Places to visit in Rishikesh, and the order to see them

A Vishnu temple in the old town, a few minutes from Triveni Ghat, said to be the oldest in Rishikesh. It is a quiet stone temple in a courtyard off the busy bazaar.

The biggest bathing ghat in Rishikesh, on the Ganga in the old town. Every evening at sunset priests wave big brass lamps over the river while bells ring and people sing, and floating leaf boats with candles go out on the water.

The home of the Divine Life Society, founded by Swami Sivananda in 1936, on the hillside in Muni ki Reti. Visitors walk the gardens, sit in the meditation hall and see the samadhi shrine of its founder.

Laxman Jhula is Rishikesh's famous old iron suspension bridge over the Ganga. It has been closed since 2022 because it is no longer safe, but Bajrang Setu, a new bridge with glass walkways right beside it, opened to walkers in 2026. Tera Manzil, the 13-storey Trayambakeshwar temple at the east end, has shrines on every floor and a view of the river from the top.

The old ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, where the Beatles stayed in 1968 and wrote many of their songs. It was left empty for years and the forest grew back. Now you walk among stone meditation huts shaped like domes and big halls covered in painted murals.

A large ashram on the east bank in Swargashram, with gardens, temples and a big Shiva statue at the river's edge. Its evening Ganga aarti, held every day since 1997, is the best known in town.

A large old ashram in Swargashram with painted walls showing scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It also has a ghat on the river, a bookshop and an Ayurvedic shop.

A Shiva temple in the forested hills above Rishikesh, where Shiva is said to have drunk the poison that turned his throat blue. The tower is covered in bright painted figures, and a spring by the temple is used for a holy dip.

A small waterfall in the forest above the Neelkanth road, reached by an easy walk of about 1.5 km. The water drops into a clear pool among limestone rocks, and there are small caves on the way.

A cave by the Ganga, about 19 km up the Badrinath road, where the sage Vashishta is said to have meditated. You sit in the dark, cool cave in silence, then walk down to a quiet sandy beach on the river.

A hilltop temple to the goddess Kunjapuri, about 26 km from Rishikesh by road. At sunrise you look out over the Ganga valley and, on a clear morning, a long line of snow peaks to the north.

A waterfall in steps down a forested gorge, about 6 km from Muni ki Reti off the Badrinath road. A path of about 1 km climbs from the gate past several pools to the main fall.

The village 15 km up the Badrinath road where most Rishikesh rafting trips start. The usual run is 16 km of grade 2 and 3 rapids back down to Rishikesh, about 2 to 3 hours on the water.

A bungee jump platform on a cliff over a side valley at Mohan Chatti, about 19 km from Muni ki Reti. There is also a giant swing and a flying fox.