There Are 15 Long Weekends in 2018, And Here’s Where You Should Go For Each Of Them!

The new year means a lot of different things to different people. For a lot of us, it’s about redeeming those days of guilt that we lived by skipping the gym for weeks altogether, and promising to give up drinking and taking up healthier lifestyles for as long as we can manage. For an avid traveller, it’s a year full of holidays and long weekends that are golden tickets to visiting places they haven’t been before.

The year 2018, in particular, has been plenty generous with its vacation opportunities, and has a whopping total of 15 long weekends that are waiting for you to grab on to the opportunity and book your tickets immediately! Knowing fully well how difficult a task it can be to plan these weekends well in advance, we bring you a comprehensive guide on where to travel for each of the long weekends of 2018!

Also Read Fashion Tips & Hacks To Get Your Vacay

1. Basant Panchami

Dates: Jan 20 to Jan 22

Where to go: Darjeeling, West Bengal

Must visit: The Darjeeling Himalayan toy train ride, the Japanese Peace Pagoda, the gorgeous sunrise at Tiger Hills, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park.

Where to stay: Golden Orchid – The Lodge for Rs 700 per night

2. Republic Day

Dates: Jan 26 to Jan 28

Where to go: Diu

Must visit: Naida Caves, Nagoa Beach, Diu Fort, St, Paul Church, Sunset Point, Gangeshwar Temple, Ghogla Beach

Where to stay: Hotel Cidade De Diu for Rs 1,959 per night

3. Mahashivratri

Dates: Feb 10 to Feb 13

Where to go: Thekkady, Kerala

Must visit: Periyar National Park, Thekkady Lake, Periyar Tiger Trail, Mangaladevi Temple, Chellarkovil, Border Hiking and Nature Walk by the Thekkady Forest Department

Where to stay: Coffee Inn for Rs 1,670 per night

Also Read Everything You Need To Know About Pushkar

4. Holi

Dates: Mar 1 to Mar 4

Where to go: Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra

Must visit: Chinaman’s Falls, Arthur’s Seat, Elephant’s Point, Panchgani, Venna Lake, Wilson Point, Mahabaleshwar Temple, Pratapgad Fort

Where to stay: The Mountain Pearl Resort for Rs 1,800 per night

5. Mahavir Jayanti/Good Friday/Easter

Dates: Mar 29 to Apr 1

Where to go: Srinagar, Kashmir

Must visit: Mughal Gardens, Dal Lake, Char Chinar, Shalimar Bagh, Wular Lake, Shankaracharya Temple, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden

Where to stay: Goona Palace Group of Houseboats for Rs 1,700 per night

6. Buddha Purnima

Dates: Apr 28 to May 1

Where to go: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

Must visit: Rashtrapati Niwas, The Army Heritage Museum, Christ Church, Kalka-Shimla Railway, Kufri Fun World

Where to stay: Hotel Golf Links for Rs 2,250 per night

7. Eid-Ul-Fitr

Dates: Jun 15 to Jun 17

Where to go: Gangtok, Sikkim

Must visit: Rumtek Monastery, Nathu La Pass, Tsomgo Lake, Ban Jhakri Falls, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

Where to stay: Hotel ChuLyan for Rs 1,500 per night

8. Independence Day/Parsi New Year

Dates: Aug 15 to Aug 19

Where to go: Lonavala, Maharashtra

Must visit: Lohagad Fort, Bushi Dam, Tiger’s Leap, Lonavala Lake, Rajmachi Fort, Aamby Valley, Amrutanjan Point

Where to stay: Hotel Omkar Residency for Rs 1,600 per night

9. Eid-Ul-Adha/Onam/Raksha Bandhan

Dates: Aug 22 to Aug 26

Where to go: Coorg, Karnataka

Must visit: Tea and coffee plantations, Bhagamandala Temple, Thadiyandamol, Nagarhole National Park

Where to stay:  GuestHouser Homestay for Rs 2,576 per night

10. Janmashtami

Dates: Sep 1 to Sep 3

Where to go: Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh

Must visit: Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Tarin Fish Farm, Kile Pakho, Meghna Cave Temple, Pine Grove,

Where to stay: Siiro Resort for Rs 1,344 per night

11. Ganesh Chaturthi

Dates: Sep 13 to Sep 16

Where to go: Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu

Must visit: Green Valley View, Kodai Lake, Bear Shola Falls, Pillar Rocks, Coakers Walk, Devil’s Kitchen, Thalaiyar Falls.

Where to stay: Kurinji House for Rs 1,450 per night

12. Gandhi Jayanti

Dates: Sep 29 to Oct 2

Where to go: Jaipur, Rajasthan

Must visit: Sisodiya Rani Bagh, Ram Niwas Garden, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Amer Fort, Man Sagar Lake

Where to stay: Pandya Niwas for Rs 1,200 per night

13. Ram Navami/Dussehra

Dates: Oct 18 to Oct 21

Where to go: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Must visit: Dasaswamedh Ghat, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Ramnagar Museum, Kedar Ghat, Archaeological Museum, Statue of Standing Buddha

Where to stay: Kanha Paying Guest House for Rs 800 per night

14. Dhanteras/Diwali/Govardhan Puja/Bhai Dooj

Dates: Nov 3 to Nov 11

Where to go: Pondicherry

Must visit: Pondicherry Rock Beach, Botanical Gardens, Sita Cultural Centre Cycle Tour, Pondicherry Promenade, Chunnambar Boat House, Auroville Ashram, Basilica Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus, Baker Street Cafe, Rendezvous, Paradise Beach

Where to stay: The French Villa for Rs 2,500 per night

15. Christmas

Dates: Dec 22 to Dec 25

Where to go: Kutch, Gujarat

Must visit: Rann of Kutch, Mandvi Beach, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Aaina Mahal, Dholavira, Kandla Port, Kutch Museum

Where to stay: Infinity Rann of Kutch; rates available on request

Here’s wishing you and your wanderlust an incredibly adventurous new year!

Images: Shutterstock