I will soon be in SE Asia, and will have one week available at my disposal in mid- or late-May. Which one or two cities of India would have suitable weather at that time i.e. no rainstorms, no monsoons? I don't mind the heat, and I don't mind the humidity, but I do mind the rainy season.

I have never been to India, and have an interest in viewing historical monuments and buildings, Hindu temples, architecture, art.

Thank you very much for suggestions you might offer.

The country begins to scorch almost all over except in the mountains durning May. It won't start to rain till July. The north, in and around New Delhi might be a good option considering easier access to an excursion into the Himalayan towns of Simla, Kasauli, Kullu, Manali. Delhi itself and surrounding states of Rajasthan, U.P. and Uttaranchal in their towns of Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi all provide fascinating experiences for tourists seeking the Indian experience.

Thank you very much, knit-in! Your suggestions are just what I need. The Delhi area seems to be in the middle of a very interesting part of India. Once again, thanks.

I will caution you not to try to cram too much into that one week. I had about a 10-11 day trip to India a few years ago, and it was way too short. We tried to see large parts of the northern portion of the country. Although we did visit tons of interesting places, I regretted not having the time to slow down and just EXPLORE one or two cities.

The second portion of our trip started in Delhi and we spent one day there and in each of the following places:
Agra
Jaipur
Ajmer/Pushkar
Udaipur

and then we flew back to Bombay, where we had originally started.

Out of all those places, if I had a week to explore I would personally focus on Udaipur and Jaipur (with Udaipur first and Jaipur second). I found them to be the most interesting and beautiful. Pushkar was a small town but completely and utterly overrun with backpacking tourists, and because of that the most interesting things in the town (Hindu temples) are all closed to non-Hindus, so I couldn't see any of them. Ajmer was a dusty, dirty city with nothing in particular to recommend it. Agra, of course, was worth seeing if you've never been there - don't limit yourself to the Taj Mahal, make sure you get to the tombs, the Red Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri.

I think you could easily make a leisurely week starting in Delhi and driving to Agra, Jaipur, and one other city. While personally I loved Udaipur and would encourage you to visit it, the downside is, it's kind of a long drive. If you only have a week, from Jaipur, you might want to consider somewhere closer like Jodhpur or Bharatpur (neither of which I got to see, but both of which I'd like to see someday).

Also, when I did this trip, we had a car WITH DRIVER and I would strongly encourage you to do the same. Typically, a car rental in India comes with a local driver, and with good reason.

A very nice itinerary (and good suggestions) ^^ but such an itinerary should not be done from early-April to mid-June (or pre-Monsoon) unless you really love the heat and don't plan on really exploring. (Actually, the best time to do the above sort of trip would be between October and the end of March.)

Darn, that's right, I forgot he was going in May. You are absolutely correct on the climate issue - I did that trip in mid-November, and while it was bearable (I would estimate in the 80-85 F range most days) I still felt hot. I'm used to wearing shorts and a t-shirt here in the States when the mercury is that high - the long sleeves and long pants thing was a bit rough!

Given the need to escape the heat at that time of year, my vote would change to a place I've never been but really, really want to visit: Sikkim. It's way off the beaten path, requires a special visa, hard to get to, and probably expensive to boot, but I will find a way there someday!

Or for something more simple, yeah, stick to the earlier suggestion to fly to Delhi and head up into the hills... But Rajasthan is pure desert, and I can imagine you'd roast there in May.

The OP did say that the heat wasn't an issue, but rain was.

I have to say though, I was in Delhi in May last year-- my first experience of the Delhi summer in eight years-- and it wasn't all that bad. Granted that I am originally from there and was only there for a week, some might say even lucked out weather-wise, but prepared as I was to face the worst, I did not find the heat stifling.

Then again, when I lived there I really did love the Delhi summer. Mangoes and long, lazy summer vacations-- what could be better!

But Sikkim sounds like a great suggestion. Never been there but have heard some good things about the local rum they brew in the North-east (amongst other things of course).

I also hear that Kashmir (Srinagar mostly) is again becoming a destination of choice for foreign tourists. Can't say how bright an idea that might be, but could be worth researching.

Best,

May 2005 was an anomaly. It was much cooler than usual. I had to attend to a few functions in DEL last May and the weather was very pleasant, especially at night. It was even decent in the daytime in the first and second week of May. We wouldn't count on it being so nice in May, right?

Kashmir is becoming very popular again, with hotels and houseboats apparently selling out for the better part of the summer. For the first time in around a decade, regular scheduled non-stop service will exist from Bombay to Srinagar. (I do have safety concerns about it too, such that wandering around the old downtown area or going hiking is not advisable in most areas due to the odd incident here and there.) There may be tourist charter flights starting from Dubai to Srinagar in summer 2007 or 2008 ..... if the central government can get immigration/customs facilities (and arrangements needed thereunto) done reasonably quickly. Tourists from China and Israel are amongst the two biggest contingents of tourists in Kashmir; also seeing a lot of Germans and Brits and other Europeans again. Some European tourist brochures are even selling it as a destination for "extreme skiing" and the sort. In Kashmir the valley itself, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam have picked up considerably. In the Leh part of the state, things have picked up too, and I recommend checking out Leh too.

44 degrees celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in Delhi just a few days back. Now, I'm in temps half of that and still it's too warm for me.

I've been told its been a pretty nasty summer already. Record lows in Dec/Jan and such temperatures in May . The mid-40s are usually reserved for June.

December and January was very cold (record colds). And then even in mid-February it got hot in the daytime sun in DEL (c. 90 degrees F). The "good" weather season around DEL has seemed to me to be even more abbreviated this year than usual.

You've been a lot more in India so probably got to experience the weather in Dec./ Jan. yourself. I only heard stories of icicles on car windshields early in the morning-- unheard of in the past.

Arrived there on the 23rd of Feb, and yeah, everyone was already complaining of unusually hot temps. But it got really pleasant over the next three weeks or so. Sunny during the days, mild in the evenings, rained a day or two-- perfect vacation weather. Other than Nov., I thought Feb was the best month to be in DEL.

Go South. Temperatures are bearable, a fair bit to do. Coastal Kerala or Goa should be reasonable, and avoid the big cities if you can