VaranasiTravel Guide
One of the world's oldest living cities, where Hindu pilgrims descend stone ghats to the Ganges for prayer, fire rituals and farewell.
Is Varanasi right for you?
October to March
Around 40°C by day in May, 22°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.
Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.
We publish a multi-day route for this one.
October to March
Average daily highs, recorded at Varanasi, 1991-2020 normals.
Where this comes from
India Meteorological Department (en.wikipedia Varanasi weather box)
Budget
Typical cost profile for visitors
- Pokhara, Nepal340 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in March, October, November
- Kathmandu, Nepal360 km
half a day's travel · both good in March, October, November
- Agra540 km
half a day's travel · both good in January, February, March · a different price level (mixed)
- Delhi680 km
a full travel day · both good in January, February, March · a different price level (mixed)
Pokhara
AgraFinding Varanasi
Reading Varanasi
Cheap Eats in Varanasi That Outperform Their Price Tag
Varanasi's old-city lanes hold one of India's great vegetarian street-food cultures - here is what to eat, in what order, what it costs, and when in the year it actually works.
The Varanasi Neighborhoods Most Visitors Never See
Past the Dashashwamedh corridor lie the quarters where Varanasi actually lives: the scholars' lanes of Bengali Tola, the looms of Madanpura, the wrestling pits below Tulsi Ghat, and the fort and the stupa across the water.
The Ganges Runs North Here. Plan Varanasi in the Same Direction.
The river bends north past Varanasi and its ghats are counted in the same direction, from Assi in the south to the city's newest riverfront in the north: a four-day route built to follow that line.
Four Mornings in Varanasi: The Afternoons Are the Hard Part
Varanasi runs on a split shift rather than on days, so here is how many of them the city is actually worth and the order that makes them work.
Varanasi for First-Timers: A Guide to the City on the Ganges
Nothing in India — nothing anywhere — prepares you for Varanasi. Here is how to meet the holy city on its own terms: by boat, on foot, and with respect.
Varanasi in Widening Circles: Four Days From the Ghats Outward
Varanasi rewards four days if you plan them as rings - the water, the lanes behind it, Sarnath, and the far bank - and this is the order that makes each one land.
Varanasi, framed
What we'd do in Varanasi
See and do
- Madanpura and the weaving quarters
Banarasi brocade carries a geographical indication registered in 2009 under the name Banaras Brocades and Sarees, covering handloom work from Varanasi and a handful of neighbouring districts.
Read: The Varanasi Neighborhoods Most Visitors Never See - The ghats are the city
Everything in Varanasi flows to the riverfront.
Read: Varanasi for First-Timers: A Guide to the City on the Ganges - Ganga aarti at night
Every evening at Dashashwamedh Ghat, priests perform the aarti — a synchronised fire ritual of lamps, bells, incense and chant that draws huge crowds on the steps and in boats offshore.
Read: Varanasi for First-Timers: A Guide to the City on the Ganges - Beyond the river
The gold-spired Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is among Hinduism's holiest shrines; its recently expanded corridor now links it directly to the river.
Read: Varanasi for First-Timers: A Guide to the City on the Ganges - Eating in the holy city
Breakfast on kachori-sabzi and hot jalebis in the old-city lanes Try malaiyyo, a saffron milk-foam sweet sold on winter mornings Finish meals with the city's famous banarasi paan The old town is largely vegetarian and alcohol-free near the ghats Tip: Get lost on purpose — the lanes behind the ghats are the real Varanasi — but do it in daylight hours first, and drop a pin at your guesthouse.
Read: Varanasi for First-Timers: A Guide to the City on the Ganges
Eat and drink
- The map is smaller than you think
Nearly every shop worth crossing the city for sits inside a rectangle you could walk end to end in about fifteen minutes, assuming the lanes are moving.
Read: Cheap Eats in Varanasi That Outperform Their Price Tag - Sweets worth a detour
Shree Rajbandhu Sweets, in the Kachori Gali stretch of Chowk, is where to go for launglata, and its malai gilauri, kaju magdal and tiranga barfi are worth a sideways look at the counter while you wait.
Read: Cheap Eats in Varanasi That Outperform Their Price Tag - Eating fearlessly without being reckless
Stick to fried, boiled or griddled items served scorching hot.
Read: Cheap Eats in Varanasi That Outperform Their Price Tag - Three eating windows
kachori at dawn, sweets and seasonal dishes late morning, chaat after dark
Read: Cheap Eats in Varanasi That Outperform Their Price Tag
Practical essentials for India
Indian rupee (INR)
Hindi and English are the Union's official languages alongside 22 scheduled languages; English is widely used in cities and tourism.
Type C/D/M, 230V 50Hz
Indian Railways links the cities and Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur have metros with their own smart cards and QR tickets; in town it is app taxis and auto-rickshaws.
Not obligatory but common — round the bill up or leave 5–10% where no service charge appears, and small notes for porters and drivers.
Tap water is not safe to drink — use sealed bottled or properly filtered water and avoid ice from unknown sources.
Left-hand side; the 1949 International Driving Permit is required alongside your national licence.
112 (unified); 100 police, 108 ambulance, 101 fire
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Thailand
Laos
Kazakhstan
Sri Lanka