Best time to visit Varanasi: weather by month, festivals, crowdsवाराणसी घूमने का सही समय: महीने के हिसाब से मौसम, त्योहार और भीड़
By Kashidwar ·
Varanasi has three clear seasons: a mild winter from October to March, a hot summer from April to June, and a monsoon from July to September when the Ganga rises over the ghats. Most visitors come in winter, and the big river festivals fall then too. Here are the numbers by month, the 2026-27 festival dates, and the practical catches: fog, heat and floods.
Month by month
The figures below are India Meteorological Department normals for 1991-2020, as published in the Varanasi climate table. Daytime highs swing from about 22 °C in January to over 40 °C in May; rain is concentrated in July to September.
Uttar Pradesh Tourism lists October to March as the ideal visiting period, with summer highs of 32-43 °C and winter lows near 5 °C. Cotton for summer, woollens for December and January.
- January: 22 / 9 °C. Coldest month, dense morning fog, clear afternoons. Rain 16 mm.
- February: 27 / 12 °C. Mild and dry. Dhrupad Mela at Tulsi Ghat in the run-up to Mahashivratri.
- March: 33 / 17 °C. Warm days, pleasant evenings. Mahashivratri and Holi fall here in 2027.
- April: 39 / 22 °C. Heat sets in; plan ghats for dawn and dusk. Chaitra Navratri.
- May: 40 / 26 °C. Hottest month, hot dry loo wind, heatwave alerts common.
- June: 39 / 28 °C. Humid; first monsoon showers (101 mm). Ganga Dussehra.
- July: 34 / 27 °C. Monsoon, 265 mm over about 12 rainy days. Sawan begins.
- August: 33 / 26 °C. Wettest month, 283 mm. Ganga usually at its highest; ghats often under water.
- September: 33 / 25 °C. Still wet (225 mm); river recedes late in the month.
- October: 33 / 21 °C. Rain stops, nights cool. Shardiya Navratri and Dussehra.
- November: 29 / 15 °C. Dry and clear. Diwali, Ganga Mahotsav and Dev Deepawali.
- December: 24 / 10 °C. Cool and dry; fog builds after mid-month, peak tourist weeks.
October to March: the comfortable season
From October the rain stops and the river settles below the ghat steps. Highs fall from 33 °C in October to 24 °C in December, with nights near 9-10 °C in December and January. Boats run again, the aarti returns to the Dashashwamedh steps, and the lanes are walkable all day.
November is the busiest month: Diwali, Ganga Mahotsav and Dev Deepawali fall within three weeks. February and early March are quieter and still cool, with Dhrupad Mela, Mahashivratri and Holi.
The trade-off is fog. From mid-December to late January, mornings can stay grey until 10 am and flights and trains run late. Keep a buffer day before any early departure.
April to June: heat, loo and empty ghats
April warms quickly and May is the hottest month, normal high 40 °C with heatwave days above that. On 18 May 2026 the ghats were deserted by mid-morning as the temperature passed 41 °C under a hot westerly loo wind. June stays near 39 °C and adds humidity.
A short, focused summer visit works. Hotels are cheaper, temples are quieter outside festival days, and the river is low and calm. Keep the ghats to sunrise and after 6 pm, carry water, rest through the afternoon. The evening aarti moves later, around 7 pm.
July to September: flooded ghats
About three-quarters of Varanasi's 986 mm of annual rain falls from July to September. Highs ease to 33-34 °C but humidity is high, and the real issue is the river. The Ganga at Varanasi has a danger mark of 71.26 m and in most years climbs close to or above it in August.
On 29 August 2025 all 84 ghats were under water, cremations at Manikarnika and Harishchandra moved to rooftops, and the Dashashwamedh aarti was performed symbolically on a roof. On 22 August 2026 the administration again halted all boats as the river rose 20 mm an hour. Boat rides and ghat walks are unreliable from late July until the water drops, usually late September.
Sawan, the month of Shiva, falls in this season and every Monday draws lakhs to Kashi Vishwanath. Come for that if it is the purpose; for the riverfront, wait for October.
Festival dates worth planning around (2026-27)
Hindu festival dates follow the lunar calendar and shift each year; the dates below are from published panchang sources, so confirm the tithi closer to travel. Dev Deepawali falls on Kartik Purnima, fifteen days after Diwali, when the ghats are lit with lakhs of lamps.
Ganga Mahotsav is UP Tourism's cultural festival in the same week; in 2025 it ran 1-4 November at Rajghat, before Dev Deepawali on 5 November. Dhrupad Mela is five nights of classical music at Tulsi Ghat ending on Mahashivratri; the 52nd edition began 11 February 2026.
