Are we sleeping on Rishikesh as a superb Hobbiday destination?

It was supposed to be just another long-weekend trip to Rishikesh. The itinerary was set: Day 1 to unwind and shop around Lakshman Jhula, Days 2 and 3 for a camping getaway near Neer Waterfall, and Day 4 reserved for the must-do rafting and Ganga Aarti at Sai Ghat before heading back to Delhi at night.

Having been to Rishikesh twice already, there wasn’t much excitement. The thrill of heading to a new travel destination was obviously absent. This trip was just a FOMO-driven move. A change of scenery becomes almost compulsory as soon as a long weekend is at the doorstep.

Yet, I returned home with a completely different impression of the holy city, along with a strong longing to go back for at least a month, for a Hobbiday. It was the narrow, uphill, lively streets of Tapovan that changed everything.

By the way, Hobbiday is a portmanteau of the words hobby and holiday. It is an upgraded, experiential version of a regular holiday. You don’t chase itineraries or pose at touristy hotspots on a Hobbiday. Instead, you leave your laptop screens behind to embrace a more analog life, indulging in hobbies you probably last explored decades ago in school.

What to do in Rishikesh (beyond rafting)

As I strolled through Tapovan with my younger sister on Day 1 to mark attendance at the shortlisted, Instagram-famous cafes, I found myself stopping every few minutes. The reason? Poster stickers plastered across walls and poles: “Learn sound healing.” “Art classes for the soul.” “3-day pottery workshops.” “We teach classical music here.”

Every wall, street, door, and even entire buildings carry ads for a bevy of classes and courses. Yoga classes, of course, dominate the scene. After all, Rishikesh is the yoga capital of the world.

Every few steps, you will find a yogashala (or yoga learning centre), where both Indians and foreigners enrol in courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels. For many visitors, and at several resorts and stays, yoga is part of a broader holistic wellness getaway.

But it is far from the only thing you can learn in Rishikesh. Imagine stopping by a jewellery shop, only to end up in a three-hour workshop, and walking out with a silver pendant you crafted yourself.

You can sign up for such sessions at Ganga Silver Art, a store near Laxman Jhula. Workshops cost Rs 1,500 per session, with an additional charge for the silver used (approximately Rs 300 per gram). You can also learn to create jewellery using special stones.

When I wandered into a tiny store for its dreamy crochet dreamcatchers and jewellery, I expected nothing more than a quick browse. Instead, I discovered that the shop owner also teaches the art of crocheting.

There is no dearth of music and instrumental classes either. From sitar and harmonium to tabla and singing classes, you can spend hours or weeks brushing up your skills, or learn anything from scratch.

You can easily find pottery classes as well. Beyond one-time workshops, places like Aavya offer multi-day arts and pottery retreats, perfect for a hands-on creative journey for those who want to slow down, reconnect with their inner artist, and experience the grounding joy of working with earth, colour, and nature.

Think of hobbies, and pottery is often the top option. There are several pottery studios across Tapovan where you can sign up for short workshops or immersive multi-day retreats. But the hobby menu in Rishikesh extends far beyond clay.

You will stumble upon studios offering aerial yoga and hammock fitness, where workouts feel more like playful experimentation than routine exercise. There are sound healing sessions that use singing bowls and gongs to induce deep relaxation, a sensory experience that feels both ancient and avant-garde. Apart from participating in those sessions, you can also learn to practise them.

If food is your love language, cooking classes let you learn everything from sattvic meals to local Pahaadi cuisine. Music lovers can explore handpan classes like those at Kutani Handpan Academy, where the instrument produces melodies that sync well with Rishikesh’s meditative energy.

Rishikesh: A learning playground for adults

What makes Rishikesh’s hobbiday ecosystem especially appealing is its low-commitment, high-reward structure. You don’t have to sign up for a month-long course or rewire your schedule.

Many workshops run daily, making it easy to experiment: try pottery one day, sound healing the next, and handpan the day after. If something truly resonates, you can always extend it into a multi-day or long-term learning experience. This freedom to sample without pressure transforms a simple vacation into a personal, curiosity-driven journey.

In that sense, Rishikesh is not just a spiritual retreat or adventure hub. It is an open-air learning campus, a playground for adults eager to reconnect with forgotten interests or discover new ones. Almost without realising it, you slow down, unplug, and replace checklist sightseeing with hands-on experiences.

No wonder my itinerary went for a toss this time. Unlike my previous family trips that revolved around ticking off activities and tourist spots in Rishikesh, this one with my cousin turned into an eye-opener: Rishikesh is so much more than rafting and wellness, and it is time we stop overlooking it as one of India’s most exciting Hobbiday destinations.