Varanasi

Varanasi Tour Packages

A Varanasi package costs roughly ₹20,000 to ₹42,000 per person, and getting there from South India is easier than most people realise: Bengaluru has around seven nonstop flights a day to Varanasi on three airlines, about two and a half hours, with daily nonstops from Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai too.

Varanasi rewards planning more than almost any Indian city, and for one specific reason: the day runs on temple time. The Kashi Vishwanath darshan queue stops completely during each of its five daily aartis. The evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh starts at a time that shifts through the year and needs a seat or a boat secured before it. Get those two schedules right and two nights is enough. Get them wrong and you spend the trip queuing.

Below: what darshan actually costs and how to book it through the temple’s own portal, real aarti timings, what the river does in monsoon, and Dev Deepawali on 24 November 2026 the one night the ghats are lit end to end.

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Varanasi trip at a glance

Do you need a visa or permit for Varanasi?

No. Varanasi is a domestic destination. There is no visa, permit, e-registration or advance step of any kind a valid government photo ID (Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence or passport) covers travel and hotel check-in, and no permits are needed for Varanasi or Sarnath.

Getting here needs nothing. Getting your days right needs three things, and they’re the whole difference between a good Varanasi trip and a frustrating one:

1. The aarti schedules, which set the shape of every day here.

2. Darshan and aarti passes, booked ahead through the temple’s own portal.

3. The river’s condition, which in monsoon months decides whether boats run at all.

Each is covered below.

Kashi Vishwanath what darshan costs and how to book it

The temple is the reason most people come, and it is the part of the trip where a little preparation saves hours.

The scheduling rule that matters most: the darshan queue pauses completely during each of the five daily aarti windows. If you arrive mid-aarti you wait, whichever ticket you hold. We build every Varanasi itinerary around these windows rather than against them.

What you cannot carry inside: mobile phones, bags, cameras and leather items are prohibited. Cloakrooms exist nearby but add time. Travel light on your darshan morning — it changes how long the whole thing takes.

On the men outside offering “VIP darshan”: the temple’s official fast-track ticket is Sugam Darshan, at a published rate on the portal above. Prices quoted in the lanes outside are routinely several times that, sometimes for access that isn’t sold at all. We book through the temple’s own portal at the published rate and we’ll tell you exactly what it costs when we quote.

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The Ganga Aarti where to be, and when

The evening aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat is the one everyone photographs: seven priests, brass lamps, conch shells, an hour of ritual on the riverfront. It is genuinely worth the crowd.

• The start time shifts with the season earlier through the winter, later in summer. We confirm the exact time for your dates rather than printing a number that’s wrong half the year.

• Arrive early or take a boat. Ghat seating fills well before the aarti begins. A boat on the river gives you the view the photographs are taken from, and is the better option for anyone who’d struggle standing in a crowd.

• Assi Ghat has a morning aarti Subah-e-Banaras that is quieter, gentler and often the one people remember more fondly. If you only have one aarti in you, consider this one.

• On Dev Deepawali the evening aarti is the longest of the year. See below.

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Dev Deepawali 24 November 2026

On Kartik Purnima, lakhs of earthen diyas are lit across all 84 ghats and the riverfront becomes a continuous line of light from Assi to Rajghat. It is the single most spectacular night in Varanasi’s year.

Ganga Mahotsav runs in the days immediately before, so arriving two or three days early gives you the festival build-up as well as the night itself.

Ask about Dev Deepawali 2026 →

Varanasi in the monsoon the honest version

Most pages will tell you the monsoon is humid but quieter. Here is what actually happens when the Ganga rises, which it does most years between July and September:

• Boat operations are suspended by the district administration once the river crosses its warning level. Not reduced stopped, with disaster-response teams on the water.

• The Ganga Aarti moves off the ghat, conducted from the rooftops of adjoining buildings when the lower steps at Dashashwamedh are underwater.

• Ghat access is cut off. In high-water years the ghats are submerged and the riverfront walk simply isn’t available.

• Cremations at Manikarnika and Harishchandra shift to raised platforms and rooftops.

The sunrise boat ride and the evening aarti are the two experiences a Varanasi trip is built on, and in a flood period you can lose both. We don’t recommend Varanasi between July and September, and if those are your only dates we’ll say so, build in flexibility, and weight the itinerary towards the temples and Sarnath, which are unaffected.

