Experience Varanasi - 2 Days Guided Tour

4.9 (90 reviews) 2 days Free cancellation Private tour

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90 reviews

4.9

Experience Varanasi - 2 Days Guided Tour — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Experience Varanasi - 2 Days Guided Tour, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

The Experience Varanasi tour is an endeavor to connect the tourist with the city. It aims to acclimatize the Guest with the local culture of Varanasi.

Discover the best of Varanasi in two days. Along with the morning and evening boat rides, you will be able to explore the different religious aspects of the city like Buddhism. Take an insider's look at various wholesale markets in the city, walk through the residential areas of the old town and indulge in some great street food.

Overnight Tours Multi-day Tours Bus Tours Private and Luxury Private Sightseeing Tours Cultural Tours Walking Tours Street Food Tours

At a glance

Duration: 2 days
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–5
Guide: English
Operated by: Experience Varanasi Private Guided Tours

Ages: Infants (1–3 years) · Children (4–13 years) · Adults (14–75 years)

What is included

Included

Included: All Fees and Taxes
Included: In-vehicle air conditioning: Air-conditioned vehicle
Included: Two private boat rides. There will be boat man rowing the boat.
Included: Street food & beverages during the food tour on the 2nd Day.

Not included

Not included: Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Not included: Food and drinks, unless specified
Not included: Gratuities
Not included: Airport transfers (to & from the hotel).
Not included: Entrance tickets for Kashi Vishwanath temple. This is an optional visit

Itinerary

Day 1 · Experience Varanasi Tour: 2 Days Private Guided Tour

Experience Varanasi - Private Guided Tours

30 min

10:00 am - Our accredited guide will meet you at your hotel and accompany you to the old city explaining you the sightseeing for the day.
Stop 2

3 hours

Bazaar Walk: Explore the hidden wholesale markets in the old city like Paan (betel leaf), spice, toys, flowers etc.

Walking through the narrow alleys of these markets with a variety of smell and vision gives a phenomenal experience to the Guest.

Visit a good local restaurant for lunch after the walking tour.
Stop 3

one hour

Weaver’s District Tour: Walk through the weavers district of Varanasi and learn about the life of the weavers and the process of hand weaving of the famous silk brocades and Banarasi sari.

Banaras’s handloom weaving traditions have found mention in Vedic and Buddhist literature.
Banaras Hindu University

1 min

Banaras Hindu University is an internationally reputed temple of learning known for its academic history and cultural significance.

Banaras Hindu University is one of the top ranking universities in India and the largest residential universities in Asia. Drive through the lush green campus. You may visit the new Vishwanath temple inside the campus.
Monkey Temple (Durga Temple)

30 min

After the drive through the university, visit the famous Durga Temple. A beautiful temple painted in red. It was constructed in 18th century by a queen from Bengal.

It is particularly significant for worship of Goddess Durga and is considered one of the most powerful and mystical temples in Kashi.
Ganges River

2 hours Admission included

Evening Boat ride: Go for a evening boat ride by the sunset and witness the activities by the river side in the evening, watch the cremation at Manikarnika Ghat from the boat.

Finally stop at Dasaswamedh Ghat to enjoy the Ganga Aarti ceremony from your private boat.

The Aarti or offering of lamps is observed at prescribed hours of the day and night to invoke the Gods. The lamps are revolved before the idols in a clockwise manner along with the chanting of hymns. This recitation is accompanied by drums, blowing of conch-shell and tolling of temple bells.

After the experience, you'll be dropped back at your hotel, concluding the day’s tour.

Day 2 · Experience Varanasi Tour: 2 Days Private Guided Tour

Varanasi

30 min

Your tour guide will meet you at your hotel and accompany you to the old city explaining you what you will see during the day. You will walk down to the ghats (banks of the River Ganga). Your guide will explain you the morning activities happening along the way, pilgrims walking down to the river, vendors selling flowers, priests standing along the lane to the temple, etc.
Ganges River

1 min Admission included

Morning Boat Ride: A boat ride at dawn along the Ganges is a quintessential Varanasi experience. The early-morning light is particularly inspiring, and all the colour and clamour of pilgrims bathing and performing puja unfolds before you.