- Shardiya Navratri: 11-20 October 2026, Durga pandals across the city.
- Diwali: Sunday 8 November 2026.
- Dev Uthani (Prabodhini) Ekadashi: 19-20 November 2026; Ganga Mahotsav is usually held in the days before Kartik Purnima (2026 dates not yet announced).
- Dev Deepawali / Kartik Purnima: Tuesday 24 November 2026, lamps lit in the dusk window around 5:07-7:31 pm.
- Dhrupad Mela: five nights at Tulsi Ghat ending on Mahashivratri; expected early March 2027 (2027 dates not yet announced).
- Mahashivratri: Saturday 6 March 2027, all-night queues at Kashi Vishwanath.
- Rangbhari Ekadashi and Masan Holi: Thursday 18 March 2027.
- Holika Dahan: Sunday 21 March 2027; Holi: Monday 22 March 2027.
- Chaitra Navratri: 7-15 April 2027, ending with Ram Navami.
- Sawan: 19 July to 17 August 2027; Sawan Mondays 19 and 26 July, 2, 9 and 16 August 2027.
- Diwali 2027: Friday 29 October 2027; Dev Deepawali 2027 follows about fifteen days later (date to be confirmed).
Sources: [3] · [4] · [5] · [6] · [7] · [8] · [9] · [10] · [11] · [12] · [13] · [21]
Crowds and prices: weekends, Sawan, Dev Deepawali
Dev Deepawali is the peak. In 2025 about 25 lakh lamps were lit and a similar number of visitors was expected; hotels and riverside homestays reported a near-complete sellout for weeks, with rates two to three times normal. Boats that night are sold as packages at many times the usual fare. Book months ahead and expect the ghat-side lanes to close to vehicles.
Sawan Mondays are the other peak, aimed at the temple. On the first Monday of Sawan 2025, devotees queued from the previous night and waited seven to eight hours for darshan. The temple also suspends sparsh darshan and VIP passes over Christmas and New Year, when footfall has crossed four lakh in a day.
Ordinary winter weekends are busy but manageable. Reach Dashashwamedh forty-five minutes before the aarti, take the first boat of the morning, and visit the temple on a weekday morning.
Fog, heat and flights: practical notes
Fog is the winter cost of the best weather. Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri airport at Babatpur sits in the north Indian fog belt: on 28 December 2025 it was listed with Delhi, Patna and Gorakhpur for fog delays, and on 6 January 2026 twenty-six flights were affected, the worst 4 hours 43 minutes late. Trains on such days run up to nine hours behind.
Between mid-December and late January, prefer flights after late morning, keep a spare day before onward connections, and track your train the night before. Fog on the river usually clears by 9 or 10 am.
In summer the catch is heat: alerts are routine from mid-May, so keep outdoor time before 10 am and after 6 pm. In the monsoon, check the Ganga level before booking a boat; the administration suspends boats as the river nears the 71.26 m danger mark.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month to visit Varanasi?
November: days near 29 °C, nights 15 °C, dry, with Diwali, Ganga Mahotsav and Dev Deepawali in one month. It is also the most crowded and costly. For similar weather with fewer people, choose February.
How is Varanasi in December?
Pleasant and busy: normal high 24 °C, low 10 °C, almost no rain. Fog builds after mid-December and delays morning flights and trains, so keep a buffer day. Christmas and New Year bring very large temple crowds.
Can I visit Varanasi in summer?
Yes, with care. April to June highs run 39-40 °C and heatwaves pass 43 °C. Keep ghats and walks to early morning and after sunset. Hotels are cheaper and the river is calm, so dawn boat rides are good.
When should I come for Dev Deepawali?
Dev Deepawali 2026 is Tuesday 24 November, Kartik Purnima. Arrive a day early, book rooms and boat seats months ahead, and be on the ghats before dusk; lamps are lit from about 5 pm. Expect lane closures and lakhs of visitors.
Are the ghats open during the monsoon?
Not reliably. In August the Ganga usually rises near or above the 71.26 m danger mark, the steps go under, boats are suspended, and the aarti moves to a rooftop. The water normally recedes by late September.
Is Sawan a good time to visit?
For Shiva devotees, yes: Sawan 2027 runs 19 July to 17 August with five Mondays, and Monday darshan queues can take seven to eight hours. For the riverfront it is the wrong time, as the river is in flood.
Does fog affect flights to Varanasi?
Yes, from mid-December to late January. On 6 January 2026, 26 flights at Varanasi were delayed by fog, one by over four and a half hours. Afternoon flights are safer; trains can run several hours late.
