The best time to visit India is generally from November to February, before monsoon season brings heavy rain and the temperature can get uncomfortably warm from March onwards. However, this is also when it's busiest, so be prepared to wait in line for key sights.

Between November and February is the best time to visit Delhi during its mild and sunny winter, ensuring you miss the summer heat from March onwards and humid monsoon season between July and September.

Festival season is the best time to visit Kathmandu, from late September to November. Dashain is Nepal's most significant and longest Hindu festival in October, while Tihar (known as Diwali in India) takes place in November, with light displays and rangoli decorations outside homes and businesses across Kathmandu.

Winter is the best time to visit Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan. Comparitively mild temperatures averaging around 24°C (75°F) make sightseeing much more pleasant, avoiding the humidity and heat of the summer.

To avoid the torrential rains of monsoon season and the high river levels it brings to the Ganges, the best time to visit Varanasi is between October and March. The winter months are balmy and breezy, avoiding the humidity the follows later in the year.