Varanasi · Things to do

Things to do in Varanasi

The places to visit in Varanasi we send our own guests to, and what to know before going — including which are hard going for anyone who does not manage steps.

Subah-e-Banaras at Assi Ghat — musicians and listeners on the steps at sunrise, mist on the river

Daily, from first light

Subah-e-Banaras at Assi सुबह-ए-बनारस

Chanting, yoga and classical music, at sunrise.

Ganga aarti — priests on raised platforms swinging tiered brass lamps, the crowd behind them

Daily, at dusk

Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh गंगा आरती

The evening offering to the river, done in full.

A wooden boat on the Ganga at first light, the ghats and their buildings catching the sun

Daily, before sunrise

A boat at dawn

The only way to see the ghats as one thing.

Sarnath — the giant seated Buddha statue among trees, one of the modern temples around the site

Any day; the museum closes weekly

Sarnath सारनाथ

Where the Buddha gave his first sermon.

A handloom in a Varanasi weaving workshop, gold zari thread on the warp, the weaver's hands at the shuttle

Working days, mornings are best

Banarasi silk, at the loom

See the brocade woven before you are sold any.

Ramnagar Fort from the river — sandstone walls and balconies above the far bank of the Ganga

Any day, across the river

Ramnagar Fort रामनगर किला

The Maharaja's fort, and its magnificently odd museum.

Stays

Where to stay in Varanasi

All houses

Pratham, Varanasi: double bed with an ochre runner facing a leaded-glass window, wooden ceiling with a fan, air conditioning and a door open to the screened verandah

PrathamOur first house: amber light, a wooden ceiling and a balcony full of flowers

Minimilist, Varanasi: white bedroom with a double bed under a yellow-and-white block-print spread, saffron curtains at a barred window, two wall sconces and a marble floor with an inlaid border

MinimilistWhite walls, marigold accents and room to think

Boutique, Varanasi: teal bedroom with gold wall mouldings, dark tufted headboard, blue cushions and runner, upholstered bench at the foot of the bed

BoutiqueThree rooms, three moods: blue and gold, rose, and emerald

Santorini, Varanasi: white room with a teak bed, blue cushions and runner, blue shutters open to the balcony and a blue console table opposite

SantoriniWhitewash, cobalt and jali windows framing the Varanasi sky

Gardenia, Varanasi: double bed with a yellow headboard and bedspread, rolled towels laid out, mustard wardrobes either side of a white arched niche, marble floor

GardeniaSunlit yellow rooms that open onto a shaded garden lawn