Weekend getaways from Delhi: start with hours on the road
In short: Good weekend getaways from Delhi are Vrindavan, Agra, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett and Jaipur, all about 160 to 290 km out. Nainital is a long drive and Manali is overnight, so those need a longer break.
Most “top 20” lists give you twenty names and no sense of what the road costs you. You pick a pretty hill town, then lose half of Saturday in a car. That’s the list’s fault, not yours.
If you want the hotel, transfers and sightseeing sorted in one place, VeeTrips lists a Delhi-departure package with the inclusions spelled out, and the about page shows who you’d be talking to in Dwarka. Choose the place first, though. That’s what the rest of this is for.
The nearest ones: Vrindavan, Agra, Rishikesh, Corbett, Jaipur
Business Today’s list of places you can reach on a Friday night and be back by Monday gives distances for four of its six. Together with Wikivoyage’s figure for Rishikesh, here’s how they line up.
Distance from Delhi, and what a weekend there is for
| Place | From Delhi | What two days is good for |
|---|---|---|
| Vrindavan | 160 km | Krishna temples, devotional music |
| Agra | 212 km | Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Mehtab Bagh |
| Rishikesh | about 230 km | Ganga aarti, yoga, rafting |
| Jim Corbett | 240 km | Jungle safari, nature walks |
| Jaipur | 290 km | Amber Fort, City Palace, markets |
Source: Business Today, Wikivoyage on Rishikesh
Business Today calls Agra “one of the easiest and most rewarding day trips or overnights from Delhi”, and I’d agree. It’s the one to pick if nobody in your group wants to be in a car for long.
What the road really takes
Distance isn’t time. Here’s what I could confirm.
Jaipur by car is less than 4 hours on the highway, and a Volvo bus takes about 6. Rishikesh by bus takes 5 to 7 hours depending on traffic. I couldn’t find a dependable Delhi drive time for Corbett, so ask whoever you book with, and don’t trust a number I can’t show you.
Jaipur is the surprise. It’s the furthest on the list and still the quickest to reach by car. Distance on its own misleads.
Vrindavan: temples and the shortest drive
Vrindavan is the closest of the lot at 160 km, and it’s a temple town first. Wikivoyage calls Bihariji the best-known temple. Prem Mandir, built in 2012, is known for its light shows, which close at 7:30 PM in winter and 8 PM in summer. The ISKCON Krishna Balaram Mandir holds its sandhya aarti at 7 PM in summer and 6:30 PM in winter. Timings change, so check them before you set off.
A few practical things from the same page. Entry to the temples is free, but keep some coins for the people who mind your shoes. Many temples don’t allow photography inside, so ask first. Monkeys steal cameras, glasses and food. The nearest railway station is Mathura, about 12 km away. If you go in the ten days after Holi, expect the Brahmotsava festival, the town’s largest, which can draw up to 100,000 visitors.
Agra: the Taj and the fort in two days
Agra is 212 km out, and two days is enough for the sights most people come for. Wikivoyage calls the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort the top two sights by far. Mehtab Bagh, across the Yamuna, is where you can look back at the Taj from the other bank. I couldn’t find which day the Taj is closed on a page I could check, so look at the official site before you pick your date.
You have choices on getting there. Wikivoyage says close to 20 trains run daily, taking about 2 to 5 hours. The Shatabdi leaves New Delhi at 6:15 AM and reaches Agra Cantt at 8:12 AM, daily except Friday. By road, the Yamuna Expressway from Greater Noida is typically 3.5 hours and has a toll. In the fog season, late December and early January, trains may run late.
Jaipur: forts, palaces and bazaars
Jaipur has more to see than a weekend can hold, so pick a few. Amber Fort is about 11 km north of the centre and, per Wikivoyage, open 8 AM to 6 PM. The City Palace sits in the old city, near Hawa Mahal. Hawa Mahal’s front is best seen from the street, which is free. Jantar Mantar, the UNESCO-listed observatory, is close to the City Palace. Wikivoyage warns that its listed hours and prices may be out of date, so check before you go.
Leave the Pink City’s bazaars for shopping hours, when the streets are busy, and try Bapu Bazaar for souvenirs. On getting there: the Shatabdi leaves New Delhi at 06:05 and arrives at 10:30 AM, and buses leave from Bikaner House on Pandara Road. Avoid May and June, which Wikivoyage says are scorching, and the monsoon months, June to September, when heavy rain is common.
