Posted 14 December 2022 in Travel Wanderlust

From camping to fine dining, why Dehradun is the place to celebrate the New Year

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dehradun is the capital of the state of Uttarakhand. It is the largest and most populated city of the state, and is famous for its educational institutes, such as the Indian Military Academy, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy and many more. It is also rated as one of the safest cities in India.

The proximity of Dehradun makes it the gateway to some of the most visited and top tourist destinations. You can easily reach hill stations like Mussoorie, Dhanaulti, Uttarkashi, Auli, and the Valley of Flowers. Some of the most important religious destinations in the Himalayas, like Hemkunt Sahib, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath are accessible through Dehradun.

Dehradun is considered a strategically important place by the Indian armed forces. Dehradun’s Garhi Cantonment and Naval Station and Ordnance Factory Dehradun are important military establishments. Apart from this, Dehradun is also famous for its bakery products. For those who love adventure sports, Dehradun is a place to be. They can enjoy adventure sports like trekking, climbing, cycling and riding a hot air balloon.

Celebrate New Year in Dehradun

Everyone wants to leave the past behind and make a new beginning in the new year, and there is no better way to celebrate the New Year with friends and family in Dehradun. Dehradun has its unique charm of the New Year celebrations as there is so much to do, see and experience.

If you want to enjoy the New Year party in Dehradun, then you are in for an experience of a lifetime. You can go to New Year parties organised by clubs, various prominent hotels and restaurants, and you can choose to hop from one party or bar to another to enjoy your New Year evening and night to the fullest. Exciting events and memorable activities await you when you are in Dehradun on New Year’s Eve.

Dance party

There are many attractive options where you can go to party and dance with your family and friends. Many reputable clubs and hotels organise New Year dance parties for families and couples. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed as these dance parties coupled with good food and music will give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Special camping and trekking events

For adventure sports junkies who want to be a part of a trekking and camping party, Dehradun is the place to be. There are adventure sports clubs that organise unique New Year camping and trekking trips where you can have fun with like-minded people. This will reboot your mind and body to start the New Year with a new zeal.

Fine dining

Dehradun is famous for its eateries and restaurants. To make your New Year's evening even more special and memorable, these restaurants prepare special delicacies coupled with live music to mark the occasion and make the fine dining experience memorable.

The range of food items you can relish during this time is endless. You must visit ‘Kalsang’ for authentic Tibetan cuisine and try its chilli momos, thenthuk, thukpa, Tibetan buns and fruit beer. Your visit to Dehradun is incomplete without a visit to its famous bakery, ‘Ellora Bakery’, which has been in business since the British era. You can try its butter toffees apart from other bakery products. If you are on a shopping spree and want to have some snacks, then you must head towards ‘The Buffet Corner’ and relish its healthy snack offering and delicious cold coffee. Apart from these, you can visit Sunrise Bakers, Lords of Barbeque, Razzmatazz, Bakemasters, Eddie’s, Malabar Restaurant and Punjab Grill, to name a few.

Music and art

Dehradun offers so many options that you would not like to miss anything. If you love to sing, then you are in for a surprise as you can be part of many musical nights and festivals that organise sing-along concerts. This is going to be one of the best times of your life when you get a chance to sing with renowned professional singers.

During this time, event organisers from all over the country bring a unique set of skills. Moreover, New Year celebrations in Dehradun get many opportunities for those who want to unleash their creative selves and end the year with a positive mindset.

Travel tips

Here are a few important things that you must take care of when you are planning to travel to Dehradun at the end of the year:

Book your tickets well in advance and reconfirm before your travel date.
Book only through the authorised travel agency.
Ask the hotel's name in which your travel agency is booking your room. Find out about the hotel on your own as well. Online reviews can be helpful.
Take complete information about New Year events from your travel agency.
Do not forget to carry warm clothes, as it will be very cold during this time in Dehradun.
Make sure you ask your travel agent about the possibility of exploring neighbouring tourist attractions.
Take help from your hotel travel desk to book taxis.
Take only state transport buses if you travel to the neighbouring cities.
Tour guides should only be hired through a reputable travel agency. The hotel travel desk can come in handy in making the necessary arrangements;take their help.

