Every Long Weekend in 2026 from Mumbai: Month-by-Month Travel Calendar with Trip Ideas
28 April 2026
The Indian holiday calendar is generous to those who plan around it. In 2026, Mumbai-based travellers have 14 potential long weekends — some 3-day, some 4-day — spread across every season. The difference between a good long weekend trip and a missed opportunity is almost entirely planning lead time. Here's the complete 2026 calendar with the best trip for each window.
January 2026 Long Weekends
Republic Day — January 24–26 (Saturday–Monday)
3-day window. Best trip: Rann of Kutch. The Rann Utsav tent city at Dhordo is in full operation, the winter full moon nights on the salt desert are extraordinary, and the temperatures (15–22°C daytime, 5–10°C night) are comfortable. Train from Mumbai to Bhuj (overnight), then vehicle to Dhordo. Book tent accommodation 6 weeks ahead. Budget: ₹8,000–14,000/person.
February 2026 Long Weekends
Holi Long Weekend — February 28–March 3 (Saturday–Tuesday)
4-day window. Best trip: Mathura + Vrindavan. The Braj region's Holi celebrations are the original — 5+ days of escalating festival energy culminating on March 1. Overnight train from Mumbai to Mathura Junction. Book by January 15 — this sells out. Alternative: Udaipur (royal Holika Dahan ceremony) or Goa (beach, no colour, same long weekend). Budget: ₹8,000–16,000/person.
March–April 2026 Long Weekends
Good Friday + Easter — April 3–6
4-day window. Best trip: Goa. April is Goa's final excellent beach month before pre-monsoon winds arrive. South Goa's beaches (Palolem, Agonda) at their most relaxed. Fly or overnight train. Book 4 weeks ahead — Easter weekend is popular. Budget: ₹8,000–16,000/person.
May Day + Buddha Purnima — May 1–3
3-day window. Best trip: Manali. Manali in late April/early May has spring wildflowers in the Kullu Valley and snow still at Rohtang Pass (accessible late April). Fly to Bhuntar. Budget: ₹12,000–20,000/person.
June–August 2026 Long Weekends
Eid al-Adha — June (date TBC)
3-day window. Best trip: Meghalaya. June is Meghalaya's dramatic pre-peak monsoon — the waterfalls at Cherrapunji beginning to fill, the root bridges accessible with manageable rainfall. Fly to Guwahati. Budget: ₹16,000–26,000/person.
Independence Day — August 14–16
3-day window. Best trip: Munnar + Kerala. Monsoon Kerala — houseboat in the backwaters in the rain, Munnar tea estates in cloud, Fort Kochi's heritage quarter. Fly to Kochi. Alternatively: Coorg in monsoon (coffee estate, rain on the plantation). Budget: ₹14,000–22,000/person.
September–October 2026 Long Weekends
Ganesh Chaturthi — September 11–14
4-day window. Best trip: Rajasthan. Rajasthan in September is post-monsoon and clearing — Jaipur, Jodhpur, and the Thar Desert are accessible in good weather. Fly to Jaipur. Alternatively: Andaman (pre-peak but good conditions). Budget: ₹12,000–20,000/person.
Gandhi Jayanti / Dussehra — October 2–4
3-day window. Best trip: Mysore Dussehra. Mysore's Dasara (Dussehra) is India's most elaborate festival — the Mysore Palace illuminated nightly with 100,000 bulbs, the Jamboo Savari elephant procession on the final day, and 10 nights of cultural performances. Book hotels 2 months ahead — this is Mysore's peak week. Budget: ₹10,000–18,000/person including flight to Bengaluru.
November 2026 Long Weekends
Diwali — November 7–9 (Friday–Sunday, with options for Monday leave)
3–4 day window. Best trips: Rajasthan (Jaisalmer's Diwali in the desert) or Andaman (peak season beginning). Escape Mumbai's post-Diwali smog. Rajasthan: fly to Jodhpur. Andaman: fly to Port Blair — peak season starts and conditions are excellent. Budget: ₹10,000–20,000/person.
December 2026 Long Weekends
Christmas — December 25–27
3-day window. Best trip: Goa. Goa at Christmas is the season's most characterful — the Catholic churches decorated, Midnight Mass in Velha Goa's UNESCO churches, and the beaches at their December best. Book by October — Christmas week Goa is the most competitive booking window of the year. Budget: ₹10,000–20,000/person.
New Year — December 31–January 3
4-day window. Options by preference:
- Party: Goa's North beach circuit — the most famous NYE celebration in India. Book by September. ₹14,000–25,000/person.
- Quiet: Pondicherry — the quietest good beach town in South India at NYE. ₹8,000–14,000/person.
- Snow: Manali or Gulmarg — winter snow NYE. ₹14,000–22,000/person.
- International: Bangkok — the city's NYE fireworks are outstanding and it's 5 hours from Mumbai. ₹30,000–45,000/person.
2026 Long Weekend Booking Timeline
| Long Weekend | Dates | Book Accommodation By | Book Flights By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic Day | Jan 24–26 | December 1 | December 15 |
| Holi | Feb 28–Mar 3 | January 15 | January 20 |
| Good Friday | April 3–6 | February 20 | March 1 |
| Independence Day | Aug 14–16 | June 20 | July 1 |
| Gandhi Jayanti/Dussehra | Oct 2–4 | August 1 | August 15 |
| Diwali | Nov 7–9 | September 1 | September 15 |
| Christmas | Dec 25–27 | October 1 | October 15 |
| New Year | Dec 31–Jan 3 | October 1 | October 1 |
The 2026 long weekend calendar rewards the planner. Eight of the 14 long weekends require bookings more than 6 weeks in advance to secure good accommodation and reasonable flight prices. The traveller who maps this calendar in January and books through the year will have a significantly better travel year than the one who waits until the week before each holiday.