Things to do in Nainital
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Nainital
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring: rhododendron bloom, clear morning views and pre peak prices. Phool Dei falls in mid March.
Peak season: best weather, worst crowds, prices, jams and queues. The Kainchi Dham Bhandara is on 15 June.
Best clarity of the year after the monsoon, with Sharadotsav in October, thinning crowds and falling rates.
Cold and quiet, with a chance of January snow and the Winter Carnival in late December. Corbett is at its best.
Worst months: full monsoon, fogged views, leeches, landslide risk and Corbett core zones closed. Harela falls in July.
Shoulder gamble: rain easing and greenery at its peak for the Nanda Devi Mahotsav, with residual slide risk.
What's on
- Nanda Devi Mahotsav September, about a week
Kumaon's best known fair at Naina Devi Temple, with palanquin processions and folk programmes.
- Sharadotsav October
The autumn festival of Kumaoni folk dance, music and craft in the clearest skies of the year.
- Kainchi Dham Bhandara 15 June
The ashram foundation day draws devotees counted in lakhs, with district vehicle restrictions.
- Nainital Winter Carnival late December, from about 22 December
Revived district festival with cultural programmes, treks, rock climbing and stargazing. Dates vary by year.
- Phool Dei mid March
Kumaon's spring festival, when children lay fresh flowers on doorsteps and households exchange sweets.
- Harela July
The monsoon sowing festival of greenery, celebrated in homes and villages across Kumaon.
Best things to do in Nainital
Naini Lake
The lake is the town, and a full rowboat round at golden hour is still the best single hour in Nainital.
Naina Devi Temple
One of India's Shaktipeeths on the Mallital shore, the working temple that gives the lake and town their name.
Snow View Point
The ropeway viewpoint for the full Himalaya wall on a clear morning, and a wasted queue on a cloudy afternoon.
The Mall Road
The lakeside promenade that is the town's living room at dusk, best walked end to end as the lights come on.
Pt. G.B. Pant High Altitude Zoo
A high altitude zoo above Tallital holding snow leopards, red pandas and Himalayan bears in forested enclosures.
Eco Cave Gardens
A garden of crawl through animal caves in Sukhatal that children love and adults can finish in under an hour.
Governor's House (Raj Bhavan)
A working Governor's residence in 160 acres of forest, toured in groups for its rooms, lawns and golf links views.
Hanuman Garhi
The town's default sunset temple above Tallital, built under Neem Karoli Baba, with evening aarti after the light.
Where to stay in Nainital
Mall Road and the Lakeside
first trip, families, zero logistics
Boats, restaurants, ropeway and markets outside your door, at the cost of crowds, noise and the parking problem.
Ayarpatta
heritage, quiet, repeat visitors
Forested heritage slopes with silent evenings and birdsong mornings, a downhill walk to the lake and a climb back.
Jeolikot and the Bhimtal road
budget long stays and birders
Hostel prices and orchard quiet below town, with buses up to the lake and easy access to Bhimtal and Sattal.
Think twice about
- Tallital bus stand and bazaar choke point
The noisiest and most congested few hundred metres in town. Pass through it, do not sleep on it.
- Balia Nala outlet side in monsoon
The town's known active slide zone at the lake's south eastern outlet. Avoid low rooms there in heavy rain weeks.
Best restaurants in Nainital
Café Chica'
A heritage garden lunch at Abbotsford of quiches, classics and caramel custard, the town's splurge meal.
Sakley's Restaurant & Pastry Shop
Since 1944, the Mall Road institution for Chinese, sizzlers and the best pastry counter in town.
Machan Restaurant
The reliable Mall Road family dinner, North Indian and Chinese in generous portions at mid band prices.
Café LakeSide
The modern Mall Road cafe with a lake balcony, pizzas, pastas and a strong patisserie counter.
Giannis Pure Veg
The pure veg Mall Road staple where locals steer vegetarian families for thalis, dosas and Jain requests.
Embassy Restaurant
A 1964 Mall Road value kitchen for sizzlers and thalis from a tiny platform with the best people watching.
Anupam Restaurant
A Bara Bazar local favourite for economical North Indian food and fish masala with naan, away from Mall Road prices.
Sher-e-Punjab
A Tallital Punjabi kitchen serving since 1971, for tandoor, dal makhani and butter chicken at dhaba prices.
