When to visit Shimla?
The decision rests on several criteria. Climate score, tourist crowds and feasible activities.
What you grasp in 5 seconds
Shimla offers 8 comfortable months, without any month really to avoid. The gap stays moderate: 8.1 in May vs 4.3 in January.
What to check next
Your tolerance for crowds and budget. The best months concentrate tourist saturation and higher prices. Shoulder seasons offer a good compromise.
Next action
Scroll down to the detailed table to compare month by month, then open the page of the month that interests you.
How we calculate the score
For mountain destinations, we calculate two scores per month — skiing and hiking — and display the higher of the two.
- 40% snow cover (slope T° corrected by lapse rate -6.5°C/1000m)
- 40% winter thermal comfort (-5 to 5°C optimal)
- 20% sunshine
- Off-season penalty: ×0.70 adjacent months · ×0.35 outside season
- 40% temperature (10–22°C optimal)
- 40% rain (frequency + daily intensity)
- 20% sunshine
Source : ERA5 · Open-Meteo · 10 years (2016–2025) · Full methodology →
Compare all 12 months
Month-by-month details: temperature, rain, sunshine, score and verdict.
| Month | T° min | T° max | Rain % | mm/day | Sun | Score | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌥️ January → | -1°C | 11°C | 20% | 2.8mm | 6.4h | 4.3/10 | Decent period |
| 🌥️ February → | 1°C | 13°C | 20% | 3.0mm | 6.5h | 4.4/10 | Decent period |
| ⛅ March → | 4°C | 16°C | 24% | 2.8mm | 7.0h | 7.2/10 | Best period |
| ☀️ April → | 9°C | 21°C | 21% | 2.2mm | 7.5h | 8.0/10 | Best period |
| ☀️ May → | 12°C | 24°C | 24% | 2.3mm | 7.5h | 8.1/10 | Best period |
| ☀️ June → | 15°C | 24°C | 34% | 4.0mm | 7.0h | 7.8/10 | Best period |
| 🌥️ July → | 16°C | 23°C | 70% | 9.5mm | 3.9h | 4.4/10 | Decent period |
| 🌥️ August → | 16°C | 22°C | 66% | 9.2mm | 4.0h | 4.4/10 | Decent period |
| ⛅ September → | 14°C | 22°C | 41% | 5.0mm | 5.8h | 7.3/10 | Best period |
| ☀️ October → | 8°C | 19°C | 11% | 1.0mm | 7.5h | 7.8/10 | Best period |
| ⛅ November → | 4°C | 16°C | 9% | 0.7mm | 7.0h | 7.4/10 | Best period |
| ⛅ December → | 1°C | 13°C | 8% | 0.8mm | 6.8h | 7.2/10 | Best period |
Shimla week by week: your odds of avoiding rain
For each week of the year: in how many years out of 10 it was mostly dry (at most 2 rainy days), 2016 to 2025.
Safest week: Dec 17 to Dec 23, mostly dry in 10 years out of 10 (0.1 rainy day(s) on average).
Most exposed: Jul 23 to Jul 29, mostly dry in 0 years out of 10 (5.5 rainy days on average).
| Jan | Jan 17/1010°C | Jan 88/1010°C | Jan 158/1011°C | Jan 228/1010°C | Jan 299/1011°C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | Feb 58/1011°C | Feb 129/1014°C | Feb 196/1013°C | Feb 267/1013°C | |
| Mar | Mar 56/1014°C | Mar 127/1016°C | Mar 199/1017°C | Mar 269/1020°C | |
| Apr | Apr 25/1020°C | Apr 910/1021°C | Apr 165/1021°C | Apr 239/1022°C | Apr 305/1022°C |
| May | May 77/1023°C | May 149/1024°C | May 217/1025°C | May 286/1024°C | |
| Jun | Jun 48/1025°C | Jun 116/1025°C | Jun 185/1024°C | Jun 253/1024°C | |
| Jul | Jul 22/1024°C | Jul 92/1023°C | Jul 160/1023°C | Jul 230/1022°C | Jul 301/1022°C |
| Aug | Aug 60/1022°C | Aug 132/1022°C | Aug 201/1022°C | Aug 272/1022°C | |
| Sep | Sep 34/1022°C | Sep 104/1022°C | Sep 174/1022°C | Sep 248/1021°C | |
| Oct | Oct 17/1021°C | Oct 88/1020°C | Oct 159/1019°C | Oct 229/1018°C | Oct 2910/1018°C |
| Nov | Nov 510/1017°C | Nov 1210/1015°C | Nov 1910/1015°C | Nov 269/1015°C | |
| Dec | Dec 39/1014°C | Dec 108/1012°C | Dec 1710/1013°C | Dec 249/1011°C |
A specific date? The app computes the same figure day by day.
Annual temperatures — Shimla
Min/max temperature curves observed over the past 10 years (ERA5). Shows climate stability and trend.
For your trip
A few angles depending on what kind of trip you are planning.
Plan your trip
Hotels at their lowest outside peak season, highest on comfortable months. Shoulder seasons offer a good price/climate compromise.
🎟️ Activities & tours · Shimla
GetYourGuide selection · free cancellation
What you need to know before you go
Three angles: the country (language, currency, safety, budget), the year-round climate, and the specifics of a mountain stay.
Country · India
🌡️ Climate
🏔️ Mountain stay
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Guides & rankings
Where is Shimla ?
Global position + regional geographic context.