Best Tourist Places to Visit in December in India: 15 for 2026

Pick your December by weather band, not by photos

December splits India three ways. The north plains go cold and foggy, the Himalayan belt gets snow, and everything from Gujarat down to Kerala has its best weather of the year. Choose one band and stay inside it. Trying to club Gulmarg and Goa into one 6-day trip is how people spend half their holiday in airports.

Second thing, dates matter more than destination. Roughly 1 to 18 December is calm, cheap and easy to book. From about 20 December to 2 January, airfares and hotel rates in Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala and the Andamans run two to three times higher and the good properties are gone by October. If your leave is flexible, take the first half.

15 places to visit in December in India

1. Rann of Kutch (Dhordo), Gujarat

The white salt flat on the Kutch border, and the one place where December is genuinely the point. Rann Utsav 2026-27 runs 1 November 2026 to 7 March 2027 at the tent city in Dhordo.

Dhordo is about 85 km from Bhuj, 1 hour 45 minutes by road. You need a White Rann permit: ₹100 per adult, ₹50 for children 6 to 12, free below 5. Buy it online on the Gujarat permit portal, otherwise you queue at the Bhirandiyara checkpost.

Tent city rates start around ₹6,300 per person on twin sharing plus GST for a non-AC Swiss cottage and go to roughly ₹8,300 deluxe AC, ₹9,300 premium and ₹10,300 super premium, meals, cultural programme and Bhuj transfers included. Rates move with the date. The December full moon is on 24 December 2026 and that weekend plus the Christmas to New Year block is the most expensive and the first to sell out, book two months ahead for those dates.

If the tent city is beyond budget, stay in Bhuj or at a homestay in Hodka or Bhirandiyara and drive out for sunset. Add Kalo Dungar, the high point above the Rann with the Dattatreya temple, on the way back. Nights go to single digits, carry a real jacket and not a hoodie.

2. Kohima and the Hornbill Festival, Nagaland

Hornbill runs 1 to 10 December 2026 at Kisama Heritage Village, about 12 km from Kohima. Entry to the grounds is around ₹100 per day for Indian nationals, some listings say ₹50, carry change.

Important: Indians from outside Nagaland need an Inner Line Permit. Apply on ilp.nagaland.gov.in, the domestic tourist fee is listed at ₹200 with 30 days validity, you can also get it at the entry gates but online is less painful. Carry the ID you used.

Nearest airport and railhead is Dimapur, roughly 70 km from Kohima, 3 to 4 hours on the hill road depending on traffic. Opening day on 1 December and the 5 to 6 December weekend are the heaviest. Kohima hotels get booked out months in advance for this week, most people end up in homestays or in Dimapur. Morning sessions are quieter than afternoon ones.

3. Goa

December in Goa is dry, around 30 to 32 degrees by day, and packed. Sunburn is at Vagator from 28 to 31 December 2026 with the New Year countdown on the 31st, so north Goa from Anjuna to Baga is at its loudest that week.

If you want the beaches without the sound systems, go south: Palolem, Agonda, Patnem. If you want the parties, stay north and expect to pay for it. Midnight Mass at the Old Goa churches on 24 December is the other big draw, reach early, parking there is a mess.

Flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru for the last week of December should be booked 60 to 90 days out. Scooters are the sane way to move around, taxi rates in peak week are what they are. UPI works almost everywhere including the shacks.

4. Jaisalmer and the Sam dunes, Rajasthan

Sam is about 40 to 45 km west of Jaisalmer town, roughly an hour. Camel safaris at the dunes start from about ₹400 per person, jeep safaris from about ₹1,000, and desert camps run roughly ₹1,500 to ₹5,000 per night depending on how fancy the tent is. Safari slots are tied to sunrise and sunset, so the evening ride is usually about 4:30 pm to 6 pm.

Tip: December nights in the desert drop to 5 to 8 degrees. The camps give you a bonfire and a thin blanket, carry thermals if you are sleeping in a tent. Daytime is pleasant, 22 to 25.

The Jaisalmer Desert Festival is a February event, not December, so don't plan around it.

