Our Buddhist tour packages cover the places where the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, first taught and passed away: Lumbini in Nepal, and Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar in India. Most of the route runs through Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, with Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali and Shravasti along the way.
There are 20 itineraries on this page, from a 2-day Sarnath trip to a 17-day India and Nepal tour. Prices start at ₹12,900 per person on twin sharing. Most trips begin in Delhi, Bodhgaya or Patna. Private road tours can be adjusted to your dates and pace, while the train tour and the festival tours run on fixed dates.
Quick answer: To visit all four main sites (Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar and Lumbini) by road, plan for 7 to 10 days. If you have 4 or 5 days, stay with Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda and Sarnath. October to March is the comfortable season.
Compare all Buddhist tour packages
Prices are starting prices per adult on twin sharing. GST, flights and train tickets are extra unless the package page says otherwise.
Short Buddhist tours: 2 to 5 days
Buddhist circuit tours: 6 to 9 days
Long Tours: 10 to 17 days
Send us your dates and the sites you must see. We reply with a route and a dated quotation that lists what is included and what is not.
The Four Main Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites
A Buddhist circuit tour is built around four places, each linked by Buddhist tradition to one event in the Buddha's life. Three are in India and one is in Nepal.
| Site | Where it is | Event | What you will see |
|---|
| Lumbini | Rupandehi district, Nepal | Birth | Maya Devi Temple, Ashoka Pillar and the sacred pond. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. |
| Bodhgaya | Gaya district, Bihar | Enlightenment | Mahabodhi Temple (about 50 m high), the Bodhi Tree and the Vajrasana. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. |
| Sarnath | About 10 km from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | First sermon | Dhamek Stupa (43.6 m high), the Ashoka pillar remains and Sarnath Museum. Added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2026. |
| Kushinagar | 51 km east of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh | Mahaparinirvana | Mahaparinirvana Temple with its 6.1 m reclining Buddha, and Ramabhar Stupa, the cremation site. |
The Bodhi Tree standing at Bodhgaya today is regarded as a descendant of the original tree.
Other Places Most itineraries Add
- Rajgir, Bihar: Gridhakuta (Vulture Peak), Venuvana and the Vishwa Shanti Stupa. It is 78 km from Bodhgaya.
- Nalanda, Bihar: ruins of the Nalanda Mahavihara, a Buddhist monastery and centre of learning from the 5th to the 12th century CE. Usually visited with Rajgir on the same day.
- Vaishali, Bihar: the Ashoka pillar at Kolhua and the relic stupa, 56 km from Patna. Tradition holds that the Buddha announced his coming Mahaparinirvana here.
- Kesariya, Bihar: a large terraced stupa on the road between Vaishali and Kushinagar.
- Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh: Jetavana monastery, where the Buddha spent many rainy seasons. Around 170 km from Lucknow.
Longer tours also reach Sanchi, Ajanta and Ellora, the monasteries of Ladakh and Dharamshala. If caves are your main interest, see our Ajanta Ellora tour packages.
Buddhist Circuit Route and Distances
The usual road route is Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Patna, Vaishali, Kushinagar, Lumbini, Shravasti and then Lucknow or Varanasi. It can be done in either direction.
| Leg | Road distance (approx.) |
|---|
| Gaya airport to Bodhgaya | 10 km |
| Bodhgaya to Rajgir | 78 km |
| Rajgir to Nalanda | 12 to 15 km |
| Bodhgaya to Patna | 115 to 135 km, depending on route |
| Patna to Vaishali | 56 km |
| Vaishali to Kesariya | 40 km |
| Kesariya to Kushinagar | 150 km |
| Gorakhpur to Kushinagar | 51 km |
| Kushinagar to Lumbini | 150 to 160 km, with a border crossing |
| Lumbini to Shravasti | 175 km |
| Shravasti to Lucknow | 170 km |
| Bodhgaya to Varanasi | 252 km |
| Varanasi to Sarnath | 10 km |
Distances are town to town by road. Roads on this circuit are slower than the numbers suggest: a 250 km leg usually takes most of a day, so the longer drives start early. The Lumbini leg also needs time at the border.
Nearest airports and stations: Gaya for Bodhgaya, Varanasi for Sarnath, Gorakhpur for Kushinagar, Lucknow for Shravasti, and Patna for Vaishali, Rajgir and Nalanda. Gaya Junction is the railhead for Bodhgaya (about 17 km) and Gorakhpur for Kushinagar.
Where to Stay on the Circuit
Hotels are part of every package. To see the options town by town, check our pages for hotels in Bodhgaya, Gaya, Varanasi, Kushinagar and Shravasti. The Gaya guide and Varanasi guide cover what else to see in each city.
Choosing a Package
By the Days You Have
- 2 to 5 days: enough for one region. Pick Bodhgaya with Rajgir and Nalanda, or Varanasi with Sarnath.
- 6 to 9 days: covers Bodhgaya, Kushinagar and Sarnath by road. Some 8 and 9 day routes add Lumbini.
- 10 days or more: all four sites including Lumbini, with time for Shravasti, Vaishali or Agra.
By Where You Start
- From Delhi: most itineraries of 9 days or longer start and end here. This suits travellers flying in from abroad or from other Indian cities.
