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Voykit pocket guide · India
Nainital
नैनीताल
Give Nainital 2 nights: one for the lake and Mall Road, one for Snow View or a Pangot birding morning. Skip it in the July–August monsoon.
Nainital is a Kumaon hill town built around a single lake, split into Tallital at the south end and Mallital at the north. The Mall runs along the water and is the whole town for most visitors: boats, food, shops and the temple. Two nights covers the lake, the ridge viewpoints and one side trip; three if you want Pangot or Kainchi Dham without rushing. It is a summer and autumn town — monsoon brings landslides, and winter is cold with occasional snow.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- नैनीताल
- Best months
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (monsoon landslides), late Dec–Jan (ice and snow on the Mall)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- INR
- Money
- Indian rupees (INR, ₹) in small notes for autos, street food, tips and entry tickets.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₹1,500–3,000 excl. bed · Mid ₹3,000–6,000 excl. bed · High ₹6,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Jio, Airtel and Vi sell tourist SIMs at airport counters and their shops; passport, visa and a photo needed; activation can take a few hours.
- Emergency
- All services 112 · Tourist helpline (Uttarakhand) 1363
- Plugs
- Types C, D, M · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin C plugs fit most sockets; D (three round pins) is the common wall socket; hotels often have universal sockets. UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food and dhabas: Nothing.; Restaurant: 5–10% if no service charge is on the bill.; Car and driver: ₹300–500 a day at the end of the trip.; Guide: ₹300–500 for a half day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₹50–100.; Auto or Uber: Round up.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Buy sealed bottles (check the cap), or use RO-filtered refill stations in hotels and cafés; avoid ice from street stalls.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and airports; squat toilets with a water jug or hose in stations and villages. Carry tissue and sanitiser; paid public toilets (Sulabh) cost ₹5–10.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Cup of chai on the Mall | ₹15–40 |
| Thali or Punjabi main, mid-range restaurant | ₹250–500 |
| Cycle rickshaw, one end of the Mall to the other | ₹20 |
| Nainital Zoo entry | ₹30 adult, ₹10 child, ₹25 camera |
| Horse ride to Tiffin Top | ₹300–1,000 |
| Taxi Nainital → Pangot, one way | ₹700–1,000 |
| Kumaoni woollen shawl or cardigan | ₹500–2,500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PGH · Pantnagar
- About 70 km and roughly 2 h by road; few scheduled flights — check before you book.About 43 mi and roughly 2 h by road; few scheduled flights — check before you book.
- DEL · Delhi Indira Gandhi International
- About 280 km; the usual arrival point, then train or road.About 174 mi; the usual arrival point, then train or road.
Typical fares
- Kathgodam → Nainital, shared taxi
- about ₹150–200 per person, 1–1.5 h
- Kathgodam → Nainital, private taxi
- ₹750–1,000 per car
- Kathgodam → Nainital, bus
- about ₹60 per person from the stand 100 m from the station
- Delhi → Nainital, taxi
- ₹1,500–2,200 per car, 7–8 h
Get around
On foot. The Mall is paved and flat between Tallital and Mallital, and in peak summer the road closes to vehicles for a few evening hours. Cycle rickshaws run between the two Mall ticket booths at a fixed rate. Taxis and shared jeeps cover Pangot, Sattal and Kainchi Dham; there is no local bus worth using inside town.
See and do
Known for
- Naini Lake and its boats
- Naina Devi Temple
- Snow View and the ropeway
- Jim Corbett's Gurney House
- Kumaoni woollens and jams
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kainchi Dham (Neem Karoli Baba ashram) | Taxi or shared jeep on the Almora road, about 18 kmTaxi or shared jeep on the Almora road, about 11 mi | About 1 h each way |
| Sattal | Taxi via Bhowali, about 22 kmTaxi via Bhowali, about 14 mi | About 1 h each way |
| Almora | Taxi or bus via Bhowali and Kainchi, about 65 kmTaxi or bus via Bhowali and Kainchi, about 40 mi | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Ranikhet | Taxi or bus via Bhowali, about 60 kmTaxi or bus via Bhowali, about 37 mi | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Kausani | Taxi or bus via Bhowali and Almora, about 115 kmTaxi or bus via Bhowali and Almora, about 71 mi | 4–5 h each way |
| Pithoragarh | Taxi or bus via Almora, about 190 kmTaxi or bus via Almora, about 118 mi | 7–8 h each way |
Sleep
- Mallital (north end)
- Upper Mall, the ropeway base and most mid-range hotels; walk to the boats in 5–10 min.
- Tallital (south end)
- Bus stand and taxi rank, cheaper guesthouses; the flat Mall walk starts here.
- Ayarpatta and Sherwood
- Hillside above the lake, quieter, 15–25 min uphill walk to the Mall.
- Pangot (14 km)
- Forest village for birding and camp stays; own transport or a booked taxi needed.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | कितना है?kitna hai |
| Thank you | धन्यवादdhanyavaad |
| Please stop here | यहाँ रोकिएyahaan rokiye |
| Where is the toilet? | शौचालय कहाँ है?shauchalay kahaan hai |
| I don't want it | मुझे नहीं चाहिएmujhe nahin chaahiye |
| Is it vegetarian? | यह शाकाहारी है?yah shaakaahaari hai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Namaste (palms together) or a handshake between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging or kissing strangers
- Hands and feet: Give and eat with the right hand; apologise if your foot touches someone; avoid: Pointing feet at people or shrines; touching books or food with your feet
- Temples: Shoes off, walk clockwise around shrines, accept prasad (blessed food) with the right hand; avoid: Leather in Jain temples; entering sanctums that say Hindus only
- Home visit: Bring sweets or fruit; accept tea at least once; avoid: Refusing all food; wearing shoes inside
- Questions: Expect personal questions (married? job? salary?) as friendliness; avoid: Taking offence; answer vaguely if you prefer
- Saying no: A firm, polite 'nahi, dhanyavaad' (no, thank you) and keep walking; avoid: Long explanations to touts
- Dress: Loose clothes covering shoulders and knees; kurta tops are cheap and cool; avoid: Swimwear or shorts away from Goa beaches
Scams and watch-outs
- Monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides and road closures on the Kathgodam and Delhi approach — check conditions before travelling.
- The Mall is closed to vehicles for a few evening hours in peak summer; plan bags and arrivals around it.
- Hillside guesthouses mean steep steps with luggage: confirm access before booking.
- Horse rides and pony men at Tiffin Top quote loosely — agree the fare and the return before you mount.
- Altitude is only about 2,000 m, but the sun is strong and the air dry: water and a hat matter.
Nainital is a safe, walkable hill town; the real risks are monsoon landslides and road washouts on the approach, steep steps with luggage, and loosely quoted pony and taxi fares — agree the price first.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Nainital yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Naini Lake and its boats
- Naina Devi Temple
- Snow View and the ropeway
- Jim Corbett's Gurney House
- Kumaoni woollens and jams
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Uttarakhand Tourism: uttarakhandtourism.gov.in/
- Indian Railways (IRCTC): www.irctc.co.in/
- Wikivoyage: Nainital, revision 5334386 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5334386
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Nainitalनैनीताल
इस पते पर ले चलिए
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Nainital; the US, UK and most others are in New Delhi. Consulates for some countries are in Kolkata and Mumbai.
Carry small rupee notes: hill taxis, pony men and dhabas rarely have change for ₹500.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/nainital). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.