Varanasi in 5 days

The eternal city on the Ganges: dawn boat rides, fire rituals and India at its most raw and radiant. Best time to visit: October-March. Average daily budget: $25 to $70 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Dashashwamedh Ghat, The main ghat and the stage for the nightly Ganga aarti fire ceremony.

Morning: Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges. Push off in the dark and watch the ghats turn gold as the city bathes and prays.

Afternoon: Explore Dashashwamedh Ghat, The main ghat and the stage for the nightly Ganga aarti fire ceremony.

Evening: Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh. Brass lamps, bells and chanting priests every evening, best watched from a moored boat.

Eat: Kachori sabzi with jalebi, the classic Banarasi breakfast

Day 2, Iconic sights

Base: Assi Ghat, The calmer southern end, popular with students, yoga classes and morning music.

Morning: Walk the ghats end to end. A five-kilometre riverside stroll past palaces, wrestlers, laundry and pilgrims.

Afternoon: Explore Assi Ghat, The calmer southern end, popular with students, yoga classes and morning music.

Evening: Day trip to Sarnath. The Dhamek Stupa and archaeological museum where Buddhism began.

Eat: Malaiyo, a winter-only saffron milk foam whipped in the dew

Day 3, Local neighbourhoods

Base: Manikarnika Ghat, The principal cremation ghat, sacred, constantly burning and photography-forbidden.

Morning: Subah-e-Banaras, the free dawn classical music and yoga session at Assi Ghat.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Manikarnika Ghat, The principal cremation ghat, sacred, constantly burning and photography-forbidden.

Evening: Ramnagar Fort across the river, a crumbling maharaja's palace with an eccentric museum.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Tamatar chaat and chena dahi vada in the Godowlia lanes

Day 4, Day trip or nature

Base: Vishwanath Gali, The lane of silk, sweets and shrines leading to the golden Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Morning: The akharas, open-air wrestling pits near Tulsi Ghat, busiest at sunrise.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Vishwanath Gali, The lane of silk, sweets and shrines leading to the golden Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Evening: Blue Lassi, a tiny shop in the lanes serving clay-pot lassi since the 1920s.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Banarasi paan, the city's ceremonial betel leaf finish

Day 5, Slow finish

Base: Sarnath, Ten kilometres out, where the Buddha gave his first sermon among stupas and museums.

Morning: Slow start: coffee in Sarnath, then an unhurried walk before the heat or the crowds.

Afternoon: Explore Sarnath, Ten kilometres out, where the Buddha gave his first sermon among stupas and museums.

Evening: Dinner at Kachori sabzi with jalebi, the classic Banarasi breakfast, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in Sarnath.

Eat: Kachori sabzi with jalebi, the classic Banarasi breakfast

Hidden gems

Subah-e-Banaras, the free dawn classical music and yoga session at Assi Ghat.
Ramnagar Fort across the river, a crumbling maharaja's palace with an eccentric museum.
The akharas, open-air wrestling pits near Tulsi Ghat, busiest at sunrise.
Blue Lassi, a tiny shop in the lanes serving clay-pot lassi since the 1920s.

Getting around

Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport is 25 km out, about 45 to 60 minutes by taxi. Trains link Delhi (8 to 12 hours), Agra and Kolkata. In the old city, walking is the only option since the lanes are too narrow for cars; auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws cover the wider city, and boats are the best way to move along the river.

Safety

Varanasi is generally safe but relentlessly hustly: expect touts, unofficial 'guides' and inflated boat prices, so agree fares before setting off. Never photograph cremations at Manikarnika, and politely refuse anyone demanding 'donations for wood'. Solo women should dress modestly and avoid the unlit lanes late at night. Don't swim in the Ganges here, and stick to bottled water and hot, freshly cooked food.

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