How to reach Dehradun?

By air: Dehradun has a domestic airport, Jolly Grant Airport, located 25 km from the city. This airport is also near other major tourist attractions and religious destinations like Rishikesh and Haridwar. It is well-connected with significant airports and receives regular IndiGo flights to Dehradun from major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, and Bengaluru. IndiGo operates many international flights to Jolly Grant Airport from Dubai, London, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, and Bangkok.
By road: The road connectivity to Dehradun is excellent. You can travel by many deluxe and state transport buses available on this route. There is a regular service of the buses from all the major cities like Delhi, Agra, and Mussoorie, which arrive at Dehradun Inter State Bus Terminal. The road network and the condition of the roads are good and offer a pleasant driving experience if you choose to drive down to Dehradun. The drive from New Delhi to Dehradun is just 5 hours.
By train: If you choose to reach Dehradun by train, then a regular train service can take you comfortably to Dehradun and from Dehradun back to your hometown. Standard train service is available from major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Allahabad, and Bengaluru. Dehradun Railway Station is located very close to the city centre, and superfast and express trains like Shatabdi, Dehradun AC Express, Bandra Express, and Amritsar-Dehradun Express connect it with the rest of the cities.

Boarding and lodging

During winters, many tourists throng Dehradun to experience its splendour. Being a major tourist destination, and a city near many famous pilgrimage sites, it provides many options for travellers to stay. From budget oriented to sheer luxury, it has all the options available for visitors who can choose according to their preferences and budget.

Travellers who do not have any budget constraints can choose from luxury hotels like Seyfert Sarovar Premiere, Ramada by Wyndham, Normandy House, Four Points by Sheraton, Dudley Manor Vishranti (A Doon Valley Resort & Spa), and AruBhi Cottage, to name a few.

Those who are on a budget can choose from accommodations like Solitaire Express, Hotel Rajpur Heights, Hotel Tulsi Villa, Grand Legacy Elite, Ajanta Continental, Blessing Bells, and Surya Residency, to name a few.

Best time to visit Dehradun

The weather of Dehradun can charm its visitors in every season.

Summer: The summer season starts in April and stays till June. This is the time when Dehradun sees a lot of influx of tourists. The temperature in April hovers between a minimum of 7°C and a maximum of 32°C. In May, the temperature sores, and the maximum temperature can reach as high as 40°C, and this trend continues till June. The temperature stays high in the day, but the evenings are cool and perfect to go shopping in the bustling markets of Dehradun.
Monsoon: July announces the arrival of the monsoon. This season lasts till September, and Dehradun is lashed by medium to heavy rains during this season. The city looks lush green and beautiful. It is advisable not to venture outside the city or visit the surrounding hill stations as due to heavy rains, there can be landslides. Staying in the city and enjoying its splendour is the best thing to do in monsoons.
Winters: The temperature starts dropping rapidly from October. It is the beginning of autumn and one of the most pleasant seasons of the year. In December, the proper winter makes its presence felt when the minimum temperature drops to 2°C. By the time it is January, the minimum temperature drops as low as 0°C. The temperature stays around the same in February as well. The maximum temperature during winters stays around 20°C. This is the best time to visit the city and explore its beauty if you like the cold weather.

The Bottom Line

If you plan to be a part of the Dehradun New Year celebrations, then you should arrive a few days in advance. You can couple your New Year celebrations with sightseeing. This can be an excellent opportunity to explore the city and its surroundings. There is a lot to see and do when you are in Dehradun in the winter season. You can visit Chetwode Hall, Robbers Cave, enjoy paragliding, visit Malsi Deer Park, Mindrolling Monastery, Forest Research Institute, Tibetan Market, go shopping at Paltan Bazaar and many more. The possibilities of having a unique and memorable time are endless when you are in Dehradun on New Year’s Eve.