Varanasi — Tour Highlights and Travel Tips
Tour Highlights
- Take an early morning boat trip out onto the river for views of the city and the chance to observe the faithful completing their ritual ablutions in the holy river — an unforgettable sight.
- Visit Manikarnika Ghat, the most famous of the so-called ‘Burning Ghats’, to witness the macabre but emotive spectacle of Hindu cremation ceremonies.
- Pay homage at the Vishwanatha temple, also known as the Golden Temple.
- Explore the labyrinth streets of the Old City on foot. If you lose your bearings, just head to the river to find your way back.
- Watch the Agni Puja ceremony that takes place every evening at Dasaswamedh Ghat, the main ghat.
- Take a popular day trip 10km north of Varanasi to Sarnath, the site where the Buddha gave his first sermon. There is an archaeological park, temples representing the main Buddhist countries and a bodhi tree grown from an offshoot of the one under which the Buddha gained enlightenment.
Travel Tips
- Hotels away from the center may be more comfortable and perhaps better value, but for the full experience, consider staying in the atmospheric Old City during your Varanasi tour.
- Varanasi can be uncomfortably hot in the summer months. The best time for your trip to Varanasi is from October to March when temperatures are pleasantly cool. Bring something warm to wear in the evenings.
- The rooftops of Varanasi are patrolled by troops of macaques and langurs. If you are staying in a hotel with a rooftop terrace, be careful with your belongings — monkeys have been known to carry off cameras and other valuables as well as any food they can manage to pilfer!
- Since Varanasi is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, you will need to remain alert for scams. A common one involves rickshaw drivers telling you there is a problem at your hotel before offering to take you somewhere else. Insist on being taken to your hotel — and if they still refuse, politely get out and find another driver.
- The Ganges may be Hinduism’s holiest river, but it is also incredibly polluted. If you decide to join the faithful for morning ablutions, make sure you don’t drink the water.
- If Varanasi isn’t your dream destination, worry not! There are plenty of places to explore on an India trip.