South India itinerary — December 2026
For the South India trip (Bangalore & Chennai), December 2026 is one of the most comfortable months by weather. Daytime highs run from about 27°C / 81°F to 30°C / 86°F across the stops. Plan around 5–7 days for the full Bangalore & Chennai loop.
In this order — about 5–7 days:
- Bangalore3 nights
- Chennai2 nights
- Route noteReserve the longest intercity leg first and keep transfer days free of timed sights.
By TripSapien Research · Updated May 20, 2026
Bangalore
Bangalore in December
TempTemperature
80°F / 61°F
26.5°C / 16.2°C
RainPrecipitation
1d
0.6in · 15mm
LightDaylight
11.2h
December is cool and mostly dry, with comfortable festival-season nights around MG Road.
City overview
Bangalore, officially Bengaluru since 2014, is India’s highland tech capital, where colonial parks, Wodeyar palaces, startup districts, craft breweries, and old South Indian food streets sit at about 900 metres above sea level. MG Road and Cubbon Park make the central spine, Indiranagar and Koramangala carry the restaurant-and-startup night, and Basavanagudi and Malleshwaram preserve older Kannada neighborhood rhythms.
Food & drink
Bangalore food starts with masala dosa, idli, vada, filter coffee, bisi bele bath, ragi mudde, donne biryani, and late craft-beer snacks. MTR near Lalbagh, CTR in Malleshwaram, Vidyarthi Bhavan in Basavanagudi, and VV Puram Food Street give the city’s strongest local route.
Events & festivals
- Dec 5 – Dec 6
Kadlekai Parishe (Peanut Fair)
An annual traditional peanut fair held around Bull Temple Road, celebrating the peanut harvest with stalls, cultural performances, and local food.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
Holidays & observances
- Dec 25Christmas DayPublic holiday
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Vidhana Soudha
- 2Lalbagh Botanical Garden
- 3Cubbon Park
- 4ISKCON Temple Bangalore
- 5Dodda Basavana Gudi (Bull Temple)
- 6Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum
- 7National Gallery of Modern Art Bengaluru
- 8Commercial Street and Brigade Road
- 9Bangalore Palace
- 10Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace
1Vidhana Soudha
4.6★ · 6,546outdoorClosed Sat/SunKengal Hanumanthaiah drove the construction of this monumental neo-Dravidian legislature, completed in 1956. The granite building faces Cubbon Park and is best viewed from outside along Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi.
Wikipedia
2Lalbagh Botanical Garden
4.4★ · 175,574outdoorOpen dailyHyder Ali began Lalbagh in the 18th century and Tipu Sultan expanded it with imported plants, while the glasshouse dates to 1889. The garden covers lakes, rock outcrops, flower shows, and old trees south of the city center.
Wikipedia
3Cubbon Park
4.4★ · 142,812outdoorClosed MonEstablished in 1870 and later named for British administrator Mark Cubbon, the park forms Bangalore’s central green core. The State Central Library, High Court, museums, and Vidhana Soudha sit around its edges.
Wikipedia
Show 7 more sights
- 4ISKCON Temple Bangalore
- 5Dodda Basavana Gudi (Bull Temple)
- 6Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum
- 7National Gallery of Modern Art Bengaluru
- 8Commercial Street and Brigade Road
- 9Bangalore Palace
- 10Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace
Neighborhoods
1MG Road, Brigade Road, and Residency Road
The central Cantonment belt mixes metro stations, pubs, bookstores, shopping, churches, hotels, and quick access to Cubbon Park.
2Indiranagar
Indiranagar is polished nightlife Bangalore, with 100 Feet Road restaurants, breweries, boutiques, startup offices, and metro access.
3Koramangala
Koramangala is the startup-and-student district, with cafes, bars, co-working blocks, forum-side shopping, and heavy traffic around the inner ring roads.
4Whitefield
Whitefield is the eastern tech corridor, anchored by IT parks, malls, hotels, apartment towers, and longer commute times from the old center.
5Basavanagudi and Jayanagar
Basavanagudi and Jayanagar feel older and more local, with Gandhi Bazaar, Bull Temple, parks, darshini restaurants, and planned residential blocks.
6Malleshwaram
Malleshwaram is traditional northwest Bangalore, with temples, flower sellers, dosa institutions, Sampige Road shops, and leafy side streets.
Getting around
Namma Metro is the fastest way across the core, with Purple Line for MG Road, Cubbon Park, Majestic, Indiranagar, and Whitefield, and Green Line for Lalbagh, Jayanagar, and Malleshwaram. BMTC buses, Vayu Vajra airport buses, autos, and rideshares fill gaps, but traffic can turn short cross-town trips into long waits.
