Best Time to Visit Hyderabad

November to February: the easy months

If you want comfortable sightseeing, come between November and February. November and December score best on our comfort rating. January is Excellent too, and February is Good, though afternoons start to warm up.

Days are warm and dry, and evenings are cool enough for a light jacket. That suits the things Hyderabad does best: walking around Charminar, wandering the Laad Bazaar bangle shops, and spending a long afternoon at Golconda Fort. The fort's stone steps are much kinder in these months. This is also the busiest time, so expect more people at Ramoji Film City and the Salar Jung Museum, especially around Christmas and New Year.

Sankranti in mid-January is the big local festival. Kites fill the sky, and the International Kite Festival has been held in the city. Look for sweet sesame treats too.

March to May: hot and dry

It gets properly hot from March. By May, highs reach 40°C and nights barely cool down. April and May both rate Poor.

Be honest with yourself about heat. Plan indoor stops for the middle of the day, like the Chowmahalla Palace halls or a long lunch of Hyderabadi biryani. Then go out again at dusk, when Hussain Sagar lake and the Necklace Road promenade feel pleasant.

Ramzan (Ramadan) can fall in these months in some years, depending on the moon calendar. If it does, the Old City comes alive at night. Food stalls around Charminar serve haleem, a slow-cooked meat and wheat stew, after sunset. Check the dates for your year. Prices for rooms are often lower now, and you'll find fewer visitors.

June to September: the rains

The monsoon runs from June to September, and July is the wettest month, with rain on 21 days. August also sees rain on 21 days, though a little less falls. Sunshine is scarce, and humidity climbs past 80% by August.

It's not a washout every hour. Showers often come in bursts, and the city turns green. Still, traffic around Hitech City and the old bridges can jam badly when roads flood. This is a good time for museums, cafés and cheap stays, but a poor one for fort climbs and open-air sightseeing.

October: the in-between month

October is Good, not Excellent. Rain tapers off to 10 days, but it's still muggy. If you're coming for Dussehra or Bathukamma, Telangana's flower festival, you'll catch the city at its most colourful. Bring an umbrella and don't plan too tightly.