Amritsar in 3 days

The Golden Temple, the world's biggest free kitchen and Punjab's loudest, warmest welcome. Best time to visit: November-March. Average daily budget: $20 to $55 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Golden Temple / Heritage Street, The pedestrianised approach to Harmandir Sahib, with the best-located stays.

Morning: Golden Temple before sunrise. Walk the marble parikrama as the Guru Granth Sahib is carried in and kirtan starts.

Afternoon: Explore Golden Temple / Heritage Street, The pedestrianised approach to Harmandir Sahib, with the best-located stays.

Evening: Eat in the langar. Sit cross-legged with thousands for free dal and roti, then volunteer washing steel plates.

Eat: Amritsari kulcha with chole, cooked in a tandoor and drowned in butter

Day 2, Go deeper

Base: Old City bazaars, Katra Jaimal Singh and Hall Bazaar: fabric, phulkari, jutti shoes and street food.

Morning: Partition Museum. The world's only museum of 1947, told through survivor testimony a short walk from the temple.

Afternoon: Explore Old City bazaars, Katra Jaimal Singh and Hall Bazaar: fabric, phulkari, jutti shoes and street food.

Evening: Wagah border ceremony. High-kicking guards, roaring crowds and the daily flag lowering on the Pakistan frontier.

Eat: Amritsari fish fry: ajwain-spiced river fish in gram-flour batter

Day 3, Hidden side

Base: Lawrence Road, Modern cafes, ice-cream parlours and Amritsar's evening promenade.

Morning: Gobindgarh Fort at night for the Punjabi food street and sound-and-light show.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Lawrence Road, Modern cafes, ice-cream parlours and Amritsar's evening promenade.

Evening: Jallianwala Bagh's bullet-marked walls and the well, minutes from the temple.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Makhan-heavy dal makhani and lassi in a steel tumbler

Hidden gems

Gobindgarh Fort at night for the Punjabi food street and sound-and-light show.
Jallianwala Bagh's bullet-marked walls and the well, minutes from the temple.
Durgiana Temple, a Hindu mirror of the Golden Temple on its own tank.
The 24-hour roti machine and the giant langar kitchen tour behind the dining halls.

Getting around

Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport is about 11km from the centre with direct flights from Delhi and the Gulf. Trains from Delhi take 6 to 7 hours on the fast Shatabdi and Vande Bharat services. In town, auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and app cabs cover everything; the temple area itself is pedestrianised and easily walked. Wagah is 30km east, about an hour by taxi.

Safety

Amritsar is welcoming and generally safe, including for solo women, though the crowds are dense and pickpocketing happens near the temple gates. Cover your head, remove shoes and leave leather items at the counters before entering the Golden Temple; alcohol and tobacco are prohibited inside. Summers exceed 40C, so plan indoor midday hours. At Wagah, arrive early, expect airport-style security and carry nothing but your phone and passport copy.

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