If you want the city at its best: October to March, and ideally October–November or February–March.

Choose your Varanasi itinerary

Classic Kashi 3 Days / 2 Nights

Best for first-time visitors and short spiritual breaks

• Day 1: Arrive, check in near the ghats, evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh with pre-booked seating or a boat.

• Day 2: Sunrise boat ride from Assi; Kashi Vishwanath darshan on a pre-booked slot, timed around the aarti windows; Sankat Mochan, Durga Temple and Tulsi Manas in the afternoon.

• Day 3: Morning ghat walk or Subah-e-Banaras at Assi, then departure.

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Kashi & Sarnath 4 Days / 3 Nights

Best for travellers who want both the Hindu and Buddhist heritage

The Classic Kashi itinerary plus a half or full day at Sarnath the Dhamek Stupa, the Ashokan remains, the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar and the archaeological museum. Calmer, greener and a genuine change of pace after the intensity of the old city.

Kashi in Depth 5 Days / 4 Nights

Best for repeat visitors, photographers and slower travellers

Both aartis, more of the temple cluster, Ramnagar Fort across the river, the Banarasi silk weaving quarters, and enough unstructured time to walk the lanes properly.

Dev Deepawali in Kashi 4 Days / 3 Nights

November 2026 only

Arriving before the crowd, Ganga Mahotsav in the build-up, and a pre-booked boat for the 24 November evening.

Going further into Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi combines naturally with Prayagraj (about 120 km) and Ayodhya (about 200 km) on a 5–7 night circuit, and with Gaya and Bodhgaya (about 250 km, in the neighbouring state of Bihar) for a fuller Buddhist route. Those circuits and their itineraries are on our [Uttar Pradesh page].

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Varanasi package cost

Bayard’s Varanasi and Varanasi-circuit packages run from ₹20,000 per person for a short Kashi trip to ₹42,000 per person for a seven-day circuit taking in Ayodhya and Lucknow.

What sits outside the package price

• Airfare or rail tickets, unless you ask us to bundle them.

• Paid darshan and aarti slots at Kashi Vishwanath, quoted separately at the temple’s published rate so you can see exactly what you’re paying.

• Boat hire beyond what’s included, and additional aarti evenings.

• Guide fees at Sarnath and Ramnagar, where taken.

• Personal expenses, shopping and tips.

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Getting to Varanasi from your city

Varanasi is one of the best-connected non-metro cities in India from the south. Bengaluru alone has around seven nonstop flights a day on three airlines.

From the airport: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) is at Babatpur, about 45–60 minutes from the ghat-area hotels, longer in traffic. Worth factoring in if you’re hoping to make the aarti on arrival day.

By train: the two main stations are Varanasi Junction (BSB), the principal terminus, and Banaras (BSBS) the rebuilt station formerly called Manduadih. Some through-services stop at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction instead, which is around an hour away, so check which station your ticket actually names. A New Delhi–Varanasi Vande Bharat runs six days a week, and there is a direct Agra Cantt–Banaras Vande Bharat covering the width of Uttar Pradesh in about seven hours.

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Getting around Varanasi

The old city cannot be driven. The lanes around the ghats and the Kashi Vishwanath corridor are too narrow for cars, which is exactly why where you stay matters so much. A hotel within walking distance of the ghats turns the trip into a walkable city break; one on the outskirts turns every evening into a traffic problem.

• On foot through the ghat area and the old lanes. Comfortable shoes, and expect to get lost it’s part of it.

• By boat along the riverfront. The ghats run 6–7 km and a boat is often the fastest and always the most pleasant way to cover them.

• By auto or cab for Sarnath (about 10 km), Ramnagar Fort (about 45 minutes across the river) and the airport.

India’s first urban passenger ropeway is under construction between Varanasi Cantt and Godowlia and will cut that journey to around fifteen minutes when it opens. It has missed several announced deadlines, so we won’t build your itinerary around it until it is genuinely running.

Where to go in Varanasi

Dashashwamedh Ghat

The main ghat and the site of the grand evening Ganga Aarti. Busy, loud, and the defining Varanasi experience. Best for everyone; secure seating or a boat in advance.

