Why visit Varanasi
Townapedia lists 86 museums and landmarks, 17 parks and trails, 135 places to eat, 125 places to stay and 14 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Bharat Kala Bhavan and Sarnath Museum.
Weather in Varanasi
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Varanasi
Varanasi (Hindi pronunciation: [ʋaːˈɾaːɳəsi], also Benares, Banaras Hindustani pronunciation: [bəˈnaːɾəs]), or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. The city also has a syncretic tradition of Islamic artisanship that underpins its religious tourism. Located in the middle-Ganges valley in the southeastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi lies on the left bank of the river. It is 692 kilometres (430 mi) to the southeast of India's capital New Delhi and 320 kilometres (200 mi) to the southeast of the state capital, Lucknow.
From the Wikipedia article Varanasi (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Varanasi on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do14
Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth
School · 2.2 km
State public university in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
School · 2.3 km
State public university in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies
School · 5.6 km
Deemed university in Varanasi, India
Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi
School · 5.7 km
Public research institute in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University
School · 7.0 km
Institute in Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, India
Jamia Salafia India
School · 1.8 km
Islamic Jamia or central seminary university in Varanasi, India
2 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks86
Bharat Kala Bhavan
Museum · 5.2 km
University museum located in Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
74 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds17
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5 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes135
Lucy's Heritage Cafe
Cafe · Italian Pizza, Diner, Regional, Noodles, Asian, Sandwich, Coffee Shop, Curry, Ice Cream, Local, Chinese, Tea, Pizza, Burger, Cake, Pasta, Breakfast, International, Indian · 1.5 km
D 24/17 Pandey ghat, Bangali Tola
Mo-Su 07:30-22:00
Aum Cafe
Restaurant · Breakfast, Coffee Shop, International, Tea · 3.1 km
B1/201 Assi Ghat Road
Tu-Su 07:00-16:30
French Bakers
Bakery · 1.3 km
Bangali Tola Lane D. 32/13 Dasashwamedh Varanasi
Tu-Su 06:00-17:00
Ganpati
Restaurant · Regional · 0.9 km
D-3/24 Meer Ghat, Varanasi
07:00-22:00
Sha Chicken Hut
Restaurant · Indian · 0.7 km
CK 67/64 Nai Sarak Road
Mo-Su 13:45-23:00
Shivangi Lunch House
Restaurant · Indian · 2.2 km
Rathyatra Mahmoorganj Road
Tu-Su 09:00-23:45
123 more on the map.
Where to stay125
hotel Shanti palace&Roof hill restaurant
Motel and hotel · 1.9 km
B 7/12 Sonapura Road
La Vaca India Boutique Stay
Motel and hotel · 1.3 km
La Vaca Casa Varanasi D-35/31, jangambari, , Varanasi,
Churches and places of worship57
Shopping28
Gas and EV charging10
Schools, colleges and libraries15
Healthcare107
Map of Varanasi
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 21 km away.
- Rāmnagar 6 km south, about 6 min by car
- Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar 12 km east, about 12 min by car
- Dīkshitpur 18 km south, about 18 min by car
- Barāgaon 23 km northwest, about 23 min by car
- Chunār 25 km southwest, about 25 min by car
- Chandauli 27 km east, about 27 min by car
- Saidpur 33 km northeast, about 33 min by car
- Kachhwa 32 km west, about 32 min by car
- Ahraura 34 km south, about 34 min by car
- Chakia 37 km southeast, about 37 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Varanasi, India, Varanasi skyline in the evening, Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
- Afternoon crowd in Varanasi, Dudva, CC0
- Varanasi (4128712740), M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Vacas Y Siesta Varanasi India, Una Maleta De Pulgas, CC BY 3.0
- Varanasi 255 traffic (45251724484), juggadery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi (4124629153), M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi 255 - UP fish (44159815550), juggadery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi 255 - Mahindra Scorpio VLX (44159814760), juggadery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi 255 - corner house (32105135138), juggadery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi 255 - shops (45305371214), juggadery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi (4124722775), M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi 255a - Radhaswami Bagh (45199830094), juggadery, CC BY 2.0
- Varanasi 255 - Radhaswami Bagh (30983095437), juggadery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cattle in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India (2010) 13, M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Varanasi (8746969299), Aleksandr Zykov from Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Streets of Varanasi 8, Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Streets of Varanasi 7, Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Streets of Varanasi 6, Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ande Ka Halwa-Dalmandi,Varanasi-Uttar Pradesh-001, Shyamali Panda, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Varanasi (6706054965), Aleksandr Zykov from Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Ruelle de la vieille ville de Varanasi (8472449336), dalbera from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0
- Streets of Varanasi 5, Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Streets of Varanasi 4, Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0
- NPS Varanasi, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Varanasi 506 - waiting for Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (34169064322), juggadery, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Different types of Japa mala (prayer beads) selling in Varanasi, India, Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bharat Kala Bhavan Museum, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Jeff Hart from Bloomington, IN, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Art and Archeological Museum at Sarnath, Nandanupadhyay, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sarnath Deer Park, Sonalyadav1234, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bharat Mata Mandir Varanasi India - panoramio (3), Hiroki Ogawa, CC BY 3.0
- Manas Mandir, Nikhil399792, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nepali Temple exterior, Varanasi, Matt Stabile, CC BY 2.0
- Faculty of Arts, BHU, AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rhesus macaques on the Nepali Mandir - panoramio (3243), Vinko Rajic, CC BY 3.0
- Taxi - panoramio (6), renato agostini, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Chowk police station03843, Raj.palgun13, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Holi - festival of colours, Namanvr13, CC BY 4.0
- The main gate of Harish Chandra Post Graduate College, Shiwamind, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Aam papad, Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Aam papad 2, Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0
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