Dazzling Diwali Destinations

Today, the five-day Festival of Lights erupts all across India. But if you’re travelling during November and want to join in the Diwali fun, where should you go for the best fireworks and the biggest parties? We give you the scoop below.

(PS: To keep things simple, we’ve chosen to focus on India for this article. But there are a ton of other countries that have their own equally epic Diwali celebrations - we’d especially recommend Mauritius and Singapore for their glorious light displays.)

For the lights: Jaipur

Once a year, the “Pink City” turns a fiery golden - as you can see from the pic above, Jaipur takes its Diwali illuminations incredibly seriously.

In the run-up to the festival, everything from the city markets and modern skyscrapers to the city’s historical landmarks will be ablaze in glorious colour.

Industrial-scale LED lights have replaced the traditional earthen lanterns across much of Jaipur, but while the modern approach may not be quite as charming, it certainly turns up the wow factor. (Jaipur Beat has a great list featuring eight of the city’s brightest spots).

You can expect big crowds of international and Indian tourists alike. Remember to stay safe out on the streets of the city, too - every year during the festival, Jaipur experiences a huge spike in night-time drunk-driving.

How do I get there?

To get to Jaipur Airport from the UK, you’ll need to switch flights - Delhi and Bangalore are both handy cross-over points.

For the party: Goa

All across the coastal paradise of Goa, Diwali is celebrated as the victory of the god Krishna over the demon Narkasur - sunlight defeating darkness.

But because everyone loves a baddie, Narkasur ends up getting a lot of the attention, which gives Goa’s Diwali a very specific, and uniquely spooky, party atmosphere.

Every year, contests are held in the villages of Goa to create their own giant effigies of the demon - some as big as 25 feet tall. These magnificent monsters are then paraded through the streets (with prizes for the biggest and scariest) and knocked over, kicked, or burnt at dawn - or better yet, packed with fireworks and exploded.

You can also expect Goa’s legendary nightlife to be taken to the next level during Diwali. Think night-long parties with a side-order of psychedelic trance music!

While Diwali is usually a five-day festival, in Goa the partying takes place on a single night. Double-check your dates to make sure you don’t miss out!

How do I get there?

Direct flights to Goa are easy enough - Air India flies there twice a week from Heathrow, while TUI goes from Gatwick.

But remember that Goa is a state, not a city. You’ll want to figure out your local transport options once you arrive, especially if you want to take in everything in a single trip (the general wisdom is that North Goa is better for nightlife, and South Goa is best for a relaxing time at the beach).

For the beauty: Varanasi (Dev Diwali)

More than a few travellers have found themselves in a muddle about the difference between Diwali and Dev Diwali, which takes place a few weeks after the main event every year.

But don’t let the name fool you - Dev Diwali is no knock-off, and for the savvy traveller, it’s a great opportunity to experience some of India’s grandest festivities a little later in November. (This year, it falls on the 18th.)

While the Festival of Lights is celebrated globally, Dev Diwali’s biggest events are mostly localised in the ancient, holy city of Varanasi in northern India.

On Dev Diwali, it’s believed that the gods themselves descend from the heavens to wash themselves in the waters of the Ganges near Varanasi.

Head to the city in late November and you’ll see the streets come awash with golden light - the gorgeous stepped ghats on either side of the riverbank will be lit up on either side with glimmering lanterns, and processions of Hindu deities will be paraded through the streets.

Book yourself a hotel with a riverview (and do it quickly - they’re in high demand throughout November!)

How do I get there?

Direct flights from the UK aren’t a possibility, unfortunately - you’ll need to catch a local flight from one of the major Indian cities (Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad are all options).

If you’re up for a bit of an adventure, you could also try catching the 11-hour sleeper train from New Delhi to Varanasi - just make sure you pick the right class of compartment for your comfort levels (air conditioning is a must!) and read up on other travellers’ experiences.

Our Pick of the Clicks

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• In an effort to boost public transport use, Austria has launched its new ‘climate ticket’, offering nationwide travel on bus, rail, tram and metro - all for just €3.50 a day.
• Lonely Planet offers up their picks for the top travel destinations of 2022.
• The small Australian town of Cowra has successfully lured Marvel star Chris Hemsworth to visit - by offering to build a 40-metre-high statue of him. (Bet he'll be a sight for Thor eyes.)
• The CEO of Spanx has surprised her employees with two first-class plane tickets and $10,000 each.
• A brand-new high-speed passenger train between China and Laos has just completed its first test run. (It’ll officially open for business on 2nd December.)
• Well, well, this is pretty swell - Conde Nast has been ranking the world’s best surf spots.