Rishikesh, if the plan is the river and the evening
Rishikesh works well for a weekend because the best bits are close together. You can sit at the Triveni Ghat aarti one evening and go rafting the next morning. Wikivoyage says September to November and March to May are ideal for rafting. It also warns that July’s Savan festival brings thousands of people, so avoid that month if you want quiet.
Corbett: check the season before you book
Corbett is the one where dates can ruin the trip. Wikivoyage says the main zones, Dhikala and Bijrani, are closed from 16 June to 14 November for the monsoon, and the buffer zones stay open all year. The same page also says the park opens to visitors from mid-September, which doesn’t match. So I can’t tell you which zones are open this week. Ask the forest department or your booking person for your exact dates.
When a weekend is too short
Nainital is a 7 to 8 hour drive from Delhi. Do that both ways and you’ve spent most of a day in each direction. It’s lovely, but I’d save it for a long weekend.
Manali is worse: about 570 km each way, usually overnight. If a 2 nights 3 days package is all you have, one of those nights is on the bus. We’ve written what a Manali package leaves out if you’re set on it. Goa needs flights, so it’s a separate question; see what to check in a Goa package.
Nainital: the lake and the ropeway
If you do give it a long weekend, the lake is the point. Naini Lake sits among seven mountains, and Wikivoyage says boating is a must: row boats were listed at ₹160 for a half round and ₹210 for a full one. The Naina Devi Temple is on the northern shore. The ropeway to Snow View, at 2,270 m, was listed at ₹300 for adults round trip. Prices change, so treat these as a guide.
Getting there: buses leave from ISBT Anand Vihar, and trains run to Kathgodam, about 35 km short of Nainital, where you take a taxi or bus. Wikivoyage also notes that most petrol pumps close around 7 PM, so fill up before the hills. Summer evenings can close the Mall Road to visitors from 6 to 9 PM, so plan your walk around that.
Manali: cedar forest and snow
Wikivoyage puts Manali at about 570 km from Delhi, and about 14 hours by bus. Volvo buses leave Delhi around 5 PM and arrive the next morning, and they need advance booking. The Hadimba Temple, a cave temple in a cedar forest, is the sight most people start with. Old Manali is known for its orchards and old guesthouses. Solang Valley has a 300 m ski lift.
Rohtang Pass, at 3,979 m, is on the Manali to Keylong road. That road is closed on Tuesdays from 9 AM to 6 PM for road work, and it shuts in winter. Snowfall often comes from late November to early February. That is why I’d give Manali three nights, not a weekend.
Matching the place to who’s going
Parents or small children: Agra or Jaipur, where you can keep the driving short. Friends who want something to do: Rishikesh. Anyone who wants a tiger more than a hotel pool: Corbett, with dates checked first. A quiet couple’s trip: Vrindavan is the nearest, but it’s a temple town, so go if that’s what you want.
Weather changes all of this. I won’t promise you a dry road or a clear river in any month. Nobody can.
How VeeTrips can help
We’re a single-owner Travel agency in Dwarka, Delhi, so a Friday-evening departure from this side of the city is our everyday job. If you’re torn between two places on this list, tell us your dates and who’s travelling, and we’ll say plainly which one suits them. No vague answers.
Once you’ve chosen, we can put the hotel, transfers and sightseeing together with the inclusions written down, so you know what’s covered before you pay. If you’d rather drive than take a bus, our in-house cab unit, Leisure Drives, does private cabs. For the longer trips, Manali especially, we can help you plan the nights so one isn’t lost on the road. You can reach us on +91 7710014001 or find the office through the about page.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the nearest weekend getaway from Delhi?
Of the places in this post, Vrindavan, at 160 km. Agra is next at 212 km.
Can I do Jaipur in a weekend?
Yes. It’s 290 km, and by car it’s less than 4 hours on the highway, according to Wikivoyage. That leaves most of Saturday and Sunday free.
Is Manali a good weekend trip from Delhi?
Not really. It’s about 570 km each way and usually an overnight journey, so a weekend is mostly travel. Give it three nights.
When should I go to Rishikesh for rafting?
Wikivoyage says September to November and March to May are ideal. Check conditions close to your dates.
