Best places to visit in Nanital

Nainital is also known as ‘city of lakes.’ Nainital is ranked amongst the top places to go for a family trip in India. It is the famous hill station of Uttarakhand. One can enjoy boat rides, scenic views, pleasant weather along with many other unforgettable experiences.

Major Tourist Attractions

Naini Lake

The lake is situated in the middle of the town is the lifeline of Nainital. Here, visitors can go for boating and enjoy panoramic hill views around.

Naina Peak

It is also known as Cheena or China Peak by the locals and is the highest peak of Nainital. This is the best place to go for trekking in Nainital. One can enjoy scenic views of the town situated near the lake.

Jim Corbett National Park

It is a forested wildlife sanctuary located in Uttarakhand state. It is popularly known for Bengal tigers and its rich flora and fauna. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga Reservoir. One can enjoy camping and wildlife here.

Tiffin Top

This place is also known as ‘Dorothy’s seat. It is located at Aryapatta Hills. It is a famous viewpoint that offers breath-taking views of the Himalayas.

Naina Devi Temple

The temple is situated on a hill-top in Bilaspur District of Himachal Pradesh. Most of the tourists love to visit the temple when they are in Nainital because it is considered very holy by the pilgrims.

Mall Road

Mall Road is situated parallel to Naini Lake. It is the famous spot where one can go for shopping and enjoy street food here.

Best time to visit- April to June and September to October

Famous Fairs and Festivals Celebrated in Nainital

The Uttarakhand people love to celebrate their festivals with a lot of exuberance and vigour. Nainital is well known for its lively celebrations of fairs and festivals. Some of the popular festivals celebrated in Nainital are listed below-

Fairs

Winter Fair

Winter Fair is also popularly known as ‘Sharadotsav’ which takes place during October. Even foreigners also come to enjoy this festival from different places. In this festival, various cultural programs and activities are held to represent the heritage of the Uttarakhand region.

Nanda Devi Fair

This fair honour the revered goddess of Uttarakhand and is celebrated across the state, specifically Kumaon region. This festival draws many devotees from around the world to seek the blessing of the goddess for well-being and good luck.

Uttarayani

This festival is also known by the name of ‘Kale Kuva’. It takes place on 14th January each year. In this festival, you will see, the kids adorn the garland of the sweets and sing hymns and feed the sweets to the crows. This festival has great importance in the Kumaon region.

Ranibagh Fair

Ranibagh Fair is held at Ranibagh Uttarayani every year. The fair takes place at about 30 km away from the city, Nainital, still it is known to be one of the most awaited fairs of Nainital and nearby locations.

Festivals

Phooldeyi/Phooldeli

It is one of the extremely popular festivals that is celebrated in Nainital. It is celebrated during March where each household picks flowers and place them at the entrance of their houses in a hope that it will bring good luck and prosperity throughout the year.

Basant Panchami

This festival is celebrated during the end of the winter season which is known as ‘Magh’ (January-February) according to the Hindu calendar. On this festival, Goddess Saraswati is worshipped and people wear yellow colour fabric. This day also marks the beginning of Baithak Holi in the Kumaon region that involves all-night musical sessions and singing of hymns and prayers.

Harela

This festival is celebrated in the month of Chaitra during Ashwin month. In this festival, women sow 7 types of grains which symbolises better harvesting season. On the last day of Navratri, the yellow leaves which are known as Harela are kept on the forehead behind the ears.

Khatarua

This festival marks the arrival of the autumn season. It is celebrated during the first day of the month of Ashwin (mid-September) as per the Hindu .