Ganges ghats, India's holiest city. Here is when to go, what a day costs on site and what to see, then Okela composes your itinerary hour by hour.

Compose my trip to VaranasiSee Varanasi in Okela

When to visit Varanasi

Best months: January, February, March, October, November and December.

What to see in Varanasi

1. Ghat Dashashwamedh (Ganga Aarti)
   This broad stone staircase descends to the Ganges in the heart of the old city, and it is one of the best places to feel the sacred rhythm of Varanasi.
2. Balade en barque sur le Gange (aube)
   Drifting along the river at sunrise lets you see Varanasi from the water: the ghats wake up one by one, with ritual bathing, laundry drying on the steps and pilgrims moving in the early light.
3. Ghat Manikarnika
   Manikarnika is one of the oldest cremation grounds in Varanasi, where, according to tradition, the pyre fire is never allowed to go out.
4. Sarnath
   Sarnath is where the Buddha gave his first teaching after his awakening, the Deer Park sermon, which makes it one of the four principal pilgrimage sites of Buddhism.
5. Temple Kashi Vishwanath
   Dedicated to Shiva and one of the twelve jyotirlingas, this temple sits at the spiritual heart of Varanasi, a city Hinduism regards as its most sacred.
6. Ghat Assi
   Assi Ghat sits at the southern end of Varanasi, where the small Assi river meets the Ganges.
7. Université hindoue de Bénarès (BHU)
   Founded in 1916 by Madan Mohan Malaviya, the university is one of India's largest residential teaching institutions, and its campus offers a rare contrast with the bustle of the old city's lanes.
8. Brown Bread Bakery

A sample itinerary for Varanasi, three days

Composed by Okela from the places in its database, with times. Yours takes your dates, pace and group into account.

Budget

Expect about €32 per person per day on site (accommodation, meals, transport and visits), depending on the comfort you choose. Okela shows the price of every step of your itinerary.

My Varanasi itinerary, hour by hour

More destinations: India

Photo: Marcin Białek, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.