Bangalore

Bangalore's weather is mild for India. The city sits at 900 metres on the Deccan Plateau, which keeps it cooler than most of the country year-round. You can come any month and have a reasonable trip. But each season feels different. **Winter (November to February)** If you're only going to come once, come now. Days run 20 to 28°C and nights drop to 12 to 15°C. Locals pull out sweaters and complain it's cold. You'll probably find it ideal. Mornings are crisp and clear, which is the right time to walk through Lalbagh or Cubbon Park. Cafes, breweries, and outdoor dining all work well. Evenings are cool enough that you'll want a light layer. December is when the Literature Festival usually runs. New Year's Eve is a serious event here, so book restaurants and bars well in advance. Theatre season is in full swing through these months. Trade-offs: tourist numbers go up, hotel prices creep up slightly. Morning fog occasionally delays flights. If you're used to tropical heat, bring a light jacket for the evenings. **Summer (March to May)** Bangalore caps out around 32 to 35°C while the rest of the country boils. Compared to Delhi or Chennai it feels mild. Evenings still cool down properly. This is a good window if you want fewer tourists. Schools are still in session until mid-April so families aren't travelling. Hotels stay reasonably priced. People escaping north India often end up here because anything below 35 feels like a holiday. Mango season starts. Karnataka's varieties fill the markets, Alphonso, Banganapalle, Totapuri. Sugarcane juice carts appear everywhere. Cafes shift from hot filter coffee to cold variants. The one real issue is water. Bangalore pumps its supply from far away and summer puts pressure on the system. Some neighbourhoods get rationed. As a visitor you'll mostly notice it through a polite notice in your hotel bathroom. Late-afternoon thunderstorms start showing up by April. They're short, dramatic, and they wreck the traffic for an hour or two before clearing. **Monsoon (June to October)** The city is at its greenest in monsoon. The rains start in early June and run through September, with October getting trailing showers. Unlike Mumbai's flooding, Bangalore's rain is steady but moderate. It usually hits in late afternoon and evening, not all day. Temperatures sit in the 22 to 28°C range. The rain washes summer dust off everything. Parks and gardens explode with new growth. Lalbagh turns lush. The hills surrounding the city look like a different state. Monsoon in Bangalore has a particular feeling to it. The smell of rain on hot earth. Roadside vendors making fresh pakoras and chai. Cafes set up window seats for rain-watching. Breweries fill up with people who'd rather drink indoors. Downsides are real. Heavy showers cause bad traffic. Some areas flood. Potholes appear overnight. Outdoor plans need a backup, your sunrise trip to Nandi Hills might get rained out. For photographers it's the best season. Nandi Hills wears a layer of mist. The waterfalls near Coorg are running properly. The Western Ghats look spectacular if you can spare a few days. **Festivals** Whenever you visit, timing it to a festival helps. Ugadi (Kannada New Year) falls in March or April. Ganesh Chaturthi in August or September brings big processions, especially in Basavanagudi. Dasara in October is best experienced in Mysore. Diwali in October or November lights up the whole city. Christmas in December is quieter but the older Christian neighbourhoods decorate beautifully. **Which Season to Pick** Bangalore doesn't really have a bad season. Pick based on what else matters, festivals, work calendar, hotel deals, who can come with you. A quick breakdown: - **First visit, want everything optimal**: November to February. Best weather, most events. - **Tight budget**: March to May. Slightly cheaper, weather still fine by Indian standards. - **Nature and photography**: June to September. Everything green, waterfalls running. - **Festival-driven trip**: Dasara in October, Lit Fest in December, Ugadi in March or April. - **Outdoor activities**: October to March. Best window for trekking and exploring nearby hills. - **Escaping bad weather elsewhere**: any month. If you're fleeing Delhi summer or Mumbai monsoon, Bangalore feels like a different country. This kind of flexibility is rare in India. Goa is really only good November to February. Hill stations close during monsoon. Bangalore works any time. Plan around what you want to do, not the weather.