The five seasons of the river
Extremes: Varanasi sits on the plains of the Ganga, far from any sea or mountain, so its climate swings hard.
- Autumn
- October and November, our favourite
- Winter
- December to February, mist and cold
- Spring
- March, Holi and warm days
- Summer
- April to June, fierce heat
- Monsoon
- July to September, river in flood
- The river matters: so much of a visit happens on the water and the ghats that the river's level counts as much as the temperature.
- The monsoon: it raises the river by many metres.
Autumn, October and November
Why we love it: the monsoon has gone, the river is falling back to its steps, and the air is clear and warm.
- The festivals: the greatest arrive one after another, from Navratri and Dussehra to Diwali, Chhath and Dev Deepawali.
- Book well ahead: Indian pilgrims love these months too.
Winter, December to February
Weather: cool to cold, with mornings often wrapped in mist and nights that can drop to single figures.
- On the river: the dawn boat ride is at its most atmospheric, and gulls wheel over the water.
- In the lanes: the stalls sell malaiyo and chooda matar.
- Fog: it can delay flights and trains, so we build slack into the plan.
Spring, March
- A short, bright season: warm days, the colour of Holi and the last comfortable dawns before the heat.
- Mahashivratri: it may fall in late February or March, filling the Vishwanath temple.
Summer, April to June
Weather: hot and dry, with May the fiercest month.
- How we plan it: dawn and dusk outings only, with the middle of the day indoors.
- The upside: lower rates, thinner crowds, and the famous Langda mangoes at the end of the season.
Monsoon, July to September
The river: swollen and fast. The lower ghats disappear under water and boat trips are often suspended.
- The aarti: it moves to higher ground.
- The city: green and devotional, especially in the holy month of Shravan.
- Our advice: not the season for a first visit.
Varanasi month by month
- Best months
- October to March
- Our favourites
- November and February
- Hottest
- May, often above 40°C
- Wettest
- August, ghats under water
- Foggiest
- Late December and January
January, mist and kites
Weather: the coldest month. Afternoon highs usually in the low twenties Celsius, nights close to single figures, and mornings cold enough for a woollen shawl and a hat on the boat.
Fog: dense fog sometimes delays flights, so arrive with a day in hand.
- Makar Sankranti: in mid-January thousands bathe in the Ganga at dawn and the rooftops fill with kite-fliers, much as in our own Jaipur. See Makar Sankranti.
- Food: malaiyo is at its best.
- Crowds: peak season, so book early, and expect the ghats to be lively with pilgrims and winter travellers.
February, gentle light and Shiva's night
Weather: the days warm up and the fog lifts earlier.
Light: soft and golden, perfect for photography on the ghats.
- Vasant Panchami: the spring festival of Saraswati, goddess of learning, often falls in late January or February, when students carry her images to the river.
- Mahashivratri: in some years Shiva's great night falls now, with huge crowds and an all-night vigil at the Vishwanath temple.
- Our view: one of our favourite months, comfortable, clear and still in malaiyo season.
March, Holi and the last cool dawns
Weather: warm afternoons in the low thirties and cool mornings.
Holi in Kashi: it begins a few days early, on Rangbhari Ekadashi, when colour is played in the Vishwanath temple. See Holi.
- Holi day: wild and joyful, and the lanes are no place for good clothes.
- How we plan it: a quiet morning, a private celebration at the hotel, then rest.
- Also: Mahashivratri sometimes falls in March.
- Book: before the end of January if you want to be here for Holi.
April, music and rising heat
Weather: the heat climbs fast, with afternoons in the high thirties by the end of the month.
- Sankat Mochan: the temple holds its famous music festival around Hanuman Jayanti, when some of India's finest classical musicians play through the night for the god, free and open to all.
- Ram Navami: Rama's birthday falls in March or April.
- Pace: dawn boats are still lovely, but plan to be indoors by late morning.
May, the fiercest month
Weather: very hot, with afternoons often above 40°C and hot winds across the plains.
Buddha Purnima: the full moon of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing brings pilgrims to Sarnath in April or May.
- Crowds and rates: crowds are thin and hotel rates lower.
- A disciplined visit: boat at five, breakfast, rest, boat again at six in the evening, for travellers who handle heat well.
- Not for: children or older guests.
June, mangoes and the river's festival
Weather: very hot until the monsoon breaks, usually towards the end of the month.
Ganga Dussehra: it celebrates the river's descent from heaven to earth, in May or June, and pilgrims crowd the ghats to bathe.
- The Langda mango: one of the great mangoes of India, in season around now.
- Boats: trips continue while the river is low.
- Stay: a hotel with good air conditioning and a quiet afternoon.
July, the rains arrive
Weather: relief from the heat, but heavy humidity, and the Ganga begins to rise.
Shravan: the holy month of Shiva usually begins in July, when saffron-clad pilgrims called kanwariyas walk to the Vishwanath temple carrying river water.
- Mondays in Shravan: the most crowded days of the year at the temple.
- Boats: trips may be restricted as the current strengthens.