5. Udaipur

Good pick if you want Rajasthan without the cold of the desert. Udaipur in December sits around 25 degrees by day and 8 to 10 at night.

City Palace is open daily. Museum entry for Indian adults is listed at ₹400 with children 5 to 18 at ₹150, though some sites still show older lower figures, so confirm the rate at the counter before you buy. Give it two to three hours, it's larger than it looks from outside.

The boat ride on Pichola and sunset from Bahai Sagar or the Monsoon Palace road are the standard evening options. Both get a queue between Christmas and New Year.

6. Ranthambore, Rajasthan

December is good tiger season, the park is dry and sightings are decent, though the morning safari is genuinely cold in an open gypsy.

From 1 November to 31 January, morning safari is 7:00 am to 10:30 am and afternoon is 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm. One permit gives you one zone for the whole ride, zones 1 to 10, and you cannot change zone mid safari.

Prices for Indians: jeep seats are quoted from about ₹1,650 to ₹1,900 per person and canter seats from about ₹1,000 to ₹1,300, exclusive of service charges and GST depending on the operator. Book on the Rajasthan forest department portal, slots open 90 days before the date and December weekends go fast.

Sawai Madhopur station is the railhead and most hotels are 10 to 15 minutes from it. Carry a cap, gloves and something windproof for the morning ride, the gypsy at 7 am in December is colder than the number on your phone suggests.

7. Kaziranga, Assam

Kaziranga reopened for the 2026-27 season on 3 October 2026. Jeep safari entry times are 7:30 am to 10:00 am and 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

A private 4x4 gypsy for up to 6 people works out to roughly ₹3,033 to ₹4,033 depending on range and zone. The Assam CM has confirmed the proposed hike does not apply this season, so rates are the same as last year. Elephant safaris restart from 1 November, seats at Kohora and Bagori are limited, need a separate permit and get taken early. Permits go through the Assam Sewa Setu portal and you must carry the original ID used at booking.

Guwahati is about 200 km away, 4.5 to 5 hours by road, most people drive from there or from Jorhat. Rhino sightings in December are close to routine, tigers are not.

8. Andaman Islands

Dry, calm sea, the best months of the year, and also the costliest. Port Blair to Havelock private ferries run roughly ₹1,100 to ₹3,400 one way depending on operator and class. Nautika does the crossing in about 90 minutes, Makruzz and Green Ocean take about two hours. There are morning sailings from around 6:00 am and an afternoon one around 2:00 pm.

Book ferries the moment your flights are confirmed, December sailings sell out well before the dates, and the government ferry queue is not a fallback you want to rely on in peak week.

Cellular Jail is shut on Mondays, plan the city day around that. Our places to visit near Port Blair guide has the timings, fees and the day trips to North Bay, Ross Island, Chidiya Tapu and Baratang.

9. Munnar, Kerala

Cold mornings, around 10 to 12 degrees, dry days, tea estates at their greenest. Eravikulam National Park is 13 km from Munnar town, entry for Indian adults is ₹200 with ₹50 for a still camera, and entry time is 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Book online, the slot system fills up by mid morning in December.

Eravikulam shuts for the calving season in February and March, so December is a clean window. Top Station is about 30 km further and makes a half day with Mattupetty and Echo Point on the way.

If you want a Nilgiris alternative on the Tamil Nadu side, our Ooty tourist places guide covers the fees and the e-pass rule for driving up.

10. Alleppey and the backwaters, Kerala

Pair this with Munnar, they are about 4.5 to 5 hours apart by road. December is peak houseboat season and rates reflect it.

Budget to standard boats run roughly ₹8,500 to ₹12,000 per night for two, mid range deluxe boats ₹12,000 to ₹25,000, and premium two bedroom boats start around ₹25,000 and go past ₹60,000 in peak week. Meals and crew are included in almost every package, so compare total price and not the headline rate.

One night on the boat is enough for most families. Boats typically check in around noon, anchor by evening because night cruising is not allowed, and drop you back by 9 am. If someone in the group gets bored easily, do a shared day cruise instead and sleep in a hotel.

11. Gulmarg, Kashmir

The most reliable snow in India in late December, and the gondola is the whole reason people go.

