Uttar Pradesh
Varanasi
✓ Last verified Oct 2026
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
🛂 Your travel passport
- Best Jan–Mar, Oct–Dec
- 80 m altitude
- Spiritual
- Heritage
- Food trails
One of the world's oldest living cities, centred on the ghats of the Ganga.
Prices and timings are estimates, so please confirm before you book. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us.
Overview
Varanasi is a major pilgrimage city on the Ganga, with 80-odd ghats, narrow lanes and constant ritual. The experience is intense: crowded, noisy and deeply human. Winter is best for walking; summer is very hot and the monsoon brings flood-level rivers.
Best time to visit
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● best time · ◐ okay · ✕ best avoided (May–Jul)
How to reach
By rail
12 h from Delhi (fast trains)Varanasi Junction is on the main Delhi–Kolkata route; Banaras (Manduadih) is another station.
By air
~1 h to cityLal Bahadur Shastri airport has flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and others.
Where to stay
Near Dashashwamedh Ghat
₹800–6,000 / nightClose to the aarti; lanes are narrow so book places with clear directions.
Assi Ghat side
₹700–5,000 / nightCafés, yoga and long-stay travellers.
Things to do
Sunrise boat ride
1.5 hGhats look their best at dawn; agree a fixed boat price first.
Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat
1 hEvening ritual; arrive early or watch from a boat.
Kashi Vishwanath Corridor
2 hThe temple area has been redeveloped; check rules for phones and bags.
Sarnath
Half dayBuddhist site where the Buddha gave his first sermon, 10 km away.
Food
Kachori sabzi, malaiyo and lassi
₹50–300Breakfast and sweets in the old lanes.
Safety & permits
Safety notes
Be respectful at cremation ghats: no photos. Watch for touts and agree prices. Lanes are slippery during monsoon.
Phone network & ATMs
Good.
Places in Varanasi
Sights
- Assi Ghat
Southern ghat with cafés and morning music.
- Dashashwamedh Ghat
Main ghat for the evening aarti.
- Sarnath
Buddhist site with stupas and a museum.
Itineraries for Varanasi
Tips & questions
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