Honeymoon Destinations from India

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

The Maldives is the classic Indian honeymoon, and it earns it. Each resort has an island to itself, so once you land there is very little left to organise. Couples can snorkel the house reef straight off the deck, take a sunset dolphin cruise, and have dinner set up on a private sandbank. Flights from Delhi and Mumbai are about four hours. Water villas are the expensive part, and guesthouses on the local islands cost far less. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

Known For : Tanah Lot Uluwatu Bali Swing

Bali gives couples two holidays in one. Ubud is inland and green, with rice terraces, waterfalls and villas that come with their own pool, while Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua on the coast bring beach clubs, seafood grills on the sand and long easy sunsets. A day trip to Nusa Penida adds the cliffs and Kelingking Beach. Flights take six to eight hours via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and the dry season runs May to October. Packages average around Rs 55,000 per person.

Best Time: April to October

302 Bali Attractions

Thailand suits couples who want beaches without giving up everything else. Phuket is the easiest base, with island-hopping boats out to Phi Phi and Phang Nga Bay, while Krabi puts limestone cliffs right behind the sand and Koh Samui stays quieter. A couple of nights in Bangkok at either end costs very little, and Chiang Mai adds hill temples and cooler evenings. Direct flights are four to five hours and November to February is the best window. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person.

Sri Lanka is the shortest overseas honeymoon from India, under three and a half hours from Chennai or Bengaluru. Couples can take the hill train from Kandy to Ella through the tea estates, watch for blue whales off Mirissa, and finish with a few slow days on the beaches at Unawatuna or Bentota. A week covers all of it without rushing. December to March suits the south and west coasts, May to September the east. Package rates here are the lowest on this list. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

Known For : Seven Coloured Earth of Chamarel Le Morne Brabant Underwater Waterfall

Mauritius is an easy first trip abroad for Indian couples. The lagoons sit inside a long coral reef, so the water stays warm, calm and shallow, and a large Indian-origin population means the food and the language feel familiar. Couples can take a catamaran along the west coast, visit the coloured earth at Chamarel, and spend the evenings on the beach at Flic en Flac. Flights are about six and a half hours direct from Mumbai. June to September is cool and dry.

Best Time: April to December

147 Mauritius Attractions

Vietnam fits a lot into a week at very reasonable prices. Couples can spend a night on a cruise boat in Halong Bay surrounded by limestone islands, walk Hoi An's old town in the evening once the lanterns come on and have clothes tailored overnight, then finish on the beaches of Da Nang or Phu Quoc. Flights are five to six hours direct from Delhi. The country is long, so choose a half: the north is best February to April, the south December to April. Packages average around Rs 68,000 per person.

Known For : Burj Khalifa Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo At the Top Burj Khalifa

Dubai is the easiest honeymoon to arrange at short notice, at around three and a half hours from most Indian cities. Four days is enough to do it justice: couples can take a desert safari with dinner under the stars, go up the Burj Khalifa, cross the creek by abra, and spend a day at the beach or Aquaventure. November to March is pleasant, while June to August is very hot. Good for couples who want comfort over adventure. Packages average around Rs 46,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

127 Dubai Attractions

Bhutan suits couples who would rather have mountains and quiet than a beach. Indian citizens need no visa, only a permit, and pay a much lower daily fee than other visitors, which keeps it among the most affordable trips here. Couples can hike up to Tiger's Nest monastery, cycle the Punakha valley, and stay in traditional farmhouses with hot stone baths. Paro is about two and a half hours from Delhi or Kolkata. Spring and autumn give the clearest Himalayan views. Packages average around Rs 36,000 per person.

Known For : Anse Lazio Snorkeling in Seychelles Sunbathing in Seychelles

Seychelles is the quieter, more private alternative to the Maldives. The granite boulders along the beaches of La Digue and Praslin are unlike anywhere else, and Anse Source d'Argent is one of the most photographed beaches in the world. Couples can cycle around La Digue, snorkel the marine parks, and island-hop by ferry. Flights are about six hours from Mumbai. It costs more than Bali or Thailand, but works out cheaper than the Maldives if you base yourselves on Mahe.