Fares are around ₹800 for Phase 1 (Gulmarg to Kongdoori), ₹1,000 for Phase 2 (Kongdoori to Apharwat) and ₹1,800 for both. Children below 3 go free, 3 and above pay full. Booking is online through the JKCCC portal. Important: Phase 2 cannot be booked on its own, you need a valid Phase 1 transaction ID first because Kongdoori is the only boarding point.

It runs roughly 8 am to 5 pm, weather permitting, and is normally shut on the second and fourth Monday of the month for maintenance. Phase 2 gets suspended on windy or heavy snow days, so don't build the trip around one single day up there.

Gulmarg is about 50 km from Srinagar, 2 to 2.5 hours, longer once snow starts. Gumboots and snow jackets are on hire at the base for a few hundred rupees, bargain, and carry cash as a backup since network for UPI is patchy higher up.

12. Auli, Uttarakhand

The cheaper snow option, and easier to reach than Gulmarg from Delhi. The Joshimath to Auli ropeway is 4.15 km, run by GMVN, and a round trip ticket is about ₹1,000 per person, with one way roughly ₹500 to ₹800 and children around ₹500. Rates move a bit in peak winter.

Snow in Auli typically builds through late December and January, so an early December trip may give you cold and clear rather than white. Joshimath is around 250 km from Rishikesh on a slow mountain road, 9 to 10 hours, plan an overnight halt rather than doing it in one go.

13. Hampi, Karnataka

December weather is about as good as Hampi gets, 28 to 30 degrees by day instead of 38. You need two full days minimum, the ruins are spread over kilometres and the walking is over rock.

The ASI combined ticket is ₹40 for Indians and covers Vittala temple, Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stables and the Royal Enclosure on the same day, so do them on one day and not split across two. Virupaksha and the Hemakuta group are separate and cheap. Coracle rides on the Tungabhadra are around ₹500 per person for 30 minutes and ₹1,000 for an hour, the usual spots are Chakratirtha near Hampi Bazaar and the Anegundi ferry point near Vittala.

Hosapete (Hospet) is the railhead, about 13 km away, with autos and local buses to Hampi. The Hampi Express leaves KSR Bengaluru at 9:50 pm and reaches Hosapete around 7 am daily, sleeper roughly ₹240 and 3AC roughly ₹655. From Goa, the Amaravati Express 18048 leaves Madgaon at 7 am on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and reaches Hosapete at 2:28 pm.

Hampi Utsav is a February event, the 2026 edition was 13 to 15 February, so December visitors won't catch it.

14. Varanasi

Cold, foggy and busy in December, which is also when the ghats are at their most interesting. Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh starts around 5:45 pm in December, earlier than the summer timing. Watching from the ghat steps is free, just reach by 5 pm for a spot.

From the water: shared motorboats are roughly ₹250 to ₹500 per person, a private rowboat for 4 to 6 people runs about ₹1,500 to ₹3,000, and larger private motorboats ₹4,000 upward. Boarding for the aarti boats is usually 4:30 to 5:00 pm. Fix the price before you step in, not after.

Sarnath is 10 to 12 km out and takes half a morning. Fog is the real planning risk here, see the note below on December trains and flights.

15. Jim Corbett, Uttarakhand

Dhikala, the best zone, opens on 15 November and stays open till 15 June, so December works. The canter safari into Dhikala is ₹2,500 per person for Indians with 16 seats per canter, morning slot roughly 6 am to 11 am and the afternoon one 12 pm to 5 pm. For a jeep safari inside Dhikala you have to book the night stay, which is quoted around ₹4,750 per person including permit, jeep, driver and taxes.

All bookings go through the official portal corbettgov.org and open 45 days before the date for Indians. Other zones like Bijrani and Jhirna book out less aggressively if Dhikala is full.

Ramnagar is the railhead, roughly 250 km from Delhi, 6 to 7 hours by road. Morning safaris in December start in thick fog, visibility improves only after 8 am.

How to reach, by region

Gujarat: Fly to Bhuj (limited flights) or Ahmedabad, then road. Ahmedabad to Bhuj is about 330 km, 6 to 7 hours, or take the overnight train. Self drive and taxis are both easy in Kutch, roads are good.

