Diwali, the Festival of Light, is a five-day Hindu festival that honors the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. It is one of the largest holidays of the year in almost every region of India and is celebrated with gifts, lanterns, candles, and delicious sweets.
In this article, we will give you the top 9 places in India to enjoy Diwali and let you know how the holiday is celebrated differently in each location.

1. Varanasi
Varanasi,one of India's most sacred pilgrimage sites, celebrates Diwali with a constant stream of firecrackers and fireworks going off all night on the main day of the festival. During the 5 days of celebrations, the entire city is aglow with clay lanterns, or diyas, lining the streets and the stairs near the Ganges River.

Another highlight of Diwali in Varanasi is the Ganga Aarti, a Hindu ritual that takes place on the Ganges every night. During the holiday, you can watch people lighting small diyas and then placing them on the river which itself is surrounded by lanterns. The diyas float throughout the full span of the river, which makes for a beautiful display of the victory of light over darkness.
15 days after the national Diwali, Varanasi has another similar holiday called Dev Deepavali which is celebrated with even more candles and lights. It is believed to be the day when the gods descend to Earth to bathe in the Ganges. During the celebrations, processions carrying statues deities are taken out into the streets and oil lamps are lit around the city.
2. Jaipur
Jaipur looks beautiful on Diwali when the streets, homes, and markets are lit up making the pink sandstone walls of the city shimmer in a display of colors. Jaipur's markets are a great place to be during the holidays as they come alive with Diwali shoppers and street food. The Johari Bazaar is a great place to go to enjoy the colorful lights and folk musicians.

The Nahargarh Fort is a great place to enjoy the celebrations due to its location on a hilltop overlooking the city below. The landmark offers the most amazing views of the Diwali decorations that illuminate the city and is also a great place to view the holiday fireworks.
Many heritage hotels in Jaipur arrange Diwali celebrations for their guests. Celebrations often include lighting the diyas and watching the holiday rituals take place.
3. Kolkata
While most of India worships the goddess Lakshmi on Diwali, Kali, the goddess of destruction, is worshipped during the main day of celebrations in Kolkata. The city's temples that are dedicated to Kali including Kalighat, Belur Math, and Dakshineswar attract a huge number of devotees at this festival.
Magnificently decorated idols of the fearsome Goddess Kali are also put on displays across the city for people to visit. When first seeing the goddess Kali many people think she is evil or bad, but in reality, she is worshiped for her ability to destroy the ego and illusions that go with it.

While the celebration of Kali is taking place in Kolkata, Diwali is still celebrated and the entire city comes alive with dazzling oil lamps, candles, string lights, and fireworks around every corner.
China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.


