Weekend trips from Delhi

Haridwar

224 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Feb–Mar

Har Ki Pauri aarti and temple ropeways

Rishikesh

249 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Feb–Apr

Ganga rapids by day, riverside aarti by dusk

Dehradun

264 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Feb–Apr

Valley town of colonial campuses and bakeries

Jim Corbett

265 km by road · Best Nov–May

Tiger country safaris on the Ramganga

Lansdowne

313 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Quiet Garhwal Rifles town in oak forest

Mussoorie

351 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Landour lanes, Doon valley views, Himalayan sunsets

Dhanaulti

357 km by road · Best Oct–May

Deodar eco-parks and Surkanda Devi's ridge

Kanatal

363 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Camps, apple orchards and Tehri lake views

Tehri

367 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Feb–May

Jet skis and floating huts on a Himalayan reservoir

Nainital

374 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Lake boating, Naina Devi and ridge walks

Chakrata

382 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Army cantonment, deodar forests and Tiger Falls

Bhimtal

386 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Feb–Jun

Three lakes, kayaks and a butterfly museum

Ranikhet

388 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Pine-ridge cantonment with a high golf course

Mukteshwar

407 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Cliff temple, orchards and Nanda Devi views

Almora

417 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Bal mithai, Kasar Devi and Jageshwar's temples

Kausani

429 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

300 km of Himalayan skyline from a tea ridge

Binsar

438 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–May

Oak forest sanctuary with a 300 km Himalaya view

ChoptaLong weekend

452 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Meadows, Tungnath and the Chandrashila summit

HarsilLong weekend

489 km by road · Best Oct–Nov, Apr–Jun

Bhagirathi valley apple orchards near Gangotri

AuliLong weekend

496 km by road · Best Oct–May

Ski slopes above Joshimath with Nanda Devi views

MunsiyariLong weekend

534 km by road · Best Oct–Nov, Mar–Jun

Panchachuli's five peaks at the edge of Johar

Barog

402 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Dec

Toy-train halt by India's famous Tunnel No. 33

Kasauli

405 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Dec

Cantonment lanes, pine trails and Raj-era churches

Chail

415 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Dec

Maharaja's summer palace and deodar woods

Kufri

439 km by road · Best Oct, Dec–Jun

Shimla's closest snow slopes and Mahasu Peak views

Shimla

440 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Colonial ridge town above the Kalka–Shimla rail line

Narkanda

469 km by road · Best Dec–Jun, Sep–Oct

Apple-belt ridge with Hatu Peak and winter skiing

SanglaLong weekend

523 km by road · Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

Baspa valley orchards and the road to Chitkul

Jibhi

526 km by road · Best Oct–Dec, Mar–Jun

Wooden-house village under Jalori Pass

Tirthan Valley

534 km by road · Best Oct–Nov, Mar–Jun

Trout river and gateway to Great Himalayan NP

KalpaLong weekend

541 km by road · Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

Apple village facing the Kinnaur Kailash range

Kullu

592 km by road · Best Oct–Nov, Mar–Jun

Valley of rafting, shawls and the Dussehra deities

Kasol

601 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

Riverside Parvati Valley village of cafes and trails

Bir Billing

611 km by road · Best Oct–Nov, Mar–Jun

India's paragliding capital under the Dhauladhars

Palampur

628 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

Kangra tea gardens below the Dhauladhar wall

Manali

642 km by road · Best Sep–Jun

Beas valley base for Solang, Atal Tunnel and Old Manali

Dharamshala

653 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

McLeodganj monasteries and the Triund ridge

Spiti (Kaza)Long weekend

653 km by road · Best Jun–Oct

High-desert monasteries over Kunzum La

SissuLong weekend

685 km by road · Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

Lahaul's first village beyond the Atal Tunnel

ChambaLong weekend

717 km by road · Best Oct–Nov, Mar–Jun

Ravi-side temple town of Pahari art

KhajjiarLong weekend

719 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Dec

Deodar-ringed meadow with a 12th-century Nag temple

DalhousieLong weekend

721 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Dec

Five-hill colonial station near Khajjiar and Chamba

Neemrana

141 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

A 15th-century fort-palace two hours down NH48

Alwar

173 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

City palace, a hill fort and Siliserh lake

Bharatpur (Keoladeo)