Best Time: April to May, September to October

96 Seychelles Attractions

Known For : Gardens by the Bay Universal Studios Singapore Marina Bay Sands

Singapore works best as the first three or four nights of a longer trip, usually paired with Bali or Phuket. Everything is straightforward: couples can spend an evening at Gardens by the Bay, a day on Sentosa, and eat extremely well at the hawker centres for very little. It is under six hours direct and needs almost no planning, though hotels are expensive by Southeast Asian standards. Rain peaks November to January. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

Best Time: February to September

273 Singapore Attractions

Malaysia lets couples put beaches and hills into one trip. Langkawi has quiet sand, island-hopping boats and a cable car up to the sky bridge, while the Cameron Highlands are cool and green with tea estates to walk through. Kuala Lumpur makes an easy arrival and departure point. Flights are five to six hours and it stays one of the cheaper countries here. Entry terms for Indian passports are generous but get extended in blocks, so check before booking. Packages average around Rs 54,000 per person.

Nepal needs no visa for Indian citizens and Kathmandu is under two hours from Delhi, which makes it one of the simplest trips on this list. Couples can take a lakeside room in Pokhara looking across at the Annapurnas, go paragliding over Phewa Lake, watch sunrise over the Himalaya from Nagarkot, and add Chitwan for a wildlife safari. October and November are the clearest months, while the monsoon closes things down from June to September. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person.

Oman is the quiet alternative to Dubai and only three to four hours away. Couples can camp on the dunes at Wahiba Sands, swim in the Wadi Shab pools, drive up to the terraced villages of Jebel Akhdar, and spend a few nights in Muscat. It is calmer and more traditional than the UAE, with better landscapes and fewer crowds. October to March is the season, since summer is extreme. Trips here are usually built to order rather than sold as a package.

Cambodia is quietly one of the best value honeymoons in Southeast Asia. Sunrise at Angkor Wat is the reason most couples come, and Siem Reap has a surprising number of small resorts with private pools at very low prices. Add a boat trip on the Tonle Sap or a few beach days at Koh Rong. It is usually reached via Bangkok or Singapore in seven to nine hours, and November to February is dry and cooler. Package rates here are the lowest in this collection.

Azerbaijan is one of the newer choices for Indian couples and still feels uncrowded. Baku pairs a walled old town with modern towers along the Caspian, and a few hours out the Caucasus foothills around Gabala and Quba are green and quiet. Couples can ride the cable car at Shahdag, visit the mud volcanoes, and eat very well for very little. Flights are around five hours from Delhi. April to June and September to October are mild.

Georgia is one of the best value trips in this collection and still fairly quiet. Tbilisi has sulphur baths, balconied old houses and a strong wine and food scene, while a couple of hours north the Caucasus rise around Kazbegi and the church at Gergeti. Couples can drive the Kakheti wine route and stay in small family guesthouses. Flights are around five hours with a stop. May to June and September to October are best.

Turkey gives couples two very different halves in one trip. Cappadocia is hot-air balloons at sunrise over the rock valleys and nights in cave hotels, while Antalya and the Turquoise Coast bring Mediterranean beaches, boat days and Roman ruins. A short domestic flight links the two. Flights from Delhi are six to seven hours. April to June and September to October avoid both the crowds and the summer heat. Visa rules for Indian passports are conditional, so apply well ahead. The lira is weak against the rupee, which keeps costs on the ground down.

Kazakhstan is an easy short-haul option that few Indian couples have on their list. Almaty sits under the Tian Shan mountains, with the Shymbulak ski slopes and the turquoise Kolsai and Kaindy lakes within a day's drive. Flights are around four hours from Delhi. It is affordable on the ground and works both as a summer hiking trip and a winter snow one.

Uzbekistan is for couples who want something with real history behind it. The blue-tiled squares of Samarkand and Bukhara are among the great sights of the Silk Road, and the high-speed train links them comfortably in a week. Tashkent is the entry point, around four hours from Delhi. Food and stays are inexpensive once you land. April to June and September to October are the pleasant months.

Jordan packs a lot into a short trip. Couples can spend a day walking through the Siq into Petra, sleep in a desert camp at Wadi Rum under a very clear sky, float in the Dead Sea, and dive or snorkel at Aqaba on the Red Sea. Flights are around six hours with a stop. March to May and September to November avoid the summer heat. It is not a cheap trip for the distance, since site entry fees and desert camps add up.