![]() ![]() |
Seeing Bangkok with ease
In Bangkok, our tour guide, Ying, was wonderful. She navigated all the sights with ease, gave us interesting tidbits on Thai culture and history, helped us pick the right food at all the restaurants, and was just a pleasure to be around. We had a great time, and it was so nice to not have to worry about any of the details. More
Diane Elkins,
Nov 2023
|
Thailand -insights, no stress and amazing team
My husband and my Thailand trip was fantastic, stress-free and educational thanks to the amazing team coordinated by Albee at Asia Highlights. The whole team was incredibly accessible, responsive, sensitive to our needs and lovely to work with. End-to-end, the trip was truly remarkable and the knowledgeable and dynamic tour guides and drivers made it especially memorable! More
AndrewsFamily,
Oct 2023
|
Informative & Thorough / Thanks Sharon!
Sharon the advisor that helped me was so thorough & informative and explained the details of the tour including questions about visas and what is included vs what is not included in the tour packages. I would recommend them to explain tour packages that would fit the schedule of your pending travels. More
Chris,
Sep 2023
|
Easy, fast responses
I worked directly with Monica in Asia Highlights. She was incredibly helpful and answered all of my questions quickly. Working with her made the whole process easy and we are so excited for our trip! More
Diana B,
Sep 2023
|
Stress free Thailand
Alisa has organised our 14 day Thailand holiday for 2024 for my family & I. She has been very accommodating & super quick with all of our requests & we cannot wait for a stress free holiday! Thank you Alisa! More
Alana Mitchell,
Sep 2023
|
Family Trip to Thailand-Cambodia
All of our guides were very nice and knowledgeable, but we have a special mention to our guide in Cambodia, Chan, he was very kind with us and it was very amusing. He went the extra mile for us. We really enjoyed our holidays! More
José Antonio Carrillo de la Pl,
Sep 2023
|
Asia Highlights and Sharon
Asia Highlights, specifically Sharon, has been wonderfully helpful as we get ready for a 2024 excursion to Thailand. We are beyond excited, and much of that has to do with the personalized attention that we have experienced with Sharon. She has been extremely responsive, obliging, and focused as she helped us design a tailor made itinerary. All of our questions have been addressed, our needs have been met, and the path has now been set for a very exciting trip.... thanks to Sharon. More
Marcy Hoenig,
Sep 2023
|
I was planning a trip to Thailand to…
I was planning a trip to Thailand to especially see the Lantern Festival this year for our birthdays!! It’s been on our bucket list, but we were completely lost on how to go about planning for our trip. We’ve never really booked tours before but Alisa was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, flexible and efficient in providing all the information we needed to make our decision on the best tours and tickets to purchase. Thank you so much!! More
https://www.trustpilot.com/reviews/64d9a5a4657e4b39f768a21e,
Aug 2023
|
I would definitely recommend Asia…
All of our guides were wonderful (Mr. Bank - Bangkok and Ms. Kai in Phuket & Khao Sok plus antoher guide who assisted in Koh Samui). Sharon took care of tours, private drivers, flights and hotels within Thailand and our trip went off without a hitch. The hotels were great and the transportation always arrived on time and with a clean, More
Guinevere Provance,
Aug 2023
|
Great Experience
WOW! I’ve traveled Asia some & I must say Sharon & Asia Highlights made this trip so much more enjoyable and easy More
Stephen Hollis,
Aug 2023
|
Alisa has has been great to work with
Alisa with Asia Highlights has has been great to work with. Very friendly and responsive. More
Ana Rausch,
Aug 2023
|
Using Sharon right now to book our…
Using Sharon right now to book our upcoming trip to Thailand. She has booked everything that we asked for. Has answered all of my inquiries, which has been many! Looking forward to having a great girls trip in Thailand More
Tracy,
Aug 2023
|
Thailand, Singapore, Bali
In Thailand, Tanny and Nori(Suparp), were both incredible! They were both fun, funny, and full of knowledge and made sure we got the full experience. They went the extra mile and always made sure we had cold bottled water and towels to cleanse our hands. In Singapore, Nicole was an absolute gem. She was so kind and knowledgeable and guided us in the right direction to make our day as enjoyable as possible. She helped us choose a top notch local lunch and coffee spot in China Town and taught us so much about the country! In Bali, Emon was an absolute joy. He was very knowledgeable and kind and absolutely made sure we were feeling comfortable and was willing to be flexible with us. He was fun to converse with and made our time traveling between destinations so enjoyable! I cannot recommend Asia Highlights enough! Accommodations, travel arrangements and guided tours were all a breeze. More
Cassi Thunker,
Jul 2023
|
Very supportive
Very supportive ! I have received eticket for Sky Lattern Festival very fast More
Chi?n Nguy?n Ng?c,
Jul 2023
|
My experience in Chang Mai with Asia Highlights
I greatly enjoyed my experience with Asia Highlights for a trip I booked to Thailand.All of my interests were catered too. My guide in Chang Mai Gemma was excellent.I truly felt the soul of Thailand culture and Buddhism. More
Richard,
Jul 2023
|
A pleasure to plan with
Well, this has been a painless and pleasurable process to find such a wonderful company. I had specific dates and places to be and Sharon worked with me diligently to refine the schedule and costs to suit my travel needs and budget. She informed me of a special tour on the dates I am to be in Thailand and I added that to my previous plans. More
Chris Williams,
Jul 2023
|
Large multi-generational holiday in Thailand
The holiday was wonderful. Our guides, Mr Monchai (Bangkok), and Ms Tipagorn (Tippy) (Chiang Mai) were exceptional. Travelling in a large multigenerational group with many children requires patience and our guides truly understood that. Mr Monchai and Ms Tippy shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. While everyday was busy, having them greet us with patience and a smile truly made this a memorable holiday. The hotels we stayed at were equally wonderful and went above and beyond to celebrate not only my parents 50th anniversary but also celebrate 2 milestone birthdays that occurred. We will cherish this holiday for many years to come. We hope to use Asia Highlights again. More
CL,
Jul 2023
|
I never used a travel agent in my life
I never used a travel agent in my life, but Sharon for Asia Highlights did a phenomenal job helping planning and coordination a family vacation. The best part of working with Sharon was that she maintained an open line of communication and provided answers to my question well within 12-24 hours. Additionally, Sharon was flexible and customized our vacation to my families needs. Overall great experience. More
Antione Barry,
Jul 2023
|
Great company to plan a trip to Southeast Asia!
Sharon Haung has been wonderful to work with! Very patient and accommodating. Responds immediately given time change and is prepared, prompt, and professional. More
Debi Hinerfeld,
Jul 2023
|
We took a 15 days trip (10 days Vietnam and 5 days Thailand …
It was an amazing experience the guides and drivers were there awaiting for us at each airoport for a transfer to the hotels also on time for all the tours all the guides were so lovely , very experienced and spoke very good English , one of the days on tour in Thailand I lost my phone in a temple in Bangkok mr chai went out of his way in a middle of thousands of visitors and managed to find an bring it back to me I found that amazing , also while on a trip I contacted Jason li out tour organizer few time via whatup and he replied and helped on the spot I recommend asiahilights 150% The quality of the service hotels the guides the drivers outstanding From start to finish ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT ???? More
SIMO el ghobar,
Jun 2023
|
4. Udaipur
Udaipur is a beautiful and royal city that looks even more exquisite during Diwali. During the holiday, the city is filled with palaces, markets, and temples that are illuminated by colorful string lights and decorations. The serene Lake Pichola is a great place to take in the view and the reflection of the city's bright lights, palaces, and fireworks.

