Nainital Day trips

Day trips from Nainital

Everyone stops at the lake. Amateurs.

Gaurav Joshi
Your Nainital Insider
Gaurav Joshi
Updated July 29, 2026
The short version

Nainital makes a better base than most people use it as. Within an hour or two you can trade the town crowds for a string of quieter lakes, a hilltop temple or two, and hill roads that go on far longer than your holiday will. Most trips are an easy half-day by taxi or scooter, so you're back by the water for dinner. The mistake is trying to do all of them, pick one or two, and actually enjoy the drive.

Where to go

Day trips from Nainital

From half a day to a full one. All best by car.

    Our picks

    The best day trips from Nainital

    Honest notes on each one.

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        Honest notes

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          Good to know

          Day trips from Nainital, answered

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            Gaurav Joshi
            Your Nainital Insider

            Gaurav Joshi

            Gaurav knows Nainital from moving through it every day - he runs deliveries across town, up every slope and down every lane most visitors never find. So he'll tell you the useful things: which "lake-view" room actually faces a wall, what's overrated, and what the booking sites leave out. Every stay guide here crosses his desk before it goes live - if it carries his name, a local has vouched for it.

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