Cabs
Varanasi sightseeing by cab

Varanasi in 1 day: what to see, in what order

Start at 05:30 for a sunrise boat ride from Assi Ghat, then Kashi Vishwanath from about 07:30, and Sankat Mochan and the Durga and Tulsi Manas temples before noon. Drive out to Sarnath for the museum, lunch, and the Dhamek Stupa. It is about 34 km by cab, back by about 15:10, and the evening Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh is on foot.

6 places34 km by cabtimed against opening hours
Day 1

Sunrise on the ghats, Kashi Vishwanath and Sarnath

Start at 05:30 for Assi Ghat, the end of the morning aarti and a boat ride along the ghats; in winter the sun comes up while you are on the water. Kashi Vishwanath from about 07:30, then Sankat Mochan and the Durga and Tulsi Manas temples before they close at noon. Out to Sarnath for the museum at about 11:45, lunch, then the Dhamek Stupa and the Deer Park. About 34 km by cab, back by about 15:10: a long day of about 9.5 hours, with time to rest before the evening Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh. Not on a Friday, when the Sarnath Museum is closed.

05:30 to 15:116 places34 km by cab
  1. 1Assi Ghat and a sunrise boat ride
  2. 2Kashi Vishwanath Temple
  3. 3Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple
  4. 4Durga Mandir and Tulsi Manas Mandir
  5. 5Sarnath Museum
  6. Lunch
  7. 6Dhamek Stupa and the Deer Park
  8. Back
  1. Leave central Varanasi
  2. 1

    Assi Ghat and a sunrise boat ride

    1 h 45 min here
    Assi Ghat and a sunrise boat ride
    Photo: Titodutta, CC0

    The southern end of the ghats, where the small Assi river meets the Ganga. Every morning the Subah-e-Banaras programme starts here with an aarti, music and yoga on the steps. From Assi, rowing boats go north past about 80 ghats: Tulsi, Harishchandra with its cremation fires, Kedar with its striped steps, Dashashwamedh and Manikarnika. In winter the sun comes up from behind the empty sandbank on the far side.

    Ghats & the riverOpen all day. The Subah-e-Banaras morning aarti starts at about 05:00 (about 05:30 in winter). Rowing boats leave from first light; a sunrise ride is 1 to 1.5 hours, about ₹400 an hour for the boat

    Tip: Agree the price and the turning point (Dashashwamedh or Manikarnika) before you get in, and say if you want a rowing boat rather than a motor boat. Prices go up two to four times around Dev Deepawali. Photos of the cremations at Harishchandra and Manikarnika are not welcome.

  3. 2

    Kashi Vishwanath Temple

    2 h here
    Kashi Vishwanath Temple
    Photo: Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The most important Shiva temple in Varanasi, one of the twelve jyotirlingas. The gold-plated spire and the small inner shrine date from the 1780s. Since 2021 the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor links the temple straight down to the Ganga at Lalita Ghat, with wide stone courtyards where narrow lanes used to be.

    TemplesDarshan about 04:00 to 11:00, 12:20 to 19:00 and 20:30 to 21:00 every day; the gaps are for the bhog and saptarishi aartis. Free entry, with a paid quick darshan

    Tip: No phones, bags, cameras or even pens inside: leave them in the free lockers near Gate 4 before you join the queue. The cab drops at Godowlia and you walk about 10 minutes. Mondays, and every day in the month of Sawan, are the busiest.

  4. 3

    Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

    40 min here
    Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple
    Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A busy Hanuman temple in a shady garden, said to stand where the poet Tulsidas, who wrote the Ramcharitmanas, had a vision of Hanuman. People bring sweet laddoos as an offering, and monkeys wait in the trees for their share. In April the temple holds a well known festival of classical music.

    TemplesAbout 05:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 21:00 (Incredible India says to 22:00); open to midnight on Tuesdays and Saturdays

    Tip: Phones and cameras are not allowed: leave them in the cab or the lockers at the gate. It is most crowded on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Hold on to bags and food: the monkeys are quick.

  5. 4

    Durga Mandir and Tulsi Manas Mandir

    50 min here
    Durga Mandir and Tulsi Manas Mandir
    Photo: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Two temples a few minutes apart on the same road. The Durga Mandir is an 18th-century temple painted deep red, beside a square stone tank, Durga Kund. Next door, the white marble Tulsi Manas Mandir is built where Tulsidas is said to have written the Ramcharitmanas, and its walls carry the whole poem.

    TemplesDurga Mandir about 05:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 21:00; Tulsi Manas Mandir 05:30 to 12:00 and 15:30 to 21:00. Both free

    Tip: Leave your shoes at the stalls by the gates. Photography is not allowed inside the Durga Mandir. Walk between the two temples; it is about 3 minutes.

  6. 5

    Sarnath Museum

    50 min here
    Closed on Fridays
    Sarnath Museum
    Photo: Nandanupadhyay, CC BY-SA 3.0

    The oldest site museum of the Archaeological Survey of India. Its star is the Lion Capital of Ashoka, the four lions back to back that are India's national emblem, carved about 2,250 years ago. It also has one of the finest seated Buddhas in India, from the Gupta period, turning the wheel of teaching.