Best coffee in Nainital
Simz Cafe
A family run book cafe on Thandi Sadak for coffee, plum cake and a quiet window over the Tallital lake end.
Outdoor things to do in Nainital
Naina Peak
Nainital's highest point and best walk, a forest climb to views over the lake bowl and the high Himalaya.
Tiffin Top
A free Ayarpatta picnic ridge and stone seat with lake views, reached by an oak and pine walk from town.
Pangot and Kilbury Bird Sanctuary
A celebrated birding forest 15 km from town where a local guide turns oak and rhododendron into target species.
Raj Bhavan Golf Course
One of India's oldest courses inside the Governor's estate, viewable on the tour and playable only by permission.
Sattal
Seven forest lakes below Nainital for kayaking, trails and waterside birding, far quieter than Naini Lake.
Bhimtal Lake
The district's largest and calmest lake, with an island aquarium and gentle boating for families.
Naukuchiatal
The nine cornered adventure lake for tandem paragliding over the water and kayaking from its shores.
Kainchi Dham Neem Karoli Baba Ashram
Neem Karoli Baba's riverside ashram, a free and simple darshan visit that draws lakhs each 15 June.
Best hotels in Nainital
The Naini Retreat
A former Maharaja's residence on the Ayarpatta slopes, the benchmark heritage splurge above the lake.
Abbotsford
An 1876 family run heritage house in oak woods, with home style meals and a garden cafe above the lake.
The Manu Maharani
The full service luxury hotel above Mallital, with spa, restaurants and rooms that match their photos.
Shervani Hilltop
A garden resort on a Mallital hillside offering space, terraces and a good kitchen a shuttle from the lake.
WelcomHeritage Ashdale
A 19th century residence near the High Court with heritage charm at mid range prices and variable upkeep.
Alka The Lake Side Hotel
A Mall Road lakeside hotel whose terrace and lake facing rooms are the whole point of staying there.
Hotel Himalaya
A 1918 Tallital hotel trading on space and value, with big old rooms undercutting the Mall Road front row.
goSTOPS Nainital
The branded hostel in town, with dorms, privates and a common room at the cheapest respectable in town price.
Is Nainital expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹3,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹6,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹15,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Gurney House: a few days ahead
- Pangot and Kilbury Bird Sanctuary: a few days ahead
- Raj Bhavan Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Jim Corbett National Park: weeks ahead
- The Naini Retreat: weeks ahead
- Abbotsford: weeks ahead
- The Manu Maharani: weeks ahead
- Shervani Hilltop: weeks ahead
- Good lakeside and heritage rooms go weeks ahead in May and June, on long weekends and at Diwali and Christmas.
- Corbett safari permits open about 45 days ahead for Indian nationals and up to 90 days for foreign nationals.
- Kainchi Dham around 15 June fills rooms across Bhowali and Nainital and triggers vehicle restrictions.
- In town sights are walk up, so the booking that matters is an early start for the ropeway, zoo and boats.
Is Nainital safe?
- Monsoon brings landslides on the Kathgodam road and around Balia Nala. Check advisories and keep a buffer day.
- Wear the life jacket on boats and never stand in a rowboat for photographs.
- Walk trails in company, carry water and return before dark. Leopards live in these forests and monkeys take food.
- Winter paths can ice over, so viewpoint and zoo trails need shoes with grip. Emergency number is 112.
Nainital travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Mall Road lake facing premiums for identical rooms and thalis, with Zooby's Kitchen the clearest overhyped case.
- Snow View Point on a cloudy afternoon is a queue and amusements without the Himalaya view.
- Pony rides without a settled return price, and boat jetty add on touts.
- Pots and Stones is listed as permanently closed, despite older blogs still recommending it.
Getting around Nainital: public transport and more
- Walk Mall Road end to end, about 1.5 km of flat lakeside, and use rickshaws and shared cabs for the climbs.
- Hire a local taxi by the day for Pangot, the lake circuit and Kainchi Dham, agreeing price and itinerary first.
- Arrive via Kathgodam station, about 35 km below town, then taxi or bus up. Pantnagar airport has limited flights.
- In May and June, cars are held below town when parking fills, so a confirmed hotel parking space matters.
Who Nainital suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Nainital your trip
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