An hour-long trip south from Dashashwamedh Ghat to Harishchandra Ghat and to Manikarnika Ghat and back is popular and be prepared to see a burning corpse at Harishchandra and Manikarnika Ghat.

People talking bath, performing rituals, practicing yoga and meditation, worshiping the rising Sun, … it all happens.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple

2 hours

After the boat ride, go for a walking tour in the old city walking through the alley ways that leads to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

One of the most important Siva temples with more than 850 kilograms of real gold on the top. Your tour guide will explain the significance and share stories about heritage of the temple.

You can always ask your guide to take you at a popular street food joint where you can explore traditional local breakfast along with a cup of masala chai (tea). Return back to your hotel for freshen up, some rest and breakfast.
Varanasi

2 hours

Return back to your hotel for freshen up, some rest and breakfast before you proceed for the other tours during the day. Time to recharge and may be upload & share some beautiful pictures from the sunrise boat ride experience with friends & family.
Sarnath

one hour Admission included

Drive to Sarnath after breakfast. Lord Buddha preached his first sermon here after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Walk around the beautiful garden and see the ruins of different monasteries and temples

Visit the main temple, excavated ruins & the archaeological museum (museum remains closed on Fridays).
Dhamek Stupa

one hour Admission included

The Dhamek Stupa is a massive and prominent Buddhist monument located at the Deer Park in Sarnath. It is a highly sacred site for Buddhists worldwide, as it marks the precise spot where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon.

The stupa is a solid cylindrical structure, approximately 43.6 meters (141 feet) in height and 28 meters (92 feet) in diameter at its base.

The lower stone portion of the stupa is adorned with exquisitely carved floral designs, geometric patterns, and figures of humans and birds, which are characteristic of the Gupta architectural style.
Ashoka Pillar

one hour Admission included

The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath is originally a 3rd century BCE polished sandstone pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka, its most famous feature is the Lion Capital, which now serves as the official emblem of India.

The top portion of the pillar, known as the Lion Capital, is made up of four lions standing back-to-back, representing strength, courage, and unity.
Sarnath Museum

30 min Admission included

Archaeological Museum at Sarnath is the oldest site museum of India. It houses the findings and excavations at the archaeological site of Sarnath, by the Archaeological Survey of India.

To keep the antiquities found from the site, a decision was taken in 1904 by the Government to construct a site museum adjacent to the excavated site at Sarnath.

Drive to a good local restaurant for lunch after the visit to Sarnath and return back to your hotel for some rest before you finally visit the old city for a street food tour during the evening.
Stop 9

2 hours

Flavors of Varanasi Tour: Banaras offers you the best of history coupled with the best in cuisine as well. The streets have a wide range of eateries all offering delectably scrumptious food that is sure to suit every traveler’s appetite.

We take you to a few street food joints which are very popular with the locals & offer you a wide variety of food & beverages. Return back to your hotel after the food tour.

Your guide will drop you back to the hotel after the food tour.

Please note: You will not be able to have dinner after the food tour.

Meeting point and pickup

The operator picks every participant up from their accommodation or the points below.

Pickup points

OYO 77221 Hotel Rama
Shree Sai Paying Guest House
OYO 48509 Hotel Mittram
The Pulick Stay
Hotel Vaibhav
Ganga Darshan Hotel
Hotel Singh Residency
Varanasi Stay
OYO 76562 Hotel Royal Pavilion
Radisson Hotel Varanasi
Taj Ganges Varanasi
Hotel Madin

and 82 more pickup points

Departure Point: From your hotel. Your guide will meet you at your hotel or any other convenient location previously agreed.

Dates: See Availability

Return point: Back to your hotel or as previously agreed.

We meet our Guest at their hotel at the beginning of the tour and drop them back to the hotel after the tour.

However for the captioned hotels (1)Tree of Life (2) Ramada at Katesar, Ramnagar we will send the car & driver to the hotel. Your guide will meet you at a decided point in the city since both the hotels are far away from the city.