If you are interested in the religious aspects of Diwali, you can head to one of the city's many beautiful temples to watch the pujas or rituals. During this festival, many Hindus will visit the Mahalaxmi Temple to pay their respects to Lakshmi and pray for luck and wealth in the new year.
Travelers can also visit the Udaipur Light Festival held at Shouryagarh Resort & Spa just outside of the city. The festival features performances from various singers and DJs across genres, art installations, food stalls, fun activities, and paper lanterns.
The city also holds a small lantern festival during Diwali where participants can release flying lanterns into the air and also listen to music from various artists.
- 12-Day Classic Rajasthan Tour: Explore the Land of Kings
- 9-Day India Highlights and Food Tour
- 9-Day Classic South India Tour
5. Amritsar
In Amritsar, Diwali coincides with the Sikh celebrations of Bandi Chhor Divas. This day marks the return from prison of the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib who was unjustly held for his beliefs along with many other political prisoners who he later helped free.
Bandi Chhor Divas is celebrated by decorating homes and Sikh temples with lights, having large feasts, gift-giving, and family time.

Amritsar is an important site in Sikhism because it is the location of the famous Golden Temple. Diwali is a beautiful time to visit the Golden Temple it shining while draped in lights and surrounded by countless oil lamps and candles. You can also watch the mesmerizing display of fireworks as they burst over the temple.
6. Goa
In Goa, the focus of Diwali is on the celebration of the destruction of the demon Narakasura by Lord Krishna. Competitions are held across the state to see who can make the biggest and scariest effigy of the demon which are then burned at dawn on Narakasura Chaturdashi, the day before the main day of Diwali.

Because Diwali is considered an auspicious time to spend money, gambling is has become an important aspect of Diwali celebrations in Goa. Travelers might want to try their luck at Goa"s top casinos such as Deltin Royale, Big Daddy Casino, and Casino Pride. Make sure to book in advance for the floating casinos, as they are very popular on Diwali.
Read more about Goa's weather during the celebrations.
- 12-Day Historical and Idyllic South India Tour
- 7-Day Off the Beaten Path South India Tour
- 10-Day North India Tour (Delhi to Shimla)
7. Mysore
The historic city of Mysore is also a great place to be during Diwali for those looking for South India's warmer weather. The city's main attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Mysore Palace, is beautifully lit up during the holiday and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

To reduce air and sound pollution, sky lanterns have started to replace traditional firecrackers in the city. People of all age groups can participate in the festival and be given lanterns of different shapes and sizes to be released into the sky on the night of Diwali.
8. Madurai
The Meenakshi Temple is one of the most famous places to see in the city during Diwali. This colorful temple is lit up with yellow lights and decorated with intricately drawn rangoli or Indian designs placed on the ground that are made with flower petals and colored rice.

