Varanasi overview

Visitors to Varanasi can expect their senses to take a bashing, with the riverside steps and narrow alleyways of this holy Indian city teeming with colour, noise and not-always-pleasant smells. Hindus have long been coming here on pilgrimage and tourists will find plenty of opportunities to watch devotees bathe in the murky, corpse-ridden waters of the Ganges. The main draw of this fascinating ancient city is perhaps its absorbing religious rituals, including cremations, which are often conducted along the riverbanks. Old hand budget travellers thrive in Varanasi’s numerous low-cost guesthouses yet first-time well-heeled guests may be overwhelmed by the city’s lack of upscale accommodation, grime, heat and pollution. However, watching the sunrise against the backdrop of centuries-old temples from a boat is an experience that makes the less tolerable aspects of a visit to this city worth enduring. Flights arrive in the city from Delhi and Mumbai but most travellers get here by train.