Diwali is one festival with a dozen different personalities. In Jaipur it is a bazaar lit end to end; in Amritsar it is the Golden Temple doubled in the water of its tank; in Kolkata the same night belongs to the goddess Kali. Guests often ask us where to "see Diwali", as though it looks the same everywhere. It does not, and the choice of city matters more than almost any other decision you make for a November trip.

The 2026 dates, and the ones around them

  • Friday 6 November — Dhanteras, the shopping day. Gold, silver and new kitchen utensils; markets are packed.
  • Saturday 7 November — Choti Diwali (in Goa and parts of the south, Naraka Chaturdashi).
  • Sunday 8 November — Diwali, with Lakshmi Puja in the evening.
  • Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November — Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj.

Two more dates are worth pencilling in, because they shape a November itinerary: the Pushkar Camel Fair runs from 17 to 24 November, and Dev Deepawali in Varanasi falls on the full moon of 24 November. We come back to that clash at the end.

Jaipur: the one we would pick for a first Diwali

We are biased — we live here — but Jaipur is the easiest city in India to understand Diwali in. The old walled city's markets are decorated street by street, and the traders' associations compete over it, so Johari Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar and the stretch of MI Road turn into long tunnels of light for several nights either side of the main day.

The way to see it is on foot or by cycle rickshaw after dark, starting around seven in the evening. Driving through is pointless; the traffic stops. We park our cars outside the walls and walk guests in. On Dhanteras the jewellers of Johari Bazaar do their biggest trade of the year, which is a spectacle in itself even if you buy nothing.

Diwali night itself is private: families at home, lamps on every parapet, fireworks from late afternoon onwards. If you are staying in a heritage haveli inside the old city, you get the view from the rooftop, which is the best seat in town.

Udaipur: the quieter, prettier version

Udaipur's lakes do most of the work. The ghats and havelis around Lake Pichola are lit with diyas, the reflections double everything, and the city is small enough that the noise never quite reaches the level of Jaipur or Delhi. For couples, or anyone who wants the atmosphere without the crush, it is our usual recommendation.

Book a lake-facing room early. Hotels on Pichola fill for Diwali week months ahead, and the difference between a lake view and a street view on that particular night is enormous.

Amritsar: Bandi Chhor Divas at the Golden Temple

For Sikhs the same day is Bandi Chhor Divas, commemorating Guru Hargobind's release from imprisonment, and the Golden Temple is illuminated for it. The gold of the temple, the lamps along the marble walkway and the fireworks over the sarovar make it one of the most photographed nights in India. It is also very crowded. Go in the late afternoon, cover your head, leave your shoes at the counter, and plan to stay rather than to pass through: leaving is harder than arriving.

Kolkata: Kali Puja on the same night

Bengal marks the new-moon night with Kali Puja rather than Lakshmi Puja. Neighbourhood pandals are built for the goddess much as they are for Durga Puja three weeks earlier, and the city stays up late walking between them. If you have already seen a North Indian Diwali, this is the most different experience on this list.

Ayodhya and Goa: two very different curiosities

Ayodhya, the city Rama returned to in the story Diwali tells, holds a vast lamp-lighting on the ghats of the Sarayu on the eve of Diwali. It has become a state-scale event with enormous crowds and heavy security; interesting, not relaxing.

Goa does something else entirely. Before dawn on Naraka Chaturdashi, the day before Diwali, villages burn effigies of the demon Narakasura that local groups have spent weeks building. It is loud, competitive and very local, and it comes with the beach attached.

Varanasi: arrive for the festival after the festival

Diwali in Varanasi is lovely but not exceptional. What is exceptional comes a little over two weeks later: Dev Deepawali, on the Kartik full moon, when the ghats along the Ganga are lined with lamps from one end of the city to the other and the evening aarti is watched from hundreds of boats. In 2026 that is 24 November. If you can only do one of the two in Varanasi, do Dev Deepawali, and book the boat and the riverside room at the same time as your flights.

Delhi: where we would not be

Delhi has fine markets and a real Diwali, but the air quality in the days after the fireworks is regularly among the worst anywhere in the world, and it hangs over the city for days. We route guests through Delhi either side of Diwali, not on it. If anyone in your group has asthma or a heart condition, keep them out of the big northern cities for those two nights altogether.

Putting a November route together

Here is the shape we build most often for guests who want both the lights and the fair:

  • 6–9 November: Jaipur for Dhanteras and Diwali, in a haveli inside or close to the walled city.
  • 10–15 November: west to Jodhpur and Udaipur while the roads are quiet and hotels have emptied after the holiday.
  • 16–18 November: Pushkar for the opening days of the fair, when the trading is at its most genuine (about five hours by road from Udaipur).
  • From 19 November: back towards Agra and Delhi, or on to Varanasi.

The clash to know about: the Pushkar fair's holiest day and Varanasi's Dev Deepawali are both on the full moon, 24 November, and they are more than a thousand kilometres apart. You cannot do both on the night. Pick one, and let us build the rest of the fortnight around it. Our Golden Triangle with the Pushkar Fair tour is the shorter version: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, finishing at the fair.

Common questions

Which city has the best Diwali in India?

For a first-timer, Jaipur: the lit bazaars are public, walkable and unlike anything at home. For something calmer, Udaipur. For the single most striking sight, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. For something culturally different, Kali Puja in Kolkata.

Are monuments open over Diwali?

Most are, including the forts of Rajasthan and the Taj Mahal (which, as always, closes on Fridays). Banks, government offices and many shops close on the main day. Drivers and guides work, though we plan rotas in advance so families get time together.

How far ahead should we book?

Three to four months for the hotels worth having in Jaipur and Udaipur, and longer for a riverside room in Varanasi on 24 November. Prices for Diwali week are higher than the rest of November. Our month-by-month guide to Rajasthan explains how the season builds.

What actually happens on the night?

We wrote about the domestic side — the lamps, the sweets, the visiting — in Diwali in Rajasthan: what it's really like as a visitor. The short version: the public spectacle is the days before; the night itself is spent at home, and if you are invited into one, go.

Plan your Diwali with us

Where you are on 8 November is the one decision that shapes everything else in the trip. We have spent every Diwali since 2005 moving guests around Rajasthan and North India, and we will tell you honestly which city suits your group. Send us your dates and you will have a day-by-day itinerary and a price within 24 hours, free and with no obligation.