Assi Ghat

The southern end, quieter, with the morning Subah-e-Banaras aarti, yoga on the steps at sunrise, and the best starting point for a dawn boat ride. Best for early risers, photographers and anyone who found Dashashwamedh overwhelming.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the corridor

One of the twelve Jyotirlingas and the spiritual centre of the city. The corridor opened in 2021 and connects the temple directly to the riverfront. Best for pilgrims and devotees — with a pass booked and phones left behind.

The temple cluster

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, the Durga Mandir (widely known as the Monkey Temple), Tulsi Manas Temple and the Bharat Mata Mandir, all within a short drive of each other. Best for a half-day with a driver.

Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats

The cremation ghats, where the rituals that make Varanasi what it is have continued without interruption for centuries. Photography is prohibited and enforced. View from a respectful distance or from a boat on the river; decline anyone approaching to offer a “tour” or to solicit a donation for wood. This is a place where families are grieving, and it should be visited as such or not at all.

Sarnath

Where the Buddha gave his first sermon, about 10 km from the ghats. The Dhamek Stupa, the Ashokan pillar remains, the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar and an excellent archaeological museum, in green, quiet grounds. The single best half-day addition to a Varanasi trip and the natural anchor for a wider Buddhist route. Best for history travellers, mature couples and anyone wanting a break from the intensity of the old city.

Ramnagar Fort

Across the river, the eighteenth-century seat of the Maharaja of Banaras, with a distinctly eccentric museum. Best for a slower fourth or fifth day.

The silk quarters

Banarasi silk with gold and silver zari work is a genuine craft tradition rather than a tourist activity, and the weaving neighbourhoods can be visited properly with a guide. Best for anyone shopping for a wedding and worth doing with someone who knows the difference between handloom and powerloom.

Practical notes for travellers

Temple etiquette

Modest dress shoulders and knees covered, for men and women. Shoes come off well before the entrance. Phones, bags, cameras and leather items are barred inside Kashi Vishwanath; plan your darshan morning around that.

Photography

Fine along most of the riverfront. Not at the cremation ghats, where it is prohibited and enforced, and restricted or prohibited inside several temples.

Food and water

Varanasi is exceptional for vegetarian food and has a street-food culture worth engaging with kachori sabzi in the morning, and the city’s famous lassi and paan. Bottled or filtered water, particularly in the old city.

Travelling with elderly parents

Very common here, and very doable with the right planning: a ghat-adjacent hotel to cut the walking, a pre-booked Sugam Darshan slot instead of the general queue, a boat for the aarti rather than standing in the crowd, and mornings scheduled before the heat. Tell us who’s travelling and we’ll build it that way.

December and January fog

Beautiful weather for sightseeing, but dense fog across the Ganga plain regularly delays flights into Varanasi and disrupts trains. Don’t book a tight same-day onward connection in those months.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Arriving at Kashi Vishwanath during an aarti window and losing hours to the queue.

• Carrying a phone or a bag to the temple and spending the darshan slot in the cloakroom line.

• Paying a tout for “VIP darshan” instead of booking Sugam Darshan on the temple’s own portal.

• Turning up at Dashashwamedh at aarti time expecting to find a seat.

• Booking July to September and expecting boats and a ghat-side aarti. Both may be suspended.

• Photographing the cremation ghats.

• Assuming a two-night Varanasi trip has room for Ayodhya or Prayagraj. It doesn’t those are 200 km and 120 km away.

• Staying outside the old city to save money, then spending every evening in traffic.

• Booking Dev Deepawali late. Rooms and boats go six to eight weeks out.

What’s included in a Bayard Varanasi package

Why book Varanasi with Bayard Vacations

• We build the day around the aarti windows, because the darshan queue stops during them and that single fact decides whether two nights is enough.

• We book darshan through the temple’s own portal at the published rate, and we’ll tell you what it costs. No one has to negotiate with anyone in a lane.

• We choose hotels for location. In a city where the old town can’t be driven, a ten-minute walk to the ghats is worth more than a star rating.

• We’re honest about the monsoon. If your dates fall in a period when boats may be suspended and the aarti moved off the ghat, we’d rather say so than sell you the photograph.

• Real flight times and real frequencies — Bengaluru has around seven nonstops a day here, which is better service than most people expect and worth planning around.

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Varanasi package FAQs

Do I need a visa or permit for Varanasi?

