Travel your heart out in 2020, because this year comes with over 14 long weekends

With the advent of 2020, all your travel dreams will come true! After a gap of six long years, we’ve finally come across 2020, a year which has over 14 long weekends. Yes, you read that right. If you plan your time judiciously, you might get to enjoy over 14 mini vacations. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal, eh? Here’s the complete list of long weekends this year.

January


Start the first month of the new year on a rocking note with a five-day-long weekend.

Wednesday, 1 January – New Year
Thursday, 2 January – Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti (restricted)
Friday, 3 January – Take the day off
Saturday, 4 January
Sunday, 5 January

Places to visit:

First week of January is usually the coldest. If you want some respite from the dropping temperatures, visit Kerala, popularly called ‘God’s own country’. With moderate temperatures, scenic beauty and fun-filled cruise trips, rest assured, you will have an amazing time in Kerala.

If you wish to enjoy the beauty of the backwaters, visit Alappuzha or Alleppey. Seated on the banks of the azure Vembanad Lake, it is in fact one of the most popular backwater destinations in Kerala.

February


Friday, 21 Feb: Maha Shivratri (restricted)
Saturday, 22 Feb
Sunday, 23 Feb
Monday, 24 February – Take the day off

Places to visit:

February is the perfect month to make that much-awaited Goa trip finally happen. It is in the month of February when the streets of Goa are full of colour, thanks to the celebration of the carnival or ‘Mardi Gras’ as it is popularly called.

Though significantly smaller than the well-known Rio Carnival, Goa Carnival is the largest in India. If need be, you can also take a trip to McLeodganj and enjoy the scenic beauty of the hills.

March


Saturday, 7 March
Sunday, 8 March
Monday, 9 March – Take the day off
Tuesday, 10 March – Holi

Places to visit:

If you want to witness the Holi celebrations on a grand scale, you ought to visit Vrindavan and enjoy the festival of colours in full fervour. What’s more? If your kids want to visit a hill station, March would be the right time to visit Ooty before the summer sets in.

Feast your eyes on the greenery and enjoy the beautiful, lush green forests, at Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Ooty. You can also board the Toy Train, which covers a distance of total 46 km in a span of 5 hours and takes one through a truly spectacular journey filled with picturesque views.

April


Thursday, 2 April – Ram Navami (restricted)
Friday, 3 April- Take the day off
Saturday, 4 April
Sunday, 5 April

Friday, 10 April- Good Friday
Saturday, 11 April
Sunday, 12 April

Places to visit:

April is the perfect time to visit the hill stations to beat the summer heat. You can visit Darjeeling to enjoy the beauty of the tea plantations or Dalhousie to see the snow-covered mountains.

When in Dalhousie, you ought to visit the town of Khajjar also known as the 'Mini Switzerland' or the 'Switzerland of India'. You could also visit the Satdhara falls, situated at a height of 2036 metres.

May



Friday, 1 May- Labour Day/Maharashtra Day
Saturday, 2 May
Sunday, 3 May

Thursday, 7 May – Buddha Purnima
Friday, 8 May – Take the day off
Saturday, 9 May
Sunday, 10 May

Places to visit:

May is the perfect time to explore the hills of Himachal Pradesh. With increasing temperatures, you can visit the hilly areas of the state and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Bhakra Nangal Dam.

While you’re at it, you could also visit Manali situated in the Kullu Valley. Manali is a hill station with attractions such as the Rohtang pass nearby and is popular among tourists, especially during the summers.

August

Saturday, 1 August
Sunday, 2 August
Monday, 3 August – Rakshabandhan

Wednesday, 12 August – Janmashtami (restricted)
Thursday, 13 August – Take the day off
Friday, 14 August – Take the day off
Saturday, 15 August – Independence Day
Sunday,16 August
Monday, 17 August – Parsi New Year
Saturday, 29 August
Sunday, 30 August – Muharram
Monday, 31 August – Onam (restricted)

Places to visit:

August is the month when monsoon arrives in several parts of India. If you wish to savour the rainy season, you ought to visit Cherrapunji. You could also visit Mussoorie to witness the grand waterfalls.

While in Cherrapunji, you could visit the Maysynram village, a beautiful lush, green area which receives 11,000 mm of rainfall every year. You could also visit the iconic Double Decker Living Root Bridge. It is truly a wonder to behold, as the bridge is made up of intertwining roots of the trees.

October


Friday, 2 October – Gandhi Jayanti
Saturday, 3 October
Sunday, 4 October

Thursday, 29 October – Id-e-milad
Friday, 30 October – Take the day off
Saturday, 31 October
Sunday, 1 November

Places to visit:

October is that time of the year when Durga Puja is celebrated across the world in full fervour. You could visit Bengal to experience the joyful colours of Durga Puja or go pandal- hopping in the state.

If you wish to go trekking, you can visit the Singalila National Park which covers the Indian side of the scenic Singalila Ridge, the Darjeeling region's finest trekking area, along the India–Nepal border west of Darjeeling.

You could also visit the Sundarbans National Park which has the world’s largest mangrove jungle full of tigers. The Sundarbans is only accessible by boat and exploring it this way is a unique experience that shouldn't be missed.

November

Friday, 13 November – Dhanteras
Saturday, 14 November – Diwali
Sunday, 15 November
Monday, 16 November – Bhaiduj

Saturday, 28 November
Sunday, 29 November
Monday, 30 November – Guru Nanak Jayanti

Places to visit:

November is the perfect time to explore North India. You could visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, travel to see the Taj Mahal in Agra or go to Varanasi to witness the majestic Diwali firecrackers.

When in Varanasi, you could visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which is regarded as one of the most popular Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located in the heart of Varanasi, the temple is a core of faith for millions of Hindus.

What’s more? You could also visit the Assi ghat. The Assi Ghat is placed at the confluence of the Rivers Assi and Ganga and is famous for the large Shiva Lingam installed under a peepal tree.

December

Friday, 25 December – Christmas
Saturday, 26 December
Sunday, 27 December
Thursday, 31 January – Take the day off
Friday, 1 January 2020 – New Year

Places to visit:

December is another month when you could visit Kerala to witness the Christmas festivities. You could also visit Goa or Daman & Diu for experiencing the Christmas and New Year celebrations in full fervour.

December is also the month when the Sunburn festival takes place in Goa. Several popular artists can be seen performing at the festival. You could also visit Calangute, the largest beach in north Goa stretching from Candolim to Baga. Due to its sheer size and popularity, it is a hub for tourists and backpackers from all over the world.