Northeast: Dimapur for Nagaland, Guwahati or Jorhat for Kaziranga. Flights into Guwahati and Dimapur in the first week of December get expensive because of Hornbill, book early.

Rajasthan: Jaipur and Udaipur both have flights. Jaisalmer is best reached by overnight train from Jaipur or Delhi, the road from Jodhpur is about 285 km, 5 hours. Sawai Madhopur for Ranthambore is on the Delhi to Mumbai main line, plenty of trains.

Kerala: Fly to Kochi. Kochi to Munnar is about 130 km, 4 hours, and Munnar to Alleppey about 170 km, 4.5 to 5 hours. Do Munnar first, backwaters after, it's easier on the stomach.

Andaman: Flights to Port Blair from Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru. Ferries for island hops, book with the flights.

Kashmir and Uttarakhand: Srinagar by air then road to Gulmarg. For Auli, train or flight to Dehradun, then the long road through Rishikesh, Devprayag and Joshimath.

Best time to visit within December

First half, 1 to 18 December: lower fares, open hotels, safari permits still available, weather already cold enough in the north and dry everywhere in the south. This is the better window for families and for anyone booking late.

Second half, 19 December to 2 January: festive dates, Sunburn, Christmas, New Year. Goa, Jaisalmer camps, Kerala houseboats and Andaman hotels are all at their peak rates, sometimes double or triple. Book 60 to 90 days ahead or pick somewhere else.

Snow timing: Gulmarg usually has workable snow by the last week of December, Auli builds up a bit later. Early December in both places can be cold and brown. If snow is non negotiable for the kids, late December into January is the safer bet.

Fog warning for the north: dense fog through late December regularly delays flights at Delhi and Lucknow and holds up trains across the plains by several hours. Railways also cancels or reduces the frequency of a list of winter trains between December and early March every year, check your specific train number on the IRCTC or NTES app a week before travel. If you are flying out of Delhi, Varanasi, Lucknow or Amritsar in the last ten days of December, do not book a same day connecting flight.

Sample 2-day plans

Kutch, 2 days from Bhuj

Day 1: Leave Bhuj by 9 am. Bhirandiyara for the permit if you haven't bought it online, then Hodka or Dhordo craft villages, lunch, check in. Reach the White Rann by about 4:30 pm for sunset, stay back for the night view if it's near full moon.

Day 2: Kalo Dungar early, back for breakfast, then drive to Bhuj via the Ajrakhpur and Bhujodi craft clusters. Aina Mahal and Prag Mahal in Bhuj if you have time before the evening flight or train.

Munnar plus Alleppey, 2 days from Kochi

Day 1: Kochi to Munnar, 4 hours, reach by lunch. Mattupetty dam, Echo Point and the tea museum in the afternoon.

Day 2: Eravikulam at 8 am sharp with a pre-booked slot, back by 11, then drive down to Alleppey and board the houseboat at noon. That is a long day, if you have a third day split it and add Top Station.

Kohima during Hornbill, 2 days

Day 1: Kisama morning session from about 9 am, lunch at the morungs, back to Kohima by evening. War Cemetery if there's light left.

Day 2: Kisama again for the events you missed, or drive to Khonoma village, about 20 km from Kohima. Keep the ILP on your phone and a printout, it gets checked.

What to carry

North and hills in December: thermals, a windproof jacket, gloves and a cap. Safari mornings at Ranthambore and Corbett need all four, the open vehicle makes it worse than the forecast.

Desert camps at Sam and the Rann: the day is 22 to 25 degrees and the night falls to single digits, so layers rather than one heavy coat.

South and coast: regular summer clothes, plus one light jacket for Munnar mornings.

Everywhere: original ID matching your safari or permit booking, some cash for hill and forest areas where UPI drops, and sunscreen, December sun at the coast and in the Rann is stronger than people expect.

If you want a city break instead of a long trip, December is also the best month for Kolkata, which stays around 12 to 25 degrees, see our Kolkata places guide for fees and closed days. For fully planned holidays, you can see what MyTripLama currently runs at mytriplama.com/packages.