NAINITAL Area in Sq Km : 11.7 Population : 31, 000 By Air Nainital has no airport, the nearest airport is Palam in Delhi (322km). Catch a flight to Palam on any of the major domestic air-carriers. By Train The nearest railhead is Kathgodam (35km from Nainital); there are regular trains from Agra, Delhi, Lucknow and Bareilly. By Road Nainital is well connected by road. Direct buses ply from Delhi (322km). If you're going by car, it takes about nine hours. Mid-April to mid-July and mid-September to mid-November. From the Airport From Palam airport you can hire a taxi or catch a train to Kathgodam. From the Railway Station Buses, taxis and shared jeeps are available through most of the day. You can also rent a car in advance. From the Bus Station Rickshaws will take you to the city centre. Walking is the best way to do this town. Rickshaws are available on shorter routes. For nearby getaways, you can hire a taxi or opt for a shared jeep. If you want a more flexibile itinerary, drive your own vehicle. Nainital has been a labour of love. An English businessman, P Barron, stumbled upon the hamlet of Nainital in 1839. It was love at first visit and he returned again and again to try out his sailing boats on Naini Lake. Another story has it that a local zamindar sold Nainital to Barron for Rs15. Fact or fiction, it is quite a pretty story and one that increases the charm of this hilly retreat. A more authentic version is that, following a landslide in 1880, the town was built from scratch and became the summer capital of the United Province under the British. Among the English-style houses and cottages dotting the town, the Government House (now the secretariat), built in 1899 stands out, as does Gurney House where the hunter-turned-conservator, Jim Corbett lived. Today, Nainital draws visitors for the same reasons as it did Barron more than a century ago. Located in the Kumaon region (spread over the lower Himalayas) in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Nainital is crafted around a picturesque lake enclosed in a hill-chain. Together with the nearby lakes of Bhimtal, Saattal and Nankuchiatal the region is the Lake District of India. Life in Nainital revolves around the lake or the Mall Road. The town may be broadly categorised into the Tallital or the area around the lower part of the lake near the entrance to the town, and the Mallital area around the upper reaches. This area houses the banks, the post office, tourist office, the Nainital Mountaineering Club and other public offices. The Mall with a fringe of beautifully decorated shops and restaurants is the centre of social life in the evenings. . The average temperature is around 20ºC. In peak winter, the mercury may drop to 0 ºC.