Chennai
Chennai in December
TempTemperature
85°F / 71°F
29.6°C / 21.5°C
RainPrecipitation
10d
6.1in · 155mm
LightDaylight
11.2h
Sea
79.5°F
26.4°C
December is cooler but still showery; music season around Mylapore rewards early reservations.
City overview
Chennai is the Bay of Bengal capital where colonial Fort St George, Mylapore temple streets, Carnatic music halls, and IT corridors stretch along a hot, humid coast. The visitor map centers on George Town, Mylapore, Egmore, T Nagar, Besant Nagar, and the ECR/OMR edge south of the Adyar River.
Food & drink
Chennai food is built on idli, dosa, sambar, pongal, vada, filter coffee, Chettinad chicken, biryani, sundal, and seafood from the coast. Mylapore, T Nagar, Sowcarpet, Marina Beach stalls, and Buhari-style biryani houses are practical food anchors. Prices stay moderate outside luxury hotels, and December music-season canteen meals are a real cultural draw.
Holidays & observances
- Dec 25Christmas DayPublic holiday
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Kapaleeshwarar Temple
- 2San Thome Basilica
- 3Parthasarathy Temple
- 4Kalakshetra Foundation
- 5DakshinaChitra
- 6Government Museum, Egmore
- 7T Nagar shopping district
- 8Fort St George
- 9Marina Beach
- 10Guindy National Park
1Kapaleeshwarar Temple
4.8★ · 12,335indoorOpen dailyMylapore Shiva temple with a tall gopuram, tank, flower stalls, and festival streets. The present structure is usually dated to the 16th century after earlier coastal temples were lost.
Wikipedia
2San Thome Basilica
4.7★ · 17,331indoorOpen dailyWhite neo-Gothic basilica over the traditional tomb of St Thomas the Apostle, rebuilt by the Portuguese and later by the British. It sits near the southern end of Marina Beach.
Wikipedia
3Parthasarathy Temple
4.7★ · 28,306indoorOpen dailyTriplicane Vishnu temple with Pallava origins, gopurams, and busy streets between Marina Beach and Chepauk. Visit outside peak midday heat.
Wikipedia
Show 7 more sights
- 4Kalakshetra Foundation
- 5DakshinaChitra
- 6Government Museum, Egmore
- 7T Nagar shopping district
- 8Fort St George
- 9Marina Beach
- 10Guindy National Park
Neighborhoods
1Mylapore
Temple-and-culture district with Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Luz, San Thome, music sabhas, and old vegetarian restaurants. December music season makes it especially busy.
2George Town and Parry's Corner
Old trading district north of Fort St George, with wholesale lanes, Armenian Church, High Court buildings, and dense market traffic.
3Egmore and Nungambakkam
Museum, rail, college, restaurant, and hotel belt with Government Museum, consulates, cafes, and central access.
4T Nagar
Shopping district of sari stores, jewelry houses, Pondy Bazaar, and Ranganathan Street crowds. It is practical but intense before festivals.
5Adyar, Besant Nagar, and Thiruvanmiyur
South Chennai coast with Elliot's Beach, Theosophical Society, Kalakshetra, cafes, and quieter residential lanes.
6OMR and ECR
Southern technology and beach-road corridor, with IT parks on Old Mahabalipuram Road and day-trip resorts along East Coast Road.
Getting around
Chennai Metro Blue and Green lines connect airport, Central, Egmore, T Nagar approaches, and parts of the south, while suburban rail is useful for beach and outer-corridor trips. Use a CMRL travel card or QR ticket, then rely on autos, taxis, and MTC buses for temple-neighborhood last miles.
Planning the South India route?
Add your dates and we'll pace all 2 cities — every place checked for closures, limited hours, and booking needs in December.
Weather by month for the South India trip
In December, the South India trip runs daytime highs from 27°C / 81°F to 30°C / 86°F, with nights down to about 16°C / 61°F at the coolest stop. Climate averages show about 10 rainy days at the rainiest stop. Weighed across both stops, December is one of the most comfortable months by weather.
The most comfortable months across Bangalore & Chennai are January, December and February, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at every stop. December 2026 is among the highest-comfort months.
Common questions about the South India trip
- When is the best time to do the South India trip?
- The most comfortable months across Bangalore, Chennai are January, December and February, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at each stop. December is one of the most comfortable months by weather — see the per-stop weather below for the climate averages in December 2026.
- How many days do you need for the South India trip?
- A comfortable South India trip runs about 5–7 days, allowing roughly Bangalore 3, Chennai 2 nights plus travel between stops. Add a day if you want a slower pace or extra day trips.
- What's the route for the South India trip?
- The classic order is Bangalore & Chennai. Each city below has its own December weather, any available event listings, and a top-sights list.
Ready to plan the South India trip?
Turn this route into a day-by-day plan for December 2026, every stop checked for closures and booking needs on your exact dates.