Varanasi is one of those rare destinations where almost everything is an experience. But some things stand apart — the ones that stay with you after you leave. Here are seven of them.
1. Sunrise Boat Ride on the Ganga
Board a wooden boat at Assi Ghat before 6:00 AM and travel north along the waterfront as the sun rises behind the city. The light on the ghats, the sound of temple bells, the smoke from the burning ghats drifting across the water — this is Varanasi at its most essential. Budget about Rs 250-400 for a private boat, or join a shared one for less. One hour is enough; two hours is better.
2. The Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat
Every evening at around 7:00 PM (timing shifts seasonally), a team of young priests perform the Ganga Aarti — a choreographed devotional ceremony involving large oil lamps, incense, and chanting. The ceremony draws hundreds of spectators and is genuinely spectacular. Arrive 30 minutes early to get a good vantage point. You can watch from the ghat steps, from a boat on the water, or from the upper level of one of the nearby buildings.
3. Walking the Ghats at Dawn
Start at Assi Ghat before 6:00 AM and walk north. The city is quiet, the light is extraordinary, and the ghats are at their most alive — pilgrims bathing, priests performing puja, sadhus meditating, vendors setting up for the day. This two-to-three hour walk is the best free experience in Varanasi and arguably one of the best in India.
4. Visiting Sarnath
Sarnath, 10 km north of Varanasi, is where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after achieving enlightenment. The site includes the Dhamek Stupa (a 43-metre brick stupa dating to 500 CE), the ruins of the ancient monastery, and an excellent museum containing the original Ashoka lion capital — the basis for India’s national emblem. Allow two to three hours. Auto-rickshaw from Assi Ghat costs Rs 250-350 return.
5. A Varanasi Street Food Walk
Varanasi has one of India’s most distinctive food cultures. Banarasi paan, the tamatar chaat at Kashi Chat Bhandar, lassi from Blue Lassi shop, thandai (a chilled milk drink with nuts and spices), and the kachori-sabzi breakfasts available at street stalls across the old city. The best way to eat here is to walk and follow your nose. The team at Mosaic Hostel can recommend a good route.
6. A Classical Music or Dance Performance
Varanasi is one of India’s foremost centres for classical music. The city has produced some of the greatest names in Hindustani classical music, and small concerts and recitals happen frequently — often in intimate venues or private homes. Ask at your hostel about current events. The Sankat Mochan Sangit Samaroh (a five-day music festival held annually) is worth planning a visit around if you can.
7. Sitting with Varanasi
This one is the hardest to put on a list but the most important. Varanasi rewards presence. Sit at a ghat in the late afternoon and watch. Take a different route through the old city every day and get comfortably lost. Drink chai slowly. Talk to people. The city reveals itself over time, and what it reveals is unlike anything else.