Best Time to Visit Rajkot

November to February: the sweet spot

December and January are the best months here, and it's easy to see why. Days are warm but not heavy, around 28 to 29°C. Nights turn properly cool, so you'll want a light jacket after dark. Skies are dry and sunny. February and November are almost as good, just a touch warmer.

This is the season for walking Rajkot's old town around Sadar Bazaar and Lohana Para, and for visiting the Watson Museum in Jubilee Garden. It's also the best time for Gandhi's old school, now the Mahatma Gandhi Museum, and the Kaba Gandhi No Delo, his family home. Winter is the high season, so expect more visitors, especially around Christmas and New Year. Rajkot is never packed like Goa, though.

Mid-January brings Uttarayan, the kite festival, around 14 January. Rooftops fill with families, the sky is full of paper kites, and you'll eat undhiyu (a mixed winter vegetable dish) and chikki (a sesame or peanut brittle). If you can be here for it, do.

March to May: hot and dry

It heats up fast. March is already hot, and April and May reach 39 to 40°C, with May the hottest month. Nights stay warm, so there's little relief. The sun is out for twelve hours or more, and afternoons are best spent indoors.

Travelling with kids, or hate heat? Skip these months. If you must come, plan short mornings and evenings. This is low season for leisure travel, though it's a busy time for weddings and school-holiday family trips, so trains and hotels can still fill up.

June to September: the monsoon

Rain arrives in June, and July is the wettest month by far. Expect grey skies, only around three hours of sun a day, and humidity above 80% in July, August and September. Showers can be heavy, and roads can flood in low-lying parts of town.

It isn't all bad. The dry, dusty land turns green, and the nearby countryside looks its best. Crowds are thin, and hotels are quiet. Janmashtami, Krishna's birthday, falls in August or September, and local fairs pop up around then. Still, this is a poor season for sightseeing.

October: the shoulder month

The rain has nearly gone by October, but it's still warm, around 33°C, and a bit sticky. Navratri, nine nights of garba dancing, usually falls in October. Rajkot's open-air garba grounds are lively, and the evenings are the highlight. Diwali follows in late October or November, with lights, sweets and busy markets. Book trains early if you're coming for either festival.