Month by month
| Month | Afternoon | Sea | Rain | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21.7 °C | — | 3 days | Pleasant — a good time to go |
| February | 26.3 °C | — | 2 days | Ideal — one of the best times of year |
| March | 32.1 °C | — | 3 days | Ideal — one of the best times of year |
| April | 38.2 °C | — | 2 days | Possible, with trade-offs |
| May | 39.3 °C | — | 5 days | Possible, with trade-offs |
| June | 37.9 °C | — | 12 days | Possible, with trade-offs |
| July | 32.9 °C | — | 25 days | Unfavourable season |
| August | 32 °C | — | 26 days | Unfavourable season |
| September | 31.8 °C | — | 21 days | Unfavourable season |
| October | 31.4 °C | — | 6 days | Ideal — one of the best times of year |
| November | 28.4 °C | — | 0 day | Ideal — one of the best times of year |
| December | 23.6 °C | — | 1 day | Pleasant — a good time to go |
Nearby in May
Before you go
Three things to check once you have picked your dates.
Entry
Visa required before departure. Passport valid for at least 6 months. Visa mandatory (regular paper visa or e-visa, apply early); e-arrival card online up to 72 hours before arrival; 2 blank passport pages needed.
For a British passport, per the UK Foreign Office on 9 July 2026. Rules change: check before booking.
Safety
Outside the areas advised against
Parts of the country are advised against (Jammu and Kashmir (including Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam), within 10 km of the Pakistani border, Manipur state); Varanasi is not one of them.
Official advice updated 9 July 2026
Health
Vaccines · typhoid recommended for most travellers; hepatitis A and hepatitis B if you are not already vaccinated; rabies, Japanese encephalitis, cholera and chikungunya depending on activities and areas visited. Routine vaccines up to date (measles in particular).
Yellow fever · No yellow fever locally, vaccine not recommended. No entry requirement.
Malaria · Present. Areas: Throughout the country, including the cities of Bombay (Mumbai) and New Delhi (the capital) No malaria transmission in areas >2,000 m (>6,500 ft) elevation, which include areas in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Ladakh, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, or Uttarakhand. Preventive medication recommended: Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine — prescribed before departure.
Mosquitoes · dengue and Zika reported: protect yourself from bites.
Per the CDC (page reviewed 25 August 2026); see a travel clinic a few weeks before departure.
Beau Fixe is not a safety or health authority. These notes summarise dated public texts and link to their source: France Diplomatie (Licence Ouverte 2.0), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Source: CDC). Only the competent authorities are authoritative.
FAQ
Can you swim in Varanasi in May?
Varanasi is not a seaside destination (no sea data).
How hot is Varanasi in May?
Expect 39.3°C in the afternoon and 26.8°C at night, averaged over the last 10 years.
Does it rain a lot in Varanasi in May?
Around 5 days with rain (≥ 1 mm) in the month — 16% of days.