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Town in Uttarakhand, India · North India

Nainital

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

Nainital
Nainital · Photographer Praveen Singh Bisht (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The place

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.

What is there

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.

  1. 01
    Nainital 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
  2. 02
    Kumaun 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
  3. 03
    Raj 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
  4. 04
    Aryabhatta 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
  5. 05
    Jama 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
  6. 06
    Pt. 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.

See

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.

  1. 01
    Gurney House

    It has been converted into a museum and houses Corbett memorabilia.

  2. 02
    Naina 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.

  3. 03
    Naina Lake

    Naini Lake is set amidst seven mountains that surround this stagnant water pool and high peaks that almost touch the sky.

  4. 04
    Naina Devi Temple

    The temple was destroyed during the Landslip of 1880, and was rebuilt.

  5. 05
    Sariyatal 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.

Do

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.

Eat

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.

  1. 01
    Janardan Resort Pangot

From Wikivoyage: Nainital, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Go there

Getting to Nainital

Airports
Noida (DXN), 224 km · Indira Gandhi (DEL), 248 km · Shaheed Bhagat Singh (IXC), 294 km
  • Gautam Buddha Nagar → Nainital
    213 km · quickest by road, 5h 39m · ₹1,790–2,230
  • New Delhi → Nainital
    234 km · quickest by road, 5h 35m · ₹1,790–2,230
  • Chandigarh → Nainital
    296 km · quickest by road, 8h 32m · ₹2,930–3,660
  • From anywhere
    The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
    Plan a trip

Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

Not yet researched

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.

What Wikivoyage says about moving around
  • 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.

The nearest places where the work is done
  1. 01
    MunsiyariIN

    8 ways of moving, 25 sources

    107 km
  2. 02
    ChitkulIN

    7 ways of moving, 20 sources

    239 km
  3. 03
    Tirthan ValleyIN

    8 ways of moving, 29 sources

    316 km
  4. 04
    KazaIN

    7 ways of moving, 18 sources

    342 km
  5. 05
    GhandrukNP

    8 ways of moving, 32 sources

    439 km

If you know how people move in Nainital – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.

Around it

Next door to Nainital