<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">Hi all, we&rsquo;re a group of 6 friends (mid-20s to 30s) planning to be in India from around 23 December to 3 January. We want a mix of Christmas vibes and a proper New Year&rsquo;s Eve, ideally not too touristy and not too expensive. Beach, mountains and heritage cities are all fine. Where would you go, and how should we split the 10 days? We&rsquo;ll start from Delhi.

<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; min-height: 1em; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">

<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">India is one of the best places for this time of year, because the weather is great almost everywhere except the high mountains. A lot depends on what you mean by &ldquo;Christmas vibes&rdquo;, so here is how I&rsquo;d think about it.

<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">For Christmas (24-25 December)</span>

<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px 1.6875rem; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; clear: both; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Goa:</span> Midnight Mass in the old churches, beach shacks, and a very festive feel. It&rsquo;s crowded, but you&rsquo;ll find the most visible Christmas celebration in India.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Kerala (Kochi and Fort Kochi):</span> Quieter and more atmospheric. Old churches, good food, and a relaxed pace. A good choice if you don&rsquo;t want a party scene.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Kolkata:</span> Park Street is lit up and busy, and Christmas here has a long history. It&rsquo;s underrated.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Shillong or Northeast:</span> Very warm community celebrations if you&rsquo;re happy to go off the usual track.</li>
</ul>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">For New Year&rsquo;s Eve (31 December)</span>

<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px 1.6875rem; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; clear: both; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Goa:</span> Big beach parties and clubs. Prices spike, so book early.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Jaipur:</span> Palace and heritage hotel galas with dinner, music and fireworks. Good if you want something that feels special.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Rishikesh:</span> Riverside camps and bonfires, more relaxed. Note that it&rsquo;s a holy town, so check the alcohol and non-veg rules of your camp.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Manali or Shimla:</span> Snow and big crowds, but these are far from Delhi, so you&rsquo;d want to leave a few days ahead.</li>
</ul>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">A route that works for 10 days from Delhi</span>

<ol style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px 1.6875rem; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">22-24 Dec:</span> Fly to Goa or Kochi for Christmas (about 2.5-3 hours from Delhi), and spend 3-4 nights there.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">27-28 Dec:</span> Fly back to Delhi, then head out by road.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">29-31 Dec:</span> Jaipur or Rishikesh for New Year&rsquo;s Eve.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">1-3 Jan:</span> Recover, add Agra or Jim Corbett, and fly out.</li>
</ol>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">If you&rsquo;d rather skip the beach and stay in the north, you can do the whole trip by road from Delhi. New Year 2027 falls on a Friday, so it&rsquo;s a natural long weekend, and a lot of Indian groups do road trips then. This write-up of New Year 2027 best group trip destinations from Delhi compares driving times and trip styles for places like Jaipur, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett, Manali and Shimla. It&rsquo;s useful for deciding how far you want to drive.

<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Practical tips from experience</span>

<ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px 1.6875rem; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; clear: both; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;">
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;">Book hotels and camps by early November. Prices jump a lot in the last few weeks of December.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;">Fog is common in North India in late December, which can delay flights and trains. Build a buffer day.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;">For a group of 6, a chauffeur-driven vehicle usually works better than separate cars on road legs. Nobody has to drive and the cost is shared.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;">Check whether gala dinners are included in your hotel rate or charged separately.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border-radius: 0px; padding-left: 0px !important;">Carry warm layers. Even Delhi and Jaipur get cold at night.</li>
</ul>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; padding: 0px; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 17.8723px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2e2d2b; font-family: Akkurat, sans-serif;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Disclosure: I work with Progressive Tour Travels, a Delhi-based tour operator, so I&rsquo;m a bit biased towards road trips. The beach and Christmas suggestions above are things I&rsquo;d recommend regardless.