- Who it suits: repeat visitors, not a first trip.
August, the river in flood
Weather: usually the wettest month.
The river: it often covers the lower ghats and sometimes reaches the doors of riverside temples, and boats are frequently stopped by the authorities.
- The aarti: it continues on higher platforms or rooftops.
- Nag Panchami: the festival of serpents is celebrated with special zeal in the city's wrestling akharas.
- Janmashtami: Krishna's birthday falls in August or September.
- Our advice: come only if you love monsoons, and keep the plan flexible.
September, ancestors and clearing skies
Weather: the rains taper off, and the river starts to fall but stays high and fast for most of the month.
- Pitru Paksha: the fortnight dedicated to ancestors usually falls in September or early October, when many families come to Kashi to perform rites for their dead on the ghats.
- Be discreet: it is a solemn and moving time, and we ask guests to be especially careful with cameras.
- Late in the month: it can be pleasant, and hotels begin to fill again for the festival season.
October, Durga, Rama and the first lamps
Weather: warm days in the low thirties and cooler evenings.
Navratri and Durga Puja: they fill the city, and Varanasi's large Bengali community sets up elaborate pandals, temporary shrines for the goddess.
- Ramnagar Ramlila: across the river, it runs through the autumn.
- Bharat Milap: just after Dussehra, the reunion of Rama and his brother Bharata at Nati Imli draws vast crowds.
- Akash deep: through Kartik, families hang small sky lamps on tall bamboo poles above the ghats for their ancestors.
- Diwali: in some years it falls in late October.
November, the month of lamps
Our favourite: and the busiest, with weather close to perfect, warm by day and cool at dawn.
Diwali: it falls in October or November. See Diwali.
- Chhath: within a week, women from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh stand in the river at sunset and sunrise to worship the sun.
- Nag Nathaiya: at Tulsi Ghat, a re-enactment of Krishna's victory over the serpent Kaliya.
- Dev Deepawali: on the Kartik full moon every ghat is lit with clay lamps, with the state's Ganga Mahotsav festival of music and dance around it.
- Food: malaiyo returns as the nights cool.
- Book: rooms and boats months ahead.
December, fog and fireplaces
Weather: cool to cold, with misty mornings that grow denser towards the end of the month.
- On the river: migrating gulls gather, and the dawn boat is at its most mysterious, with the ghats appearing slowly out of the fog.
- Crowds: the Christmas and New Year weeks bring large domestic crowds and higher rates, so we book early or plan around them.
- Pack and plan: warm layers for early starts, and time for fog delays on flights and trains, especially from Delhi.
Planning around the great festival days
The best and hardest days: festivals are the most beautiful days in the city and the hardest to navigate.
What happens: hotels sell out, prices rise, boats jostle for space, and the lanes around the temples become impassable for hours.
- Dev Deepawali
- Kartik Purnima, about two weeks after Diwali
- Usually
- November, sometimes late October
- Best view
- A boat or a riverside terrace
- Arrive
- At least a day early
- Quiet alternative
- Late January, February, early March
- How we plan: a vantage point, a boat or terrace, a guide who knows the crowd, and an exit.
- The Ramnagar Ramlila: performed over about a month each autumn at the Ramnagar Fort of the Maharajas of Banaras, moving around the town as the audience follows. The Ramlila tradition is listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage.
- Dev Deepawali: the one most of our guests ask for. The lamps are lit at dusk.
- How to see it: from a boat drifting slowly past the whole riverfront, or from a riverside terrace.
- Our boats: we hold them for that night many months ahead.
- Pair with Rajasthan: our page on festivals across our region lists the Rajasthan festivals that combine well with a trip to the Ganga.
Light, river levels and the dawn boat
East-facing ghats: every sunrise lights the whole city.
October and November: the air is clear after the rains and sunrises are crisp.
- Crisp sunrises
- October and November
- Mist
- December and January
- Best balance
- February and March
- Steps exposed
- About October to June
- December and January: mist softens everything, sometimes so thickly you see only the nearest ghat. Beautiful, but frustrating for photographs.
- February and March: the best balance of clarity and warmth.
- Summer: the light turns harsh within an hour of sunrise.
- Low river: from about October to June you can walk long stretches along the waterline.
- High river: in the monsoon it may rise over the lower ghats, the walkway disappears, and boat trips depend on official permission.
- Photographing respectfully: our photography tips explain how.
What the city eats, season by season
- Seasonal city: so much of what Varanasi eats vanishes when the weather turns, which is one more reason to choose your month carefully.
- Our guides: they plan breakfasts and tasting walks around what is fresh that week.
Winter, the richest table
Malaiyo: from about November to February, the cold nights make it possible, and it is sold only at dawn in the lanes of the old city.
Chooda matar: fresh green peas arrive, so flattened rice with peas, ghee and spices appears everywhere.
- Sesame sweets: gajak and til sweets of sesame and jaggery around Makar Sankranti.
- Evenings: hot milk with saffron.
- Best for: a food walk.