Just The Facts...about passenger duty

As part of last week’s Budget speech, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a series of changes to the ‘passenger duty’ tax that applies to all flights taking off from British airports.

But what does it all mean? Here’s everything you need to know:

What’s happening?

• In a bid to improve the fortunes of regional airports and encourage more local air travel, the tax on all domestic UK flights will now be halved (from £13 on one-way economy flights to just £6.50).
• Long-haul international journeys - between 2,000 and 5,500 miles from the UK - will be taxed an extra £3 per flight in economy.
• And ultra-long-haul flights of over 5,500 miles, which includes destinations like Japan, Singapore, and Australia, will be taxed an extra £7 per flight in economy.
• Short-haul international flights to destinations like EU countries won’t be affected either way.

What’s the impact?

• Rishi has insisted that everything will even out for travellers financially, and 95% of passengers will end up paying more or less the same as they were before.
• However, the news (and the fact that the UK Government is encouraging domestic air travel at the same time as it hosts an emergency climate summit) has not gone down well with environmentalist groups. Friends of the Earth asks, “Is this really what we need during a climate crisis?”
• The Lib Dems claim that the changes will result in an extra 91 million kg of CO2 emissions.
• The aviation industry is also annoyed, but for the opposite reason - they’re worried that the additional tax on long-haul flights will hurt their post-COVID recovery.

The A-Z Of Amazing Cities: Copenhagen

As travel opens up, we’re shining a spotlight on the incredible cities of the world, offering tips and inspiration for your next weekend break (a huge thank-you to the members who suggested this column!)

Cast your mind back to 2016, after Scandi-noir drama The Killing became an international TV hit, and you might remember a ton of excitement in the papers over the so-called Danish way of life, or ‘hygge’.

(It was, as it turned out, mostly a marketing gimmick by savvy UK booksellers.)

For Danish people, hygge isn't a trendy lifestyle that you buy into with knitted sweaters or scented candles. It’s a simple feeling of comfort and cosiness - an evening spent indoors in warmth and relaxation on a cold winter’s evening.

You see where we’re going with this. As temperatures drop and the snow begins to fall, now is the perfect time for a cosy, cuddly, hygge-y weekend away in the charming city of Copenhagen...

What’s the COVID situation?

Denmark’s current entry rules can be a little confusing.

• If you’re fully vaccinated, or you’ve been previously infected with coronavirus, and you’re arriving from the EU or an OECD country (including the UK and USA), you’re free to enter. You won’t need to self-isolate or even take a COVID test upon arrival.
• If you haven’t been vaccinated or previously infected, you’ll need to self-isolate for ten days. But don't despair - you can cut your isolation short after just four days by passing a PCR test.

Artsy Town or Party Town?

You no longer need a virus passport to enter Danish nightclubs, which makes this the perfect time to check out Copenhagen’s eclectic and ever-growing party scene.

The city really does have a little bit of everything, from old-fashioned smokey ‘brown bars’ and wineries to underground techno raves, so you’re bound to find a venue that fits your vibe.

But for our money, the real treat is Copenhill. This towering 1480-foot artificial ski slope, built on top of an eco-friendly power plant, opened for the first time in October 2019 - so international travellers only had a few months to enjoy it before the pandemic hit.

Get your goggles on, take a pic of the epic views, and then stop by the cafe for some afterski fun with a glass of glogg.

Credit: Max Mestour and Amelie Louys

Who are the local experts?

For lifestyle tips and shopping advice, we’d bookmark Deljige Days - this blog has a great focus on sustainable fashion and second-hand shopping across Copenhagen, but also offers recommendations for cheap days out.

And when it comes to foodies, you’re spoilt for choice - Copenhagen has a trendy, exciting and sometimes downright nutty restaurant scene.

Besides the famous Noma and Geranium, which have just been crowned the Best and Second-Best restaurants in the world, there’s up-and-coming joints like Alchemist, which offers live music and immersive experiences alongside dishes of raw jellyfish and ant cheese.

To help you make sense of it all, you should check out Gourmets, a blog from local journalist Rasmus Palsgård which tackles the fanciest eateries the city has to offer. (You will have to wrangle with Google Translate).

The world’s most repulsive Rapunzel incident - how would you react if the passenger in front of you slung their very long hair over their airline seat?

Thanks for reading!