varanasi

11 Travel Tips For Varanasi

Varanasi turned out to be so impressive that I had to write at least 3 posts about it. I recently shared an introduction to Varanasi including tips like where to stay and how to best experience the town. I also told you what to expect from the Ghats of Varanasi.

But then I realised that none of them addresses the basic etiquette you must follow while you’re here. Being the spiritual capital of India, Varanasi can be confusing. Right from “can we click pictures of burning pyres” to “how to deal with touts” – people have their doubts. In an effort to answer those random but important questions, here are the 11 most important Varanasi travel tips you need to know…

Varanasi Travel Tips

1) Come to Varanasi, but don’t come here first. Varanasi is wild, particularly for those who are new to Indian culture. Watching dead bodies lit on fire, and naked sadhus whitewashed in ash, can scare you to a degree that you would not want to leave your hotel room.

Unlike other spiritual travel destinations in India, like Rishikesh or Bodhgaya, Varanasi is a lot more intense.

So before coming here, ease into the real India for some time (if this is your first trip to the country!) and prepare yourself for such a show.

varanasi ghat to travel

2) Do not stay at Manikarnika Ghat on your first night. Manikarnika Ghat is where the real action takes place. With at least 20 burning pyres, placed right next to each other, the sight can be overwhelming. Reverberations of chanting add to the melodrama furthermore. I remember staying at Assi Ghat for a night, which was a simplified version of the city – and I advise you do the same thing unless you want to get scared!

manikarnika ghat

3) Varanasi is not a city to party, in or enjoy the nightlife. Save another city for that. Instead come here to explore the city, sit on the ghats and soak up the complexities of Indian culture.

4) Experiment with food. Being the synthesis of several age-old religious traditions, Varanasi offers a divine and enriching street food experience. Just hit one of the old streets in the main bazaar, find a crowded food joint and try different delicacies – you’re going to love them all. Deepak Tambul Bhandar, Deena Chaat Bhandar, and Baati Chokha are a few recommended places to start with.

varanasi street food

I would also particularly recommend eating Paani-Poori at one of the roadside traditional shops, that offer an authentic and traditional experience.

varanasi street food

5) You can take photos of the cremations. According to the Hindu religion, counting your last few days in Varanasi and getting cremated here is a great thing. So rest assured, families relating to those who are getting cremated are not in a shocking mode. Rather, some of them can be found celebrating. Having said that, as long as you’re careful and do not offend the families of the deceased, it is totally okay to click pictures.

varanasi cremation

6) The popular Viswanath Temple is not open to foreigners. Though make sure you check with the local authorities once, as the rules change in India every day.

7) Make sure you ask saadhus for their permission before taking their pictures. Why? Because if you won’t, they may ask for money afterwards (not all saadhus found in Varanasi have renounced the world, for some, becoming a saadhu was a way to find quick ways of making money). However, if you ask for their permission beforehand, with a bright and smiling face, you might bail out for free.

varanasi aghori baba

8) You don’t have to make a trip to the Ghats because the old town is rather built on them. There are more than 80 ghats in Varanasi in total, and a part of your daily walk will eventually lead you to the ghats, even if you stay away from them. However, to best experience the town, it is recommended to find accommodation near the ghats.

varanasi streets

9) If you think you’re smart, consider those who are trying tourist touts smarter. They are persistent and shrewd. Where most of them will offer you a boat ride or a quick trip around the city, some of them will go to a level where they will approach you asking for the “wood money” to have their deceased relatives cremated. Just do not believe everyone!

varanasi travel tips

10) Make sure you memorize the name of your guesthouse and the ghat where it is located because the labyrinth of ghats and small alleys that Varanasi is made of, can really confuse you.

varanasi streets

11) In Varanasi, negotiate. This particularly applies to boat rides in the Ganges. Don’t feel bad about negotiating. It may be a holy place and might feel wrong, but business is business.

Where To Stay In Varanasi

Because Varanasi is a tourism highlight in Uttar Pradesh, there is no dearth of budget and standard hotels/hostels. To help you with a few names of where you can stay, here’s an article on the Best Hostels In Varanasi. Until the article is finished, however, I can suggest to you the names of my top three Varanasi hostels: Cohostel, GoobVibes and GoStops.

Also read: Holi celebration in Varanasi

Would you like to add more Varanasi travel tips? Let me know in the comments below.

Categories India

About

I am Dev, and I've been travelling full-time since 2016. I was a journalism student & started my corporate career as a documentary film-maker in England, before moving to India & becoming a full-time nomad. 25+countries. 50+ Brand Partnerships. And the adventure continues...

  1. Very informative content.
    Varanasi has all the flavors of old times and new age.
    You can find ancient way of people worshipping and traditional way of dealing things specially around ganga.
    And new age things like
    Cruze on river, new NAMO ghat, new convection center Rudrach etc.
    Varanasi is a magical feeling which one can only feel when he or she is in varanasi.

  2. Sonam Pandey

    Nice Blog! Varanasi is the most attractive place to visit. Very nicely written and information provided is quite helpful.

  3. Varanasi is the calmest and interesting place in India.

    I would love to go back there again and again.

    Thanks for your awesome travel guide and photos are really beautiful.

  4. This is very helpful! IVaranasi is on my bucket list

  5. Chitra Pandey

    Nice Blog!! Very beautiful pictures.

  6. Amazing place in the world.

  7. very useful tips for Varanasi Dev. I was in the middle of planning my trip to Varanasi.

  8. Your site is the first to state that photography of cremations is no problem. Everywhere else I read that it’s strictly forbidden. How come that you Hove a different advise?

    • Because it not lawfully forbidden, and something which lawfully isn’t forbidden is allowed to do. But yea, as I said, since death is a sensitive issue, we need to be very careful not to come under the spotlight while taking pictures, and if someone says not to click pictures, simply stop! Hope I’ve a point.

  9. abhijeet pandey

    well, your article is truly appreciable becoz i think u have done researches for this city and yezz ur a an explorer!!
    i too belong to the city if u need any kind of information regarding varanasi, i am eager to help u and the pic of that pani pori shop is just beside my house and i want that pic becoz i miss my home town i also used to eat their even my father used to eat there btw shopkeeper name is “GOPAL” uncle and he his following his passion for 5 decades.

  10. We Live By The Rules

    This seems like a perfect travel adventure. I will surely would want to go to Varanasi. Thanks for sharing this!

  11. Nice tips! Varanasi is probably the great place to see the Indian culture and tradition.

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