Shopping is also a popular activity in the city during this festival. South Masi Street and Vengala Kadai Street are great market areas to go and buy colorful fabrics, traditional clothes, and handicrafts. During Diwali, the markets come alive as people come out to buy gifts and have fun.
- 7-Day Off the Beaten Path South India Tour
- 10-Day North India Tour (Delhi to Shimla)
- 11-Day Inida Highlights and Goa Honeymoon Trip
9. Delhi

One of the biggest reasons to head to Delhi for Diwali is to explore the special Diwali markets and fairs that take place all over the city. The Diwali Bazaar that takes place at Dilli Haat is the most famous holiday market where you can find handicrafts, jewelry, clothes, bags, floating candles, and diyas.
If you are interested in unique or unusual handicrafts, make sure to check out the annual Dastkar Festival of Lights Diwali Mela. For all your Diwali decorating needs, you can head to Matka Market in south Delhi where you will find an astonishing array of colorful clay diyas, lanterns, candles, and religious items.
Besides exploring markets, there are still plenty of things to do in Delhi during Diwali such as attending fairs, exploring illuminated streets, and trying some of the city's famous street food and sweets.
Get the details about Delhi weather and pack well.
What to Expect During Diwali in India
Diwali is a family-focused festival and most of the holiday activities and rituals take place in homes or temples. If you would like to get more involved in the religious side of the celebrations, it's a good idea to stay with an Indian family over the holidays. Many popular travel destinations such as Jaipur and Delhi offer great homestay options.

The celebration of Diwali involves a lot of fireworks and firecrackers which are sometimes set off late at night or during odd hours in the morning. This creates a very warm and happy atmosphere but can make it difficult to get a good night's sleep. To solve this problem, many travelers bring earplugs to wear at night.
Most Indians get a week-long holiday around the time of Diwali which makes it a popular time for domestic tourism. When traveling during the holiday you can expect all major monuments to be quite crowded and hotel and transportation prices to be high.
Celebrate Diwali in India with Asia Highlights
Asia Highlights welcomes the chance to help you design your perfect trip to celebrate Diwali in India. Check out the following links to learn more about our tours and get a head start on planning your hassle-free vacation today!
- 8-Day Royal Rajasthan on Wheels Tour
- 9-Day India Golden Triangle with Tiger Safari
- 9-Day India Golden Triangle with Varanasi
Othere related readings about Diwali
Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
- Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
- Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.
- 7-Day India Golden Triangle Tour
- 8-Day Diwali Festival in India Golden Triangle Tour 2024
- 9-Day India Tiger Safari and Golden Triangle Tour
- 9-Day India Golden Triangle with Varanasi
- 11-Day India and Nepal Tour
- 11-Day India Holi Festival Tour 2024
- 14-Day Rajasthan Tour Package for Westerners
- 14-Day Romantic Honeymoon Trip in India
- 14-Day India, Nepal, and Bhutan Tour
- 2-Week Luxury India Tour
- 21-Day India, Nepal and Bhutan Tour
- India Itineraries 2024: from 5 Days to 1 Month
- 2 Weeks in India 2024/2025: Top 4 Itineraries
- How to Plan a Trip to India 2024/2025: 7 Easy Steps for You
- How to Plan an Awesome Family Trip to India in 2024
- Plan an Awesome Trip to India, Bhutan and Nepal (6 Tips)
- How to Plan an India and Nepal Trip 2024/2025
- How to Plan a Trip to India for Holi 2024
- A Complete Guide to Experiencing Diwali
- How Much Does a Trip to India Cost?
- Is India Safe to Travel? Women & Kids (Tips for 2023)
- Best (and Worst) Times to Visit India 2024, Rainy Season?
- Best Times to Visit the Taj Mahal?Expert Tips in 2024
- Weather in India in January: Is It a Good Time to Visit? Where to Go
- Weather in February in India: Cold and Warm!
- Weather in India in March: Good for Travel or Not?
- Weather in India in April: Temperatures and Where to Go
- Weather in May in India: a Good Time to Go?
- Weather in India in June: the Monsoon Begins — OK to Travel?
- Weather in July in India: Too Wet to Travel?
- August Weather in India: Still Rainy? (5 Places to Go)
- Weather in September in India: Rainy or Not?
- Weather in India in October: Best Time for Pleasant Weather
- Weather in India in November — Dry Season Travel
- Weather in India in December: 7 Best Places to Visit in India in December
Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries
At Asia Highlights, we create your kind of journey — your dates, your destinations, at your pace. You can have any trip tailor made for your travel.