Varanasi Temple Tour Package 2026

Hotel stay, airport or station transfers and sightseeing by vehicle are part of the package. Temple tickets are not: Sugam Darshan and the Mangala Aarti are booked separately on the temple trust’s website.

The city is well known for its Kashi Vishwanath temple. The Ghats of Varanasi, Banarasi paan and the famous Banarasi silk are some of the other things Varanasi is known for across the country.

Varanasi, also called Kashi and Banaras, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) of Hinduism. The Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, inaugurated on 13 December 2021, now gives pilgrims a direct open-air walkway from the Jyotirlinga to the Ganga. More than 25 crore devotees visited the Dham between December 2021 and October 2025, according to All India Radio.

Varanasi Temple Tour at a Glance

Kashi Vishwanath Temple: Darshan Timings & Booking

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is open 365 days a year. It opens at 2:30 AM for Mangala Aarti ticket holders, and General Darshan starts at 4:00 AM. The temple closes at about 11:00 PM, after Shayan Aarti. General Darshan is free; only the optional services below are ticketed.

Temple Darshan Timings

These timings and prices are from the trust’s daily schedule, checked on 13 October 2026. The trust’s rituals page gives slightly different windows for Bhog Aarti (11:30 AM to 12:00 PM) and Sapta Rishi Aarti (7:00 to 8:30 PM). Festival days run on special schedules, so check before you go.

Sugam (VIP) Darshan

Sugam Darshan is the paid Darshan facility of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust. You get a separate queue, though on crowded days you can still wait.

• Ticket price: ₹250 per person.
• Timing: 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM only. It is not available during Aartis or on some festival days.
• What you get: a Shastri (temple priest) to escort you, a free locker and Mewa laddu prasad.
• Book at:shrikashivishwanath.org or the temple trust’s app. Carry a printed copy of the booking.
• Not part of our package price.
• Also available: free Live Darshan of the sanctum on the trust’s website.

Note: General Darshan (free entry) remains the most common mode of Darshan. Sugam Darshan does not grant exclusive access to the sanctum; it simply provides a dedicated, shorter queue.

Mangala Aarti Ticket

The Mangala Aarti costs ₹500 per person on normal days, and children under 12 go free. The trust sells two kinds of tickets, and each uses a different gate.

Entry for both is between 2:30 and 3:00 AM. Carry a hard copy of the ticket and an ID card; the date cannot be changed. When we checked the booking page on 13 October 2026, General tickets were sold out for every date up to 11 November, while Tatkal showed 100 seats on most days. If your trip is less than a month away, plan on Tatkal and book it at 11 AM the day before.

Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat

The Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat is the best-known evening ritual in Varanasi. A team of priests performs it in unison every evening at sunset, with large brass lamps, conch shells, flower offerings and Vedic chants on the steps of the Ghat. It lasts about 45 minutes.

• Timing: around 5:45 to 6:00 PM from October to March, and around 6:45 to 7:00 PM from April to September.
• Boat ride: a boat lets you watch from the river instead of the packed steps. How much you see depends on where your boat ends up among the others.
• Arrive early: reach Dashashwamedh Ghat 30 to 45 minutes before the Aarti. The Ghat fills up fast, especially on weekends and during festivals.
• Morning Aarti: for a quieter Aarti, go to Assi Ghat at sunrise for Subah-e-Banaras.

Sarnath: Buddha’s First Sermon Site

Sarnath, about 10 km from Varanasi city centre, is one of the four most sacred sites of Buddhism. It was here that Siddhartha Gautama, after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, delivered his first sermon (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) to five disciples, setting the Wheel of Dharma in motion.

• Dhamek Stupa: the main structure at Sarnath, traditionally believed to mark the spot of the first sermon. It is about 43 m (141 ft) high and 28 m in diameter. The present stupa dates from the Gupta period (5th to 6th century CE) and stands on an older base linked to Emperor Ashoka.
• Chaukhandi Stupa: a terraced brick Stupa topped by an octagonal tower, marking the spot where the Buddha met his five disciples after enlightenment.
• Sarnath Archaeological Museum: houses the Lion Capital of Ashoka, the original stone sculpture that became India’s national emblem. It also has the famous Sarnath Buddha from the Gupta period (5th century CE).
• Buddhist temples: Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Tibetan temples, each in its own architectural style.
• Mulagandha Kuti Vihar: a modern Buddhist temple built in 1931 by the Maha Bodhi Society, with murals depicting the life of the Buddha.

Entry and timings: the museum is open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and closed on Fridays. Entry is ₹5, and children under 15 go free, as per the ASI Sarnath Museum. The excavated site is open from sunrise to sunset and has its own ASI ticket.

Key Temples & Ghats to Visit in Varanasi

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Dedicated to Lord Shiva as the ‘Lord of the Universe’, the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is the most sacred temple in Varanasi and one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. The present temple was rebuilt in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore after the earlier temple was demolished. In 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab donated about one tonne of gold for plating the shikhara. The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor (2021) connects the temple complex directly to the Ganga Ghats.

Sankat Mochan Temple

Dedicated to Lord Hanuman, Sankat Mochan Temple is one of the most visited temples in Varanasi. ‘Sankat Mochan’ means ‘the reliever of troubles’; devotees pray here for help in times of difficulty. According to tradition, the temple was founded by the saint-poet Tulsidas, author of the Ramcharitmanas. It is particularly crowded on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Annapurna Temple

Located close to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the Annapurna Temple is dedicated to Goddess Annapurna, the deity of food and nourishment. Devotees believe Varanasi is sustained by her grace. Her golden idol is displayed only for about five days a year, from Dhanteras to Annakut around Diwali.

