Nainital
Nainital, formerly anglicized as Naini Tal, is a town and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India.

Nainital, formerly anglicized as Naini Tal, is a town and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters of an eponymous district. It also houses the Governor of Uttarakhand, who resides in the Raj Bhavan. Nainital was the summer capital of the United Provinces.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Nainital
6 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Nainital Lake
Naini Tal, also known as Naini Lake, is a natural freshwater body, situated amidst the town of Nainital in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India. It is tectonic in origin and was almost circular, until frequent landslides made it crescent shaped and has an outfall at the southeastern end.
600 m · lake in the city of nainital · Wikipedia - 02Kumaun University
Kumaun University is a public state university headquartered in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. Established in 1973 under the Uttar Pradesh State Universities Act, it was founded to decentralize higher education and cater to the mountainous Kumaon region of the state.
800 m · state public university in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India · Wikipedia - 03Raj Bhawan, Governor House, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
The Lok Bhavan or Governor's House of Uttarakhand is located in Nainital. It is the summer retreat of the governor of Uttarakhand.
2 km · Government Building in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India · Wikipedia - 04Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences is a research institute in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India which specializes in astronomy, solar physics, astrophysics and atmospheric science. It is an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
3.4 km · aryabhatta research institute of observational sciences is an government institute for research and development in the field of space science · Wikipedia - 05Jama Masjid, Nainital
The Jama Masjid Nainital is a Friday mosque, located in Nainital, in the Kumaon division of the state of Uttarakhand, India. The mosque was built in 1882 for Muslim soldiers in the British Indian Army.
100 m · Mosque in Nainital, India · Wikipedia - 06Pt. G.B. Pant High Altitude Zoo, Nainital
Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant High Altitude Zoo is a high altitude zoo situated in Nainital, Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India.
1.9 km · zoo in India · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha, One and only Gurdwara Sahib situated at the heart of Nainital. Guano Hills, Pangot. These hills in the Pangot village are excellent for walks through forests of thick oak, bamboo and deodar. Some rare birds such as the grey woodpecker and black-chinned babbler are found in the forests.
- 01Gurney House
It has been converted into a museum and houses Corbett memorabilia.
- 02Naina Devi Temple
One story tells us that this temple was constructed in the 15th century during the Kushan reign but another version states that it was built by Moti Ram Shah.
- 03Naina Lake
Naini Lake is set amidst seven mountains that surround this stagnant water pool and high peaks that almost touch the sky.
- 04Naina Devi Temple
The temple was destroyed during the Landslip of 1880, and was rebuilt.
- 05Sariyatal Lake
The water can be extremely cold, but this is a nice area to spend some time.
From Wikivoyage: Nainital, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Boating in Naini Lake is a must. Paddle boats can be hired by the hour. You can also hire a yacht from the Nainital Boat Club. Boating charges: ₹160 for half round for row boat ₹210 for full round for row boat ₹210 per hour for paddle boat, comes with a boatman, you can also have a self-paddle boat. Cave Garden, Sukhatal, Mallita, +91 97607 94088. 9:30AM to 5:30PM.
From Wikivoyage: Nainital, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Nainital, being close to Delhi, becomes the natural holiday destination for a lot of the capital's folks in the sweltering summer months. The eateries in Nainital reflect that with Punjabi staples being standard fare - most of the better eateries are in the Mall. Embassy, The Mall. Kumaon, Manu Maharani, Grasmere Estate, Mallital,. Machan, The Mall,. Purohit, The Mall (just beside the Embassy). Shiva, Barra Bazaar.
- 01Janardan Resort Pangot
From Wikivoyage: Nainital, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Nainital
- Airports
- Noida (DXN), 224 km · Indira Gandhi (DEL), 248 km · Shaheed Bhagat Singh (IXC), 294 km
- Gautam Buddha Nagar → Nainital213 km · quickest by road, 5h 39m · ₹1,790–2,230
- New Delhi → Nainital234 km · quickest by road, 5h 35m · ₹1,790–2,230
- Chandigarh → Nainital296 km · quickest by road, 8h 32m · ₹2,930–3,660
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Nainital
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Nainital. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Go nextTourists also opt to trek to Bhalugaad waterfall, it's a 30min trek through the jungle and the famous waterfall with a big pond is the reward for same.
From Wikivoyage: Nainital, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-08.
- 01107 km
- 02239 km
- 03316 km
- 04342 km
- 05439 km
If you know how people move in Nainital – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Nainital
- Nainital districtdistrict of Uttarakhand, India1.4 km
- Barechhinavillage in Uttarakhand, India1.9 km
- Nainital Cantonmenthuman settlement in Nainital district, Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India2 km
- Ghorakhalhuman settlement in India1.7 km
- Pangotvillage in Nainital district, Uttarakhand, India4.4 km