elsewhere.
SavedFind your elsewhere

Asia / India

Varanasi.

Places to go. A little room to wander.

A local view near Varanasi, India
A local view near Varanasi, India. Photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Resized proportionally to at most 1200 pixels wide without upscaling or a height limit; original ICC retained; EXIF orientation applied; converted to WebP high-quality photographic compression.

THE SHORTLIST

A few places worth your time.

01Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Terrace of Man Singh Ghat

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar literally means a combination of instruments and formulas (jantar = instrument and mantar = formula). It is an observatory consisting of a series of masonry architecture of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. Jai Singh, king of Amber, built 5 such observatories across northern and western India. Apart from Varanasi the other 4 places are Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain and Mathura (one in Mathura no longer exist). The Varanasi Jantar Mantar is much smaller compared to the ones in Delhi and Jaipur.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
02Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Varanasi

Rani Laxmibai Janmasthali

Birthplace of Rani Laxmibai. It has been converted into a small gallery. A statue of Laxmibai riding a galloping horse welcomes visitors to the gallery. The walls behind and on the two sides of the statue are converted into a gallery complete with images and writeups. They depicts the life of Rani Laxmibai. Most of the writings are in Hindi.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
03Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Varanasi

Bharat Mata Temple

The Bharat Mata temple at Varanasi is the only temple dedicated to Mother India. It is located in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth campus. The Bharat Mata temple was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. The statute of Bharat Mata is built in marble and is a model of undivided India, depicting the mountains, plains and oceans. The most peculiar thing about the Bharat Mata Temple is that instead of the customary gods and goddesses, it houses a relief map of India, carved out of marble.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
04Culture · DAY 2 IDEA

Varanasi

Lal Khan Tomb

Lal Khan was the minister and commander of Balwant Singh (reign: 1740 – 70) the King of Varanasi (then Banaras). His last wish was to be buried in such a place so that he could keep an eye on the gateway of the royal palace. The king kept his last wish by building him a magnificent tomb on the northern edge of Varanasi. The tomb stands at the centre of a Mughal garden, marked with four chhatris on four corners out of which three stand to this day.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
05Culture · DAY 2 IDEA

Varanasi

Rajghat

This archaeological site was the result of a chance discovery in the 1940s when the Kashi Railway Station was extended. After a couple of excavations, a structure was unearthed dating back to the 2nd century BCE. The archaeological evidence suggested that the place was continuously inhabited since the 8th century BCE. Today it consists of several scattered brick structures rising only to a height of .

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source

A note before you go. Start with Jantar Mantar, then decide whether Rani Laxmibai Janmasthali deserves a separate visit rather than rushing both. The suggested days are an editable grouping, not a timed tour. Visit allowances exclude transfers, meals and queues; confirm the exact entrance and current visiting arrangements for Rajghat before setting off.

Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. Suggested days and time allowances are editorial starting points. Check the linked visitor information for opening hours, access, and reservations.

BEFORE YOU SET OFF

A more practical kind of plan.

Getting your bearings

Many streets are too narrow to be reached by cycle-rickshaw, auto-rickshaw, and car and therefore, you may have to walk a bit to reach your destination. Walking is the only way to see the waterfront and the ghats - but be ready to be hot, sweaty, and lost - locals are usually happy to point you in the right direction. The names of ghats and signs pointing to restaurants and hotels are often painted on the walls in Roman letters.

Build a route that makes sense

Jantar Mantar and Rani Laxmibai Janmasthali are about 2.0 km apart in a straight line. Use the route link to compare the actual streets or transport connections before putting both in the same morning; the measurement is not a walking distance or a transfer estimate.

A LITTLE STRUCTURE. ROOM FOR DISCOVERY.

Your Varanasi plan.

Add a few stops, choose your days, and leave space between them.

My saved trips
Location, map & reference details

Find your bearings.

Country
India
Area
Uttar Pradesh
Time zone
Asia/Kolkata
Coordinates
25.3167, 83.0104

Geographic reference: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0.

Varanasi

Loading this map connects to OpenStreetMap.

Visitor information & sources

Reference credits & reuse

This city guide includes selected, abridged material by Wikivoyage contributors, adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. The adapted guide text is available under the same license; photographs and website design retain their separate terms. Selected and abridged reference descriptions; operational prices and timetables omitted. Elsewhere added the shortlist, geographic grouping and planning notes.

Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. It is community-edited background, not firsthand reporting or a live opening-hours service.

KEEP EXPLORING

More places in India.

Browse the country

Agra

539 km straight-line distance

Delhi

682 km straight-line distance

New Delhi

682 km straight-line distance

A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES

Where to next?

Search 600 places across 100 countries.