207 km by road · Best Nov–Feb

Wetland birding by cycle rickshaw

Sariska

215 km by road · Best Oct–Apr

Tiger safaris four hours from Delhi

Abhaneri (Chand Baori)

247 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

A 13-storey stepwell off the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway

Bhangarh

252 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

A 17th-century ruined town in the Aravallis

Mandawa (Shekhawati)

276 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Painted havelis of the Shekhawati towns

Jaipur

308 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Amber Fort mornings and old-city bazaars

Ranthambore

394 km by road · Best Oct–Apr

Tiger safaris below a 10th-century fort

Ajmer

457 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

The Dargah, Ana Sagar and a golden Jain hall

Pushkar

461 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Lake ghats, the Brahma temple and desert dunes

Bundi

505 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Stepwells, murals and a quiet Hadoti fort

Chittorgarh

636 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

India's largest fort and the Tower of Victory

Jodhpur

639 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Mehrangarh above a blue old city

KumbhalgarhLong weekend

688 km by road · Best Sep–Mar

A 36 km fort wall on an Aravalli ridge

Udaipur

740 km by road · Best Sep–Mar

Lake Pichola, City Palace and Mewar sunsets

JaisalmerLong weekend

844 km by road · Best Nov–Feb

A lived-in sandstone fort and Thar dunes

Mount AbuLong weekend

1,014 km by road · Best Jul–Mar

Rajasthan's only hill station, with Dilwara's marble

Garhmukteshwar

114 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Ganga ghats 100 km from Delhi

Vrindavan

164 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Banke Bihari, Prem Mandir lights and Yamuna ghats

Mathura

175 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Krishna's birthplace, ghats and Govardhan's hill

Fatehpur Sikri

230 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Akbar's red sandstone capital, abandoned intact

Agra

233 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Taj at sunrise, Agra Fort and Mehtab Bagh sunset

DudhwaLong weekend

436 km by road · Best Nov–Apr

Terai grasslands of swamp deer and rhino

Jhansi

492 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Rani Lakshmibai's fort and Orchha next door

Lucknow

542 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Kebabs, Imambaras and Awadhi evenings

ChitrakootLong weekend

686 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Ramghat aarti and the Kamadgiri parikrama

Ayodhya

691 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Ram Mandir, Hanuman Garhi and the Saryu ghats

Prayagraj

754 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Boat to the Sangam, then Anand Bhawan's history

Varanasi

883 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Dawn boats, burning ghats and the evening aarti

Patiala

268 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Royal Phulkian palaces, pegs and parandis

Chandigarh

309 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Le Corbusier's planned city of gardens and lakes

Anandpur Sahib

387 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Birthplace of the Khalsa on the Shivalik edge

Amritsar

524 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Golden Temple, Wagah border and kulcha breakfasts

Kurukshetra

198 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Mahabharata battlefield and Gita's birthplace

Pinjore

316 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Terraced Mughal-style gardens below the Shivaliks

Morni Hills

368 km by road · Best Sep–Mar

Haryana's only hill station, with twin lakes

Jammu

661 km by road · Best Oct–Mar

Temple city of Dogra palaces and forts

Patnitop

844 km by road · Best Sep–Jun

Pine plateau above the Jammu–Srinagar highway

Katra (Vaishno Devi)

851 km by road · Best Mar–May, Sep–Dec

Base town for the Vaishno Devi trek to Bhawan

PahalgamLong weekend

1,001 km by road · Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

Lidder river valleys and pine meadows

SrinagarLong weekend

1,037 km by road · Best Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

Dal Lake houseboats, Mughal gardens and old-city lanes

SonamargLong weekend

1,050 km by road · Best May–Oct

Glacier meadow on the road to Zojila

GulmargLong weekend

1,056 km by road · Best Dec–Mar, May–Jun, Sep–Oct

Gondola to Apharwat and India's ski slopes