Varanasi trip

Varanasi trip guide: temple, ghats, Dev Deepawali 2026

Published 3 November 2026Updated 3 November 2026

For a first Varanasi trip, plan two or three days: an evening on the ghats, an early darshan at Kashi Vishwanath, and half a day at Sarnath. Dev Deepawali falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026, when diyas light the ghats from Assi to Raj Ghat.

Sourced 3 Nov 2026. Temple times come from the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust notices page (no date shown) and its FAQ (PDF dated December 2023), prices from the temple booking page, the festival date and aarti times from Incredible India, and distances from the Varanasi district site (last updated May 2019).

Dev Deepawali 2026: Tuesday 24 November

The Incredible India event page, sourced to Uttar Pradesh Tourism, lists Dev Deepawali in Varanasi on 24 November 2026. It describes "millions of earthen diyas" along the riverfront, "From Assi Ghat to Raj Ghat", with Ganga Aarti and cultural programmes. The page gives no start or end time, and we found no official boat or ghat booking prices, so we print none.

If you want to be there, book your train or flight early. The Indian Railways booking window is 60 days, so check when it opens with our train booking date calculator.

Kashi Vishwanath: darshan and aarti times

The temple trust publishes times in two places, and they differ slightly. The notices page says the temple opens at 2:45 am for Mangala Aarti and closes at 11:00 pm. The FAQ (PDF dated 30 December 2023) gives the older times. We show both. The notices page also says times may change on Purnima, eclipses and other special occasions, so check it before you go.

Ticket prices are from the temple's booking page. Book aartis there, in the temple app or at the help desk. The FAQ says a booked aarti cannot be cancelled, refunded or moved, because the amount "is a kind of donation".

Sugam Darshan

Entry to the temple is free. Sugam Darshan costs Rs 300 per person, on both the FAQ and the booking page: a Shastri takes you near the sanctum without waiting in the queue, and the ticket includes a box of prasad, a free locker and the Shastri's dakshina.

Temple rules

• No gadgets or pens. "Any electronic or non-electronic gadgets, pen etc. is not allowed inside the temple premises." Leave phones, smartwatches and pens in a locker.
• Free lockers at Mandir Chauk, YSK-1, YSK-2, YSK-3 and the help desk, which is near Gate No. 4. The notices page says lockers are limited, so leave what you can at your hotel.
• Clothes: there is no dress code, but the FAQ advises decent clothes.
• From the ghats: entry from the river side is through Gate No. 1, allowed from 6 am to 9 pm.

The ghats and the evening Ganga Aarti

The river front is the heart of any Varanasi trip. Walk a stretch of ghats at sunrise, when they are quiet, and come back in the evening for the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Incredible India says it takes place every day after sunset, at 6:30 pm in summer and 7:00 pm in winter, and lasts around 45 minutes. Arrive early for a spot on the steps.

Sarnath

The temple FAQ names Sarnath as the main tourist place near Varanasi, and the district site puts it 30 km from the airport. Half a day is enough for the monuments and the museum. Tickets for ASI monuments are sold on the ASI ticket portal. The Sarnath Museum is closed on Fridays and open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, per Incredible India. We could not read an official entry fee, so check the portal for your date.

Getting to Varanasi

• Air: LBS airport at Babatpur is 22 km from Varanasi and 30 km from Sarnath, per the district site (last updated 28 May 2019).
• Rail: the district site lists Varanasi Cantt and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, 16 km from Varanasi. The temple FAQ calls the nearest station Varanasi Junction, which the Kashi city portal gives as another name for Cantt station.
• Bus: the district site lists the UPSRTC bus stand on Sher Shah Suri Marg and Golgadda. The temple FAQ names the Chaudhary Charan Singh Bus Stand.

Coming by train with heavy bags? Check your class's limit with our train luggage allowance calculator.

A simple two or three day plan

1. Day 1, evening: arrive, walk the ghats and watch the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh.
2. Day 2, early: a sunrise walk on the ghats, then darshan at Kashi Vishwanath before the late morning crowd. Rest in the afternoon, and book an evening aarti if you want one.
3. Day 3: half a day at Sarnath, then the airport or station.

This works for most travelers. Solo travelers and couples can add the 3 am Mangla Aarti. Business travelers with one free evening can fit in the ghats and the Ganga Aarti. Families with young children may prefer daytime darshan and a seat on the ghat steps over the night aartis.

What we left out

• Boat fares and Dev Deepawali boat or ghat prices, which no official page lists.
• Sarnath entry fees, Ramnagar Fort, hotel rates and airfares.
• A Dev Deepawali 2026 traffic or boat advisory: none was published when we checked.

Looking at other December trips? Our best places to visit in December in India post has more ideas.

Sources

• Incredible India, Dev Deepawali in Varanasi (source: Uttar Pradesh Tourism): incredibleindia.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, notices (no date shown): shrikashivishwanath.org, sourced 3 November 2026
• Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, booking prices: shrikashivishwanath.org, sourced 3 November 2026
• Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, FAQ (PDF, 30 December 2023): shrikashivishwanath.org, sourced 3 November 2026
• Incredible India, Varanasi experiences (Ganga Aarti): incredibleindia.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• Incredible India, Sarnath Museum: incredibleindia.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• Kashi city portal, Ropeway project: kashi.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• Varanasi district, How to Reach (last updated 28 May 2019): varanasi.nic.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• Archaeological Survey of India, ticket booking: asi.paygov.org.in, sourced 3 November 2026

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