Spring and Holi
Gujiya: every household makes these sweet fried pastries stuffed with khoya and dried fruit.
- Thandai: chilled spiced milk with almonds.
- A warning: thandai on the street at Holi is often mixed with bhang, a cannabis preparation that is traditional and legal here but very strong. Ask for yours plain.
Summer, mangoes and lassi
Cooling drinks: lassi in clay cups, sugarcane juice and aam panna, a drink of raw mango, part of every outing.
- The Langda mango: from about June, green-skinned, fragrant and sweet.
- Local pride: families argue about it the way we argue about Jaipur's sweets.
Monsoon and autumn
In the rains: the kachori stalls do their best business, and hot fried snacks and sweet milky tea are the comfort food.
- In autumn: the festival kitchens take over, with fasting foods during Navratri and sweets for Diwali.
- At Chhath: women carry simple offerings of fruit and thekua, a hard sweet biscuit, to the river.
Crowds, prices and how far ahead to book
The busiest periods: the great festivals, the winter weeks around Christmas and New Year, and long Indian holiday weekends.
- Dev Deepawali week
- Six months or more
- Winter peak
- Three to four months
- Summer and monsoon
- Short notice is fine
- Boats and aarti
- Reserved in advance
- On those days: the ghats, the Vishwanath lanes and the boats are packed, and riverside hotels sell out.
- The quietest good weeks: late January after Makar Sankranti, February outside Mahashivratri, and early March before Holi.
- Summer and monsoon: rates fall and good rooms are easy to find, but the weather limits what you can do.
Staying comfortable in every season
Heat, April to June: drink filtered water often, carry oral rehydration salts, and stay indoors from late morning to late afternoon.
Fog, December and January: allow extra time for flights and trains, and wear warm layers for open boats at dawn.
- Monsoon, July to September: use insect repellent in the evenings, watch your step on slippery ghats, and keep away from the water's edge when the river is high.
- All year: never drink from or swim in the Ganga, eat only from busy, trusted stalls and use hand sanitiser before street food.
- More: our guide to health and safety covers vaccinations, water and medicines for north India.
The off-season, for those who have been before
Not for a first visit: we would never send first-timers in July or August.
For a repeat visitor: the monsoon shows a side of Varanasi few outsiders see.
- The river: enormous and brown, running fast over the lower ghats, watched from the upper steps the way coastal towns watch a storm.
- The city: lanes washed clean by the rain, green everywhere, and temples full of devotees in saffron who have walked a long way with river water for Shiva.
- Where to stay: on high ground or in a garden hotel, with loose plans, accepting that boat trips may not run.
- What to do instead: the museums, the temples and the music houses, and the drive to Sarnath, whose lawns are at their greenest.
- Summer: suits only short visits by travellers who rise very early.
- The reward: in both seasons, a calmer city and the best rates of the year.
What to pack for the season
October to March: light layers by day, a warm shawl or fleece for dawn boats and evenings, and a wool hat in December and January.
April to June: loose cotton or linen that covers shoulders and knees, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and a refillable bottle for filtered water.
- July to September: a light rain jacket, quick-drying clothes and sandals with grip for wet steps.
- All year: shoes you can slip off at shrines, a scarf to cover your head where required, a small torch for lanes at night, and a zipped bag for valuables.
- For the cremation ghats and temples: sober colours, with shoulders and knees covered.
- A longer journey: our full packing guide has a list for north India.
Fitting Varanasi into a longer journey
Shared season: October to March suits Varanasi, Rajasthan, Agra and the temples of central India alike.
A classic route: Jaipur through Udaipur or Jodhpur to Agra, then Orchha and Khajuraho before a flight or long drive to the Ganga.
- Fly into
- VNS at Babatpur, about an hour from the ghats
- Delhi by air
- About an hour and a half
- Delhi by train
- About eight hours, Vande Bharat
- From Khajuraho
- A full day by road
- Our journey: the Rajasthan and Varanasi journey is twelve nights.
- In the fog months: we fly rather than take the long road from Khajuraho when connections allow, and keep a spare day before any onward flight.
- The rest of the route: our best time to visit Rajasthan guide.
- Festivals in both places: November is the month.
- One night, two festivals: the Pushkar Camel Fair usually falls around the same Kartik full moon as Dev Deepawali, so you must choose one for that night.
- With careful planning: you can see the build-up to one and the climax of the other.
Our short answer for each kind of traveller
First visit, any age: February, or November if you can handle festival crowds.
Photographers: late October and February for clear light, January for mist.
- Families with children: November, February or early March, avoiding Holi and the biggest festivals.
- Pilgrims: Kartik, from October into November, or Shravan in July and August for Shiva devotees.
- Music lovers: April for the Sankat Mochan festival, or November for Ganga Mahotsav.
- Budget-conscious luxury: late March, or a short, disciplined visit in April, when rates fall.
- Avoid if you can: May and early June for heat, and August for floods.
- Once you've chosen: read the main Varanasi guide, our things to do in Varanasi and our Varanasi itinerary.