No. Varanasi is a domestic destination and a valid government photo ID is all you need. No permits are required for Varanasi or Sarnath.

How many days do I need in Varanasi?

Two nights covers the city comfortably one evening aarti, one sunrise boat ride, Kashi Vishwanath and the main temples. Three nights lets you add Sarnath without rushing. Four or five suits repeat visitors, photographers, or anyone who wants unstructured time in the lanes.

What time is the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat?

It shifts with the season — earlier in winter, later in summer so we confirm the exact time for your dates rather than publishing a figure that’s wrong half the year. Either way, arrive well before it or take a boat, because ghat seating fills early. Assi Ghat also has a quieter morning aarti, Subah-e-Banaras.

How much does Kashi Vishwanath darshan cost?

General darshan is free but the queue can run several hours at peak times. Sugam Darshan is an official paid fast-track ticket booked on the temple trust’s portal, and the aartis are separately ticketed with the pre-dawn Mangala Aarti costing more than the others. Rates are set by the temple and revised periodically, so we confirm the current figure for your dates and book at that published rate.

Is there a VIP darshan at Kashi Vishwanath?

The temple’s official fast-track option is Sugam Darshan, at a published rate on shrikashivishwanath.org. People outside the temple offering “VIP entry” typically quote several times that, sometimes for access that isn’t sold at all. We book through the official portal only.

Can I take my phone into Kashi Vishwanath?

No. Phones, bags, cameras and leather items are prohibited inside. Cloakrooms are available nearby but add time to your visit, so travel light on your darshan morning.

When is the best time to visit Varanasi?

October to March. October and November bring Ganga Mahotsav and Dev Deepawali, which is the city at its most spectacular and its most crowded. February and March give you the same good weather with fewer people. December and January are lovely but bring fog that delays flights and trains.

When is Dev Deepawali 2026?

Tuesday, 24 November 2026, on Kartik Purnima. Lakhs of diyas are lit across all 84 ghats and the Dashashwamedh aarti is the longest of the year. A pre-booked boat is by far the best vantage point. Rooms, trains and boats book six to eight weeks ahead.

Should I visit Varanasi during the monsoon?

We’d advise against July to September. When the Ganga crosses its warning level the administration suspends all boat operations, the Ganga Aarti is moved off the ghat onto the rooftops of adjoining buildings, and ghat access can be cut off entirely. The two things most people come for are the ones most affected.

Are there direct flights from Bangalore to Varanasi?

Yes, around seven nonstop flights a day on three airlines, taking about two and a half hours. Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai all have daily nonstops too. Kochi and most other South Indian cities connect via Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Delhi.

Which railway station should I arrive at?

Varanasi Junction (BSB) is the main terminus and Banaras (BSBS) formerly Manduadih is the rebuilt second station. Some through-trains stop at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction instead, about an hour away, so check which station your ticket actually names before you book a transfer.

Can I visit the cremation ghats?

Yes, and many travellers find it the most affecting part of the trip. Photography is prohibited and enforced. View from a respectful distance or from a boat, and decline anyone approaching to offer a tour or to ask for a donation for wood. These are working cremation grounds where families are grieving.

Is Varanasi suitable for elderly parents?

Very much so, with the right planning a hotel close enough to the ghats to cut the walking, a pre-booked Sugam Darshan slot rather than the general queue, a boat for the aarti instead of standing in the crowd, and sightseeing scheduled for the cooler hours. It’s one of the most common trips we plan.

Can I add Ayodhya or Prayagraj to a Varanasi trip?

Yes, but they need their own nights Prayagraj is about 120 km away and Ayodhya about 200 km. A five to seven night circuit covers Varanasi, Sarnath, Prayagraj and Ayodhya comfortably. Two nights in Varanasi does not stretch to either.

Is Sarnath worth the trip?

Yes, it’s the best half-day in the area. About 10 km from the ghats, it’s where the Buddha gave his first sermon, with the Dhamek Stupa, the Ashokan remains and a very good archaeological museum, in quiet green grounds. It’s also a genuine change of pace after the intensity of the old city.

Planning a Varanasi trip? 
Tell us your city, your dates and who’s travelling. We’ll send back a costed itinerary with your darshan and aarti slots already booked through the temple’s own portal, a hotel chosen for how far you’ll have to walk, and honest advice about what your dates will actually allow.

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