two nights in

Varanasi

Varanasi, also known as Banaras or Kashi, is a holy city at the banks of the Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh, India. Being the most sacred city in Hinduism and Jainism, and important in the history of Buddhism, Varanasi is India's most important pilgrimage destination. Wikivoyage

Population 1,198,491 (Wikidata)

Live guide From your hotel

Before you go

Emergency numbers in India

Visas and entry What your passport needs for India

Getting there

Remembered in this browser only, with the last few you used.

Best-documented sights

All of them in the guide

Within a kilometre of the centre, ordered by how well documented each is — not by a "best" anyone decided. Each opens on the map in the guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited there.

Through the year

  1. Maha Shivaratri

    February

    (February) - A Hindu festival celebrating Lord Shiva, who lived in Varanasi according to Hindu mythology. On this day, the streets of Varanasi are filled with pilgrims and parades dedicated to Shiva occur all day.

  2. Deepavali

    October – November

    Deepavali or Diwali (October–November) - The five day festival of lights. The special decorations, ceremonies at the temples, and aarti ceremony at the ghats are spectacular. After Diwali there is a day known as Dev Deepavali.

  3. Chhath Pooja

    November

    (November) - The four day festival for the sun god, Dala aka Surya.

Annual events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage (Varanasi); descriptions from Wikipedia where it has one, photos from Wikimedia Commons. Dates move year to year — check before you plan around one.

Markets

  • Jalalipatti Market

    No hours mapped

    240 m from the centre

  • Vegitable Market

    No hours mapped

    290 m from the centre

  • Vegitable Market

    No hours mapped

    310 m from the centre

  • BLW Central Market

    No hours mapped

    550 m from the centre

  • Modular kichen work

    No hours mapped

    1.7 km from the centre

Markets mapped on OpenStreetMap, with their hours where someone has added them. Check locally before you go.

Somewhere to run

Getting around

More train stations: Lohta 4.5 km, Hardattpur 5.0 km, Varanasi Junction Railway Station 5.9 km

Want picks in Varanasi that suit you? Ask your travel assistant, free with an account. Something wrong or missing on this page? Tell me

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors, as of 9 October 2026. Description from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage, population from Wikidata.