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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 (43 mi) and roughly 2 h by road; few scheduled flights — check before you book.About 43 mi (70 km) and roughly 2 h by road; few scheduled flights — check before you book.
- DEL · Delhi Indira Gandhi International
- About 280 km (174 mi); the usual arrival point, then train or road.About 174 mi (280 km); 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
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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 km (11 mi)Taxi or shared jeep on the Almora road, about 11 mi (18 km) | About 1 h each way |
| Sattal | Taxi via Bhowali, about 22 km (14 mi)Taxi via Bhowali, about 14 mi (22 km) | About 1 h each way |
| Almora | Taxi or bus via Bhowali and Kainchi, about 65 km (40 mi)Taxi or bus via Bhowali and Kainchi, about 40 mi (65 km) | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Ranikhet | Taxi or bus via Bhowali, about 60 km (37 mi)Taxi or bus via Bhowali, about 37 mi (60 km) | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Kausani | Taxi or bus via Bhowali and Almora, about 115 km (71 mi)Taxi or bus via Bhowali and Almora, about 71 mi (115 km) | 4–5 h each way |
| Pithoragarh | Taxi or bus via Almora, about 190 km (118 mi)Taxi or bus via Almora, about 118 mi (190 km) | 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.