Nainital's main sights fit in two days by cab. One day covers the town: Naina Devi Temple, the ropeway to Snow View, Eco Cave Gardens, Land's End, Tiffin Top and a boat ride on Naini Lake. The other goes to Kainchi Dham and the lakes at Sattal, Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal. A third day goes to Mukteshwar for the snow peaks. The zoo closes on Mondays.
Each plan is a real route by cab, timed against opening hours.
Kainchi Dham, Bhimtal, Snow View and Naini Lake
6 places · 73 km by cab
See the plan →Naina Devi, Snow View, Tiffin Top and the lake · Kainchi Dham, Sattal, Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal
10 places · 102 km by cab
See the plan →Naina Devi, Snow View, Tiffin Top and the lake · Kainchi Dham, Sattal, Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal · Mukteshwar and the Golu Devta temple
12 places · 207 km by cab
See the plan →Call or message a local Nainital operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
We are still listing Nainital operators. Write to [email protected] and we will put you in touch.
With the best time to go and how long to stay.
| Place | Open | Best time | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naina Devi Temple | About 06:00 to 19:00, later at festivals; free | Morning, before the crowds and the ropeway queue. | 30 min |
| Boat ride on Naini Lake | Boats about 06:00 to 18:00; yachts to about 16:00; fixed rates at the booth? | Any time in daylight; the water is calmest in the morning. | 1 h |
| Ropeway to Snow View | About 10:00 to 16:00; return ticket about ₹200 | Morning, when the snow peaks are most often clear. | 1 h 15 min |
| Eco Cave Gardens | About 09:30 to 17:30; about ₹60 entry | Any time in the day. | 45 min |
| Land's End | Open in daylight; free? | A clear morning or early afternoon. | 40 min |
| Tiffin Top (Dorothy's Seat) | Open in daylight; free? | Morning or afternoon, in good weather. | 1 h 30 min |
| Khurpatal | Open in daylight; free? | Daylight. | 20 min |
| G B Pant High Altitude Zoo | About 10:00 to 16:30; closed on Mondays and national holidays | Morning, when the animals are awake. | 1 h 30 min |
| Raj Bhawan | Guided visits about 11:00 to 15:00 (some listings say longer); closed on Sundays; about ₹50? | Late morning, on a weekday. | 1 h |
| Pangot | A village; best at dawn for birds? | Early morning, for the birds. | 2 h |
The temple Nainital is named after, on the north shore of the lake at Mallital. It is for the goddess Naina Devi, shown by a pair of eyes. The first temple was lost in a landslide in 1880 and built again. The Flats, a big open ground, and the Tibetan market are next to it.
In the 1-day plan
The green lake in the middle of the town, with Mallital at the north end and Tallital at the south. You can take a rowing boat with a boatman, a pedal boat, or a small sailing yacht. From the water you see the hills on every side and the town climbing up them.
In the 1-day plan
A cable car from Mallital up to Snow View, a hilltop above the town. On a clear day you can see a long line of snow peaks to the north, Nanda Devi among them. Looking down, you see the whole lake. There are tea stalls and telescopes at the top.
In the 1-day planA garden on the hill above Mallital with six small rock caves joined by paths. Each cave is named after an animal, like the tiger cave and the bat cave. Some are so low you have to crawl. Children usually love it.
In the 1-day plan
A cliff edge west of the town where the hill drops away. Below you see the small Khurpatal lake, terraced fields and the hills going down towards the plains. It is quieter than the viewpoints in town.
Day 1 of the 2-day plan
A hilltop on Ayarpatta, above the west side of the lake, at about 2,290 m. A stone seat at the top was built in memory of Dorothy Kellett, an English painter. People used to carry a packed lunch, a tiffin, up here, which is how it got its name. You see the lake, the town and the snow peaks on a clear day.
Day 1 of the 2-day plan
A small green lake in a bowl of terraced fields, below Nainital on the Kaladhungi road. It is a farming village more than a sight: you stop, look down, and drive on. Land's End looks straight down on it.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A small zoo on Sher ka Danda hill, east of the lake, for animals and birds of the mountains. You see leopards, Himalayan black bears, red pandas, deer and colourful pheasants in enclosures along a steep path.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
The Governor's summer house, built by the British at the end of the 1800s, on a hill south-west of the lake. It looks like an old English country house, with stone walls, pointed roofs and big lawns. A golf course lies in the forest around it.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A small village in oak and rhododendron forest about 15 km north of Nainital, past Snow View and Kilbury. Bird watchers come for the Himalayan birds, like pheasants, laughing thrushes and woodpeckers. It is quiet, with a few homestays and resorts.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
The road along the east side of the lake, from Mallital to Tallital, about 1.5 km. It has hotels, cafés, bakeries and shops selling woollens and candles. The Tibetan market at the Mallital end sells jackets, shawls and souvenirs.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
The ashram of Neem Karoli Baba, a Hindu saint, in a narrow valley beside a stream on the road to Almora. It has small temples to Hanuman and other gods. Steve Jobs came here in the 1970s, and people from all over the world have visited since.
In the 1-day plan
A group of small lakes joined together in thick oak and pine forest. The name means seven lakes. It is the quietest of the lakes near Nainital, with boating, short forest walks and lots of birds.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
The biggest lake in the Nainital area, in a small town about 20 km from Nainital. A little island in the middle has a café, and you reach it by boat. An old Shiva temple, Bhimeshwar, stands by the dam at one end.
In the 1-day plan
A deep, quiet lake whose name means the lake with nine corners. It is past Bhimtal, at the end of the road. People come for boating, kayaking and, in good weather, paragliding off the hill above.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A hilltop temple to Golu Devta, a local god of justice, near Bhowali. Thousands of brass bells hang along the paths, left by people whose wishes came true. Many also tie written requests to the railings.
Day 3 of the 3-day plan
An old Shiva temple on a hilltop at about 2,300 m, reached by stone steps. Just past it is Chauli ki Jali, a rock cliff with holes worn through it and a long drop to the valley below. From here the snow peaks look close on a clear day.
Day 3 of the 3-day planTwo days covers the town and the lakes: one day for Naina Devi, Snow View, Land's End, Tiffin Top and a boat ride, one for Kainchi Dham, Sattal, Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal. Add a third day for Mukteshwar.
On busy weekends and in May and June, the police stop outside tourist vehicles at parking lots on the edge of town, such as Narayan Nagar and the Roosi bypass, and run shuttles in. Vehicles with a confirmed hotel booking are usually let through. Carry your booking, and ask your operator before you travel.
On clear days from about October to February, mostly in the morning. In the monsoon, from July to September, clouds usually hide them. Snow View, Tiffin Top and Mukteshwar have the best views.
Hanuman Garhi is a temple about 3 km below Tallital on the road to Haldwani, known for its sunset view. Listings disagree on whether it shuts in the middle of the day, so go in the late afternoon. It fits on the way into or out of Nainital.
Yes, with a request. Day visits run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons, and night-sky visits run just after sunset. Ask for a slot through the ARIES website before you go; cloud cancels the night visit.
On foot or by pony. It is the highest point above the town, about 6 km there and back from the road, and takes half a day. Go on a clear morning for the snow peaks.
The yearly fair on 15 June brings huge crowds. In 2026 private cars could not drive to the ashram from 13 to 16 June; they parked at Bhimtal or in Nainital and shuttles ran from there. Visit on another day if you can.