- From Bodhgaya or Patna: shorter and cheaper, because you skip the Delhi leg. Good if you can fly or take a train directly to Gaya or Patna.
By Interest
Travellers who want only one city can look at our Gaya tour packages, Varanasi tour packages or Nepal tour packages.
Buddhist Tour Package Price: What is and Isn't Included
The price on each package is a starting price per adult, based on two people sharing a room. The table below applies to our private road tours. The Mahaparinirvan Express is an IRCTC product with its own inclusions.
| Included | Not included |
|---|
| Hotel stay on twin sharing, with hotel taxes | 5% GST |
| Daily breakfast | Lunch and dinner |
| Private vehicle for transfers and sightseeing as per the itinerary | Flight and train tickets |
| Driver allowance, fuel, parking and state taxes | Monument entry, camera and boating charges |
| Travel insurance and personal expenses |
Rates are different around Christmas, New Year, Diwali, Durga Puja and long weekends. Ask for a dated quote before you pay.
Your final price depends mainly on four things: hotel category, group size, vehicle type, and whether you need flights or train tickets added.
Best Time for a Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour
October to March is the best time for the main circuit. Days are mild in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and this is when most pilgrim groups travel.
- December and January: mornings can be foggy, which sometimes delays trains and flights. Keep a buffer day if you have an international connection.
- April to June: the plains get very hot. Buddha Purnima falls in this period, so plan short sightseeing hours if you travel for it.
- July to September: monsoon. Travel is possible, but expect rain and slower roads.
- Ladakh works the other way round. The Hemis Festival is held in June or July, and the 2027 dates are 13 and 14 July.
Documents for Lumbini (Nepal)
Lumbini is across the border in Nepal, so everyone on a tour that includes it needs the right papers.
- Indian citizens: carry a valid passport or the original Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission. Aadhaar and PAN cards are not accepted for travel to Nepal. The same rule applies by road and by air. Children under 15 and adults over 65 are allowed some other papers, so tell us ages when you book.
- Foreign nationals: you need a Nepal visa, and an Indian visa that allows you to re-enter India after Lumbini. Check both before you book.
Entry rules can change. We confirm the current requirement with you when your tour is booked.
Buddhist Circuit by Train: Mahaparinirvan Express
The Mahaparinirvan Express is IRCTC's Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train. It runs a fixed 7 nights / 8 days tour from Delhi Safdarjung station covering Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Varanasi and Sarnath, Kushinagar, Lumbini, Shravasti and Agra.
The train has AC First Class and AC Two Tier, and IRCTC sells it as an all-inclusive package. It runs only on set departure dates in the cooler months. The itinerary is fixed and cannot be customised. IRCTC sets the fares and departure dates and revises them each season, so check the current schedule before you book.
Practical Tips Before You Go
- Dress modestly at temples and monasteries, with shoulders and knees covered. Shoes come off before you enter a shrine.
- Keep your voice low inside prayer halls, and ask before photographing monks or people at prayer.
- Mahabodhi Temple has security checks and restrictions on what you can carry inside. Travel light on that day.
- Give Bodhgaya two nights if you can. One day goes to the Mahabodhi Temple complex and the monasteries, the other to Rajgir and Nalanda.
- Tell us at the time of booking if you need a wheelchair, a special diet or a slower pace for senior travellers. We try to meet these requests but cannot promise every one.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Carrying only an Aadhaar card on the Lumbini day. It is not accepted at the Nepal border.
- Reading the starting price as the full trip cost. Flights, train tickets, lunch and dinner are extra.
- Booking peak dates late. Peak-season bookings need full payment upfront, and rates are higher around Diwali, Christmas and New Year.
- Expecting to change the train itinerary. Only private road tours can be customised.
Booking, payment and cancellation
Every private tour is booked the same way. The full steps are on our How to Book page.
- Send an enquiry. We reply with a proposed itinerary and quotation, then revise it with you at no charge until it fits.
- Pay 25% of the tour cost to confirm. A further 50% is due once you receive the confirmation voucher, and the last 25% before the tour starts.
- Seven days before departure you receive your hotel and service vouchers.
Last-minute and peak-season bookings need full payment upfront. Card payments carry a 3% bank charge. See all payment options.
| When you cancel | Charge (share of total tour cost) |
|---|
| After booking confirmation | 10% |
| 29 to 20 days before the tour | 20% |
| 19 to 14 days | 25% |
| 13 to 8 days | 40% |
| 7 to 4 days | 60% |
| 3 days or less | 100% |
Refunds can take 2 to 8 weeks to reach your account. Flight and train tickets follow the airline's or the railway's own cancellation rules. The complete policy is in our Terms and Conditions.
Why book with Pilgrimage Tour India
- Our head office is in Rajendra Place, New Delhi, and we have an associate office in Varanasi, on the circuit itself. More about us.
- Our operations team calls you one day before arrival with your driver's details, and stays reachable through the tour. See our transport.
- You get a written itinerary and price within 12 hours of your enquiry.
- Past travellers have shared their feedback on our guest reviews page.
Plan Your Buddhist Tour
Share your travel dates, group size and the places you want to cover. We reply within 12 hours with an itinerary and a dated quotation.
Call or WhatsApp: +91 8826094899. Email: info@pilgrimagetour.in. You can also use the contact page.