Egypt is the most distinctive trip on this list for the money. The honeymoon is a four-night Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan, with temples in the cool of the morning and the riverbank drifting past all afternoon, plus a couple of nights in Cairo for the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Couples can add Red Sea diving at Hurghada. Flights are six to seven hours. October to April is comfortable, while inland summer is severe.

The Philippines has the clearest water in Southeast Asia and very few Indian tourists. Couples can spend whole days island-hopping around El Nido and Coron in Palawan, swimming into hidden lagoons between limestone cliffs, and finish on the white sand at Boracay. The trade-off is getting there: two connections and ten hours or more each way. December to May is the dry season. Entry rules depend on which other visas you hold, so check before booking.

South Korea suits couples who want cities, food and mountains rather than a beach. Seoul mixes palaces with late-night markets and cafe districts, Busan adds coastline and seafood, and Jeju Island is where Korean couples go on honeymoon themselves. Flights are around seven hours. Cherry blossom in early April and the autumn colours in late October are the two windows worth planning around.

Japan is for couples who want something other than a beach. A night in a ryokan with a private onsen, temples and gardens in Kyoto, then the Shinkansen into Tokyo covers the classic route, and Hakone adds views of Mount Fuji. Flights are seven to nine hours. Two windows are worth planning around: cherry blossom in late March and April, and the autumn colours through November. A visa needs arranging in advance. Packages average around Rs 1,37,000 per person.

Beyond Santorini and Mykonos, the Greek islands get much cheaper for the same sea. Naxos has long beaches and the best food, Paros has pretty harbour towns, and Milos has white rock coves you reach by boat. Couples usually start with a night in Athens and take a ferry out from Piraeus. Flights are eight to ten hours with a stop and a Schengen visa is required. May, June and September avoid the August crowds and the highest prices.

Croatia offers the same Adriatic coastline as Italy for noticeably less. Couples can walk Dubrovnik's old city walls at sunset, take a ferry out to Hvar or Korcula, and swim off the islands. Split makes a good second base, with Roman ruins in the middle of town. Flights run nine to eleven hours with a stop. May, June and September are the best months, while July and August are crowded. Schengen rules now apply, so start the visa early.

Known For : Prague Castle Charles Bridge Old Town Square Prague

Prague is the most affordable way into central Europe and small enough to cover on foot. Couples can cross the Charles Bridge early before the crowds, visit Prague Castle, take a cruise on the Vltava, and eat and drink very well for a fraction of western European prices. It also pairs easily with Vienna or Budapest by train. Flights are nine to eleven hours with a stop. Spring and early autumn are pleasant, and December brings the Christmas markets.

Best Time: April to October

48 Prague Attractions

Switzerland is the splurge on this list, and the trains are as much the honeymoon as the places they connect. Couples can take the Glacier Express or the Bernina line and spend a whole day watching the Alps go past, then base themselves in Interlaken for the lakes or Zermatt for the Matterhorn. Flights are about nine hours and a Schengen visa is required. June to September gives green valleys and hiking, December to March the snow.

Known For : St. Mark's Square St. Mark's Basilica Grand Canal

Venice suits two or three nights, which is long enough to get properly lost in the back lanes once the day-trippers have left. Couples can take a gondola through the quieter canals, visit St Mark's Basilica early, and catch the vaporetto out to Murano and Burano. Pair it with Lake Como or the Dolomites to fill out a honeymoon. Flights run nine to ten hours with a stop, and spring and autumn avoid both the summer crowds and the winter high water.

Best Time: April to October

42 Venice Attractions

The Amalfi Coast is a run of cliffside towns above the Tyrrhenian Sea, reached through Naples. Positano climbs the hillside in pink and ochre, Ravello sits high above it with garden terraces looking down the coast, and the ferry between them is far more pleasant than the road. Couples can add Capri for a day. Flights are about ten hours with a stop. May, June and September are the sensible months, since August is gridlocked and much of the coast closes in winter.

Best Time: April - June, September - October

Known For : Eiffel Tower Jardin du Luxembourg Montmartre

Paris is rarely a full honeymoon on its own, but it is hard to beat as the first three nights of a longer European trip before taking the train down to Nice or across to Switzerland. Couples can go up the Eiffel Tower after dark, spend a slow afternoon in the Luxembourg gardens, and take a Seine cruise at sunset. Flights are around nine hours direct from Delhi and Mumbai. April to June and September to October are mild and far less crowded than August.

