Varanasi, India
Top places to visit in Varanasi
6 places worth your time in Varanasi, with what each is actually like and when to go.
Last updated 2026-08-11
1. Dashashwamedh Ghat
Photo: Bobinson K B · CC BY SA 2.0 · source
The main ghat, where the Ganga Aarti fire ceremony is performed each evening.
Watch out'Priests' who tie a thread on your wrist and then demand a large donation for the blessing.
2. Manikarnika Ghat
Photo: themet · CC0 · source
The principal cremation ghat, burning continuously for centuries.
Watch outMen posing as hospice workers soliciting 'wood donations' for the poor; there is no such collection.
3. Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Photo: Fæ · CC BY 2.0 · source
One of the twelve jyotirlingas, and the reason the city is what it is.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Tip: Non-Hindus may enter the corridor complex but not the inner sanctum.
4. Sarnath
Photo: kawanet · CC BY 2.0 · source
Where the Buddha gave his first sermon, 10km out, with the Dhamek Stupa.
5. Assi Ghat
Photo: José Morcillo Valenciano · CC BY 2.0 · source
The southern ghat, quieter, with morning yoga and a student crowd from the university.
6. Ramnagar Fort
Photo: Adam Jones, Ph.D. - Global Photo Archive · CC BY SA 2.0 · source
The maharaja's crumbling 18th-century fort across the river, with an eccentric museum.
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