

AI generated summary, newsroom reviewed
Three days off work courtesy a long weekend is either just enough time for a proper getaway or barely enough to justify unpacking, and which one it turns into depends entirely on where you point yourself. Raksha Bandhan falls on Friday, August 28, 2026, handing everyone a genuine long weekend through Sunday, August 30. We reveal here how to best take advantage of the Raksha Bandhan 2026 long weekend with our list of 7 best destinations for a 3-day trip. We also reveal cost and travel time details. These holiday destinations include lakes in Udaipur, coffee estates in Coorg, monsoon coastline in Goa and mountain monasteries in Bhutan.
The 7 best destinations to make the most of the Raksha Bandhan 2026 long weekend include Udaipur, Mahabaleshwar, Alibaug, Goa, Rishikesh, Coorg and Munnar. Check out all seven below, including what a short trip to each one actually costs and how realistic the timing is depending on where you are starting from. Think of this as a shortlist for different kinds of escapes, from slow mornings by the sea and heritage stays to cooler hills and easy international breaks.
This is about as easy as a long weekend trip gets. Direct flights from most major Indian cities take under two and a half hours, which leaves two full days on the ground either way you look at it. Late August is also when the lakes in Udaipur are at their fullest for the year, right after peak monsoon, so the palace views are better than they'll be for most of the rest of the year.
Budget: approximately ₹15,000 to ₹35,000 per person for two nights
Getting there: direct flights from most major cities, roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours
For anyone based in Mumbai or Pune, this remains the least complicated pick on the list. It's a road trip rather than a flight, the viewpoints and waterfalls are genuinely dramatic during monsoon, and there's zero risk of losing a day to travel delays the way a flight-dependent trip can.
Budget: approximately ₹8,000 to ₹18,000 per person for two nights
Getting there: roughly 5 hours by road from Mumbai, 2.5 hours from Pune
If you want a beach without touching an airport at all, Alibaug is the simplest option here. A short ferry from Mumbai followed by a half-hour drive gets you there, which means almost the entire three days can be spent actually relaxing rather than travelling.
Budget: approximately ₹10,000 to ₹28,000 per person for two nights
Getting there: ferry from Mumbai, then a 30 to 45 minute drive
Direct flights from most major cities keep this simple, and monsoon Goa in late August is a genuinely different, quieter version of the place most people picture, with lower prices and far fewer crowds than winter.
Budget: approximately ₹12,000 to ₹30,000 per person for two nights
Getting there: direct flights, roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours
A short flight into Dehradun followed by a 45-minute drive makes this one of the easiest hill trips on the list logistically. White-water rafting usually pauses when the Ganga is running this high from monsoon runoff, but everything else, the riverside cafes, the evening Ganga Aarti and the yoga sessions, works just as well, arguably better, with the hills this green.
Budget: approximately ₹8,000 to ₹18,000 per person for two nights
Getting there: fly into Dehradun, then drive about 45 minutes
This one comes with a caveat worth knowing before you book. It's an easy weekend trip if you're flying into Bangalore, where the drive to Coorg runs 4 to 5 hours. Flying in from Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata adds enough extra travel time on both ends that you're realistically down to one full day on the ground, so it's a better fit for anyone based in or near South India.
Budget: approximately ₹12,000 to ₹25,000 per person for two nights
Getting there: fly into Bengaluru, then drive roughly 4 to 5 hours
Jaipur makes an easy three-day escape, especially with direct flights and trains connecting it to major Indian cities. The journey is straightforward enough to leave the better part of the weekend for palace visits, long lunches, old-city walks and a stay in one of the city's characterful heritage hotels.
Budget: approximately ₹10,000 to ₹22,000 per person for two nights
Getting there: fly or take a train to Jaipur; the airport is around 12km from the city centre.