Mumbai's best stretch: dry, sunny days with virtually no rain and cooler evenings, though days can still get surprisingly hot. Nights turn genuinely cool by local standards, sometimes dropping below 20°C, so a light sweatshirt is worth packing. This is also the busiest, priciest window for hotels.

This tier spans real variety. March through May bring the pre-monsoon heat, dry but intensely hot, sometimes reaching the high 30s. October and November sit just after the monsoon, still hot and occasionally reaching similar highs, though the rain has largely stopped. September is the tail of the monsoon, rain easing but still a real presence, and typically when the city's biggest festival, Ganesh Chaturthi, takes over the streets.

The heart of the southwest monsoon, when rain falls almost daily and can turn torrential, July alone averages well over half a meter of rain. Flooding and transit disruption are common in low-lying areas, and the sky stays overcast for days at a stretch. Hotel prices drop to their lowest point of the year to match.