Best Time: April - early October

62 Paris Attractions

Scotland is a driving honeymoon. Start in Edinburgh with the old town and the castle, then head north through Glencoe to Skye for the Quiraing and the Fairy Pools, with castle hotels and distilleries along the way. Couples can take the West Highland Line, one of the most scenic rail journeys in Europe. Flights are around eleven hours with a stop. May to September is the window; the weather is changeable whenever you go.

England works best as a city-and-countryside pairing. London for the first few days, then the Cotswolds for stone villages and country pubs, or the Lake District for walks around Windermere. Trains make it easy without hiring a car. Flights are around nine hours direct. May to September has the best weather and the longest evenings. It is one of the more expensive options here, and a visa is required in advance.

Iceland is the honeymoon for couples who want landscapes rather than beaches. The Golden Circle and the south coast cover waterfalls, black sand and glacier lagoons in a few days, and the Blue Lagoon is an easy first afternoon. Northern lights run roughly September to March, while June gives almost no darkness at all. Flights are around twelve hours with a stop and a Schengen visa is required.

Norway is the fjord trip: the train from Oslo to Bergen, a boat down the Naeroyfjord, and the Lofoten islands further north if you have the days. Couples can chase the northern lights from Tromso between September and March, or take the midnight sun in June and July. Flights run eleven to thirteen hours with a stop and a Schengen visa is required. It is among the most expensive options here.

Kenya is a safari honeymoon rather than a beach one, and it works best in two halves. Couples can spend the first few nights in a tented camp in the Masai Mara, where the river crossings peak between July and October, then wind down at Diani Beach on the Indian Ocean coast. Flights are about seven hours direct from Mumbai. Good camps are expensive per night, and travel authorisation takes time to arrange, so plan early. Packages average around Rs 2,37,000 per person.

South Africa is unusually good value for a long-haul honeymoon, because you get three trips in one. Couples can spend a few days in Cape Town with Table Mountain and the Cape peninsula drive, move on to the Winelands around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, and finish with a safari in or near Kruger. Flights run nine to twelve hours. November to March suits Cape Town and the coast, while May to September is far better for game viewing.

Australia needs at least twelve days and a decent budget, but it covers a lot of ground. Couples can drive the Great Ocean Road out of Melbourne, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, and spend a few days in Sydney around the harbour and Bondi. Flights are twelve to sixteen hours with a stop and a visa is required in advance. Seasons are reversed, so October to April suits the south and May to October the tropical north.

New Zealand needs twelve days or more to justify the flying, but few honeymoons look like it. Couples can drive through Fiordland, take a boat into Milford Sound, and use Queenstown as a base for everything from wine tours to jet boating. Flights are sixteen to twenty hours with stops, which makes this one of the most expensive trips here. Seasons are reversed, so December to February is summer. A visitor visa is required, so apply early.

Fiji is genuinely remote, which is much of the appeal. Couples can stay in an overwater bure, snorkel the soft coral reefs, and island-hop through the Yasawas by catamaran. The catch is the journey: sixteen hours or more with two stops, usually via Australia or New Zealand, so check whether your route needs a transit visa. It is among the most expensive options here. May to October is dry and cooler.

Best Time: July - September

Hawaii is a spectacular but demanding choice for Indian couples. Maui has the Road to Hana, Kauai has the Na Pali cliffs, and the Big Island has black sand beaches and active volcanoes. The obstacles are real: a US visa and roughly twenty hours of flying with two stops, at a higher cost than any European trip here. It makes most sense if you already hold a US visa. April to May and September to October avoid the peak rates.

4 Attractions

Known For : Grand Bahamas Paradise Island Bimini Island

The Bahamas has pink sand on Harbour Island and water so shallow and clear you can wade out for hundreds of metres. Couples can swim with the pigs at Exuma, dive the blue holes, and stay on Paradise Island near Nassau. The complication is the routing: almost every itinerary connects through the United States, so you need a US visa on top of the Bahamian one, and around twenty-four hours of travel. December to April is dry.

Best Time: Anytime except the month of September

11 Bahamas Attractions