    Sarnath & Buddhist sitesAbout 10:00 to 17:00 (some listings say from 09:00); closed Fridays. Small ticket, higher for foreigners; no phones or cameras inside

    Tip: Phones and bags go in the cloakroom at the gate. Closed on Fridays: on a Friday, see the stupa and the temples and skip it.

  7. Lunch, about 1 h. Your driver will know a place nearby. The times after this include it.
  8. 6

    Dhamek Stupa and the Deer Park

    1 h 15 min here
    Dhamek Stupa and the Deer Park
    Photo: Preeti Prajapati, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The place where the Buddha gave his first teaching after his enlightenment, in a deer park about 2,500 years ago. The great round Dhamek Stupa, 43 m tall, stands over ruined monasteries and the stump of an Ashoka pillar. Next door, the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar temple of 1931 has wall paintings of the Buddha's life by a Japanese artist, and a bodhi tree grown from the one at Bodh Gaya.

    Sarnath & Buddhist sitesExcavated site sunrise to sunset, about 06:00 to 18:00 (06:30 to 17:30 in winter); small ticket at the gate. The Mulagandha Kuti Vihar temple next door is open about 08:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 17:30

    Tip: Monks from many countries come to pray round the stupa; walk round it clockwise. The temple closes about 11:30 to 13:30, so see it before or after that. A small deer park with spotted deer is beside the site.

  9. Back at central Varanasi

Drive times come from road routing without traffic. The roads round Godowlia, Maidagin and the ghats are slow and crowded, and police close them to cars at busy times, so the cab may drop you some way off and you walk or take an e-rickshaw. Allow more time than the map shows, especially on Mondays (Kashi Vishwanath), festival days and weekends. Opening hours marked ? are not yet confirmed, so check them before you go.

Book a cab for this day

Call or message a local Varanasi operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.

1 × full day, 8 h / 80 kmSedan, SUV or InnovaPrice from the operator

Opening times for this plan

The hours we planned around. Check before you go on a public holiday.

PlaceOpenBest timeVisit
Assi Ghat and a sunrise boat rideOpen all day. The Subah-e-Banaras morning aarti starts at about 05:00 (about 05:30 in winter). Rowing boats leave from first light; a sunrise ride is 1 to 1.5 hours, about ₹400 an hour for the boatAt first light, for the morning aarti and a boat ride as the sun comes up over the far bank.1 h 45 min
Kashi Vishwanath TempleDarshan about 04:00 to 11:00, 12:20 to 19:00 and 20:30 to 21:00 every day; the gaps are for the bhog and saptarishi aartis. Free entry, with a paid quick darshanMorning, after the sunrise boat ride, or from 12:20 when darshan opens again.2 h
Sankat Mochan Hanuman TempleAbout 05:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 21:00 (Incredible India says to 22:00); open to midnight on Tuesdays and SaturdaysMorning, before the midday closure.40 min
Durga Mandir and Tulsi Manas MandirDurga Mandir about 05:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 21:00; Tulsi Manas Mandir 05:30 to 12:00 and 15:30 to 21:00. Both freeMorning, before both close at noon.50 min
Sarnath MuseumAbout 10:00 to 17:00 (some listings say from 09:00); closed Fridays. Small ticket, higher for foreigners; no phones or cameras insideFrom 10:00, before or after the stupa.50 min
Dhamek Stupa and the Deer ParkExcavated site sunrise to sunset, about 06:00 to 18:00 (06:30 to 17:30 in winter); small ticket at the gate. The Mulagandha Kuti Vihar temple next door is open about 08:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 17:30Late morning or afternoon, with the museum.1 h 15 min

More or less time in Varanasi?

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Varanasi in 2 days

Sunrise on the ghats, Kashi Vishwanath and BHU · Sarnath, Namo Ghat and Ramnagar Fort

See the 2-day plan →
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Varanasi in 3 days

Sunrise on the ghats, Kashi Vishwanath and BHU · Bharat Mata Mandir, Sarnath and Namo Ghat · Chunar Fort and Ramnagar Fort

See the 3-day plan →

All 16 places in Varanasi

Every sight with what to see, opening times and how long to stay.

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Questions people ask

Can you see Varanasi in one day?

The highlights, yes, if you start at 05:30. It is a day of about 9.5 hours by cab with 34 km of driving, plus the evening aarti on foot. BHU, Namo Ghat and Ramnagar Fort need a second day.

Why start so early?

The ghats are at their best at first light, and the temples are calmer before 09:00. The Sankat Mochan, Durga and Tulsi Manas temples also close from noon to the afternoon, so the plan sees them in the morning.

What if my day is a Friday?

The Sarnath Museum is closed on Fridays. See the Dhamek Stupa, the Deer Park and the Thai temple's standing Buddha instead, all open every day.