Tulsi Manas Mandir

Tulsi Manas Mandir, in the Durgakund area near Durga Kund Temple and Sankat Mochan, depicts scenes from the Ramcharitmanas, the devotional epic composed by Goswami Tulsidas. Its white marble walls are inscribed with verses from the Ramcharitmanas. The temple was completed in 1964.

Bharat Mata Mandir

A unique temple dedicated not to a deity but to Mother India (Bharat Mata). The temple houses a relief map of undivided India carved in marble. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936 and stands on the campus of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith.

Dashashwamedh Ghat

The most famous and busiest Ghat in Varanasi; the name refers to the ten horses sacrificed in a yajna. According to tradition, Lord Brahma performed this yajna here. It is the main site of the evening Ganga Aarti. The Ghat is busy from pre-dawn to late night, as boats line up from early morning and devotees from across India come for a holy dip in the Ganga.

Assi Ghat

The southernmost major Ghat in Varanasi, at the confluence of the Assi river and the Ganga. The morning Aarti here, part of Subah-e-Banaras, is held around sunrise. The Ghat is popular for boat rides and sunrise photography, and many Varanasi heritage walks begin here.

Manikarnika Ghat

Manikarnika is Varanasi’s primary cremation Ghat and one of the most sacred sites in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds that being cremated at Manikarnika provides moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. The sacred fire here is said to have burned continuously for thousands of years.

More Temples You Can Add

If you have extra time, these can be added to the tour on request:

• Kaal Bhairav Temple; devotees call Kaal Bhairav the Kotwal (guardian) of Kashi
• Vishalakshi Temple, one of the Shakti Peethas
• Durga Kund Temple, next to Tulsi Manas Mandir

Kashi Darshan Bus Seva and Heritage Walks

For pilgrims planning on their own, the government’s Kashi Darshan portal (Darshan.kashi.gov.in) sells passes for the Kashi Darshan Bus Seva and guided heritage walks. The bus runs a morning trip with Mangala Aarti and Subah-e-Banaras, and an evening trip with the Ganga Aarti and VIP Darshan at Kashi Vishwanath. The heritage walks are Divya Kashi and Assi Kashi in the early morning, and Old Kashi in the evening. Prices and timings are shown on the portal at booking. These are shared group services; our package adds the hotel, transfers, Sarnath and a tour representative.

How to Reach Varanasi

By Air

Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi (VNS), at Babatpur, receives flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and other cities. The airport is about 25 km from the city centre, as per Incredible India; the drive to your hotel may be longer or shorter.

By Train

Varanasi Junction (BSB) and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (DDU, formerly Mughalsarai, about 18 km from Varanasi) are the main railheads, and Banaras station (BSBS) also handles long-distance trains.

• From Delhi: the Vande Bharat Express takes about 8 hours (New Delhi 6:00 AM, Varanasi 2:00 PM).
• From Mumbai: Kashi Express and Mahanagari Express.
• From Kolkata (Howrah): Vibhuti Express.

By Road

Varanasi is about 820 km from Delhi (12 to 14 hours via the Yamuna, Agra-Lucknow and Purvanchal expressways) and about 125 km from Prayagraj (2.5 to 3 hours on NH-19). The UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) and private buses connect Varanasi to Prayagraj, Lucknow and other UP cities. Many pilgrims combine both cities on our Kashi Prayag tour.

Best Time to Visit Varanasi

• October to March (best): the most comfortable season for a Varanasi temple tour. Mornings on the Ghats are cool and misty; in December and January, fog can delay early trains and flights.
• Dev Deepawali (Kartik Purnima, November): 15 days after Diwali, the Ghats are lit with lakhs of Diyas. In 2026 it falls on Tuesday, 24 November. Hotels and boats fill early, so book 3 to 4 months ahead.
• Mahashivratri (February/March): the most important festival at Kashi Vishwanath temple. Massive crowds; book your hotel 2 to 3 months in advance. Sugam Darshan may not be available on the day.
• Shravan month (July to August): every Monday sees huge crowds at Kashi Vishwanath. Spiritually the most significant time for Shiva devotees. Heavy rains possible.
• April to June (summer): hot and humid. Manageable, but not ideal for outdoor Ghat activities during midday.

Things to Know

Dress Code at Temples

There is no formal dress code at Kashi Vishwanath, but modest, traditional clothes are recommended. Footwear you can slip off easily saves time at the gates.

Instructions while Visiting Temples

• There is no age limit for Darshan; children under 12 do not need a Mangala Aarti ticket.
• Carry the printed copy of your Sugam Darshan or Mangala Aarti ticket (if booked) for Kashi Vishwanath entry.
• Carry original photo ID, especially for ticketed Darshan and Aarti.
• Mobile phones, cameras and electronic gadgets are not allowed inside the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Deposit them in the lockers near the gates or leave them at the hotel.
• Darshan tickets are non-transferable, and booking dates cannot be changed.
• At Kashi Vishwanath, regular Darshan pauses from 11:00 AM to 12:20 PM daily; plan your visit before 11 AM or after 12:20 PM.

Travel Tips for Varanasi Temple Tour

• Book your Kashi Vishwanath Sugam Darshan (₹250) on the official trust website before arriving. It runs only from 6 AM to 6 PM.
• Take the Ganga boat ride early in the morning (5 to 7 AM). The early light, morning prayers on the Ghats and thinner crowds make it the best time of day on the river.
• Varanasi’s old city lanes (Gallis) near Kashi Vishwanath are very narrow and vehicles cannot enter. Walk from Godowlia crossing or take a cycle rickshaw.
• Carry some cash. A few boatmen and small shops in the lanes still prefer it.
• Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats are active cremation Ghats. Maintain respectful silence, do not take photos, and think twice before visiting with young children.
• Autos and e-rickshaws are the main way to get around the city outside the old lanes. Agree on the fare before boarding.