
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