Varanasi City Guide | India Travel Videos

Join us as we visit Varanasi city in this travel guide featuring the best things to do in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Varanasi (also known as Benares, Banaras and/or Kashi) is the spiritual capital of India. As the holiest of seven sacred cities in Hinduism and Jainism you find many people from all over India visiting as well as tourists. In terms of attractions in Varanasi it is a destination worth visiting for the experience rather than a checklist of places to visit. Coming to the various ghats by day and night reveals what Varanasi is all about. You can take a boat ride in the morning for sunrise or later in the evening for sunset but the rest of the time I'd recommend just walking along the ghats and getting lost in the maze of back alleys in the old part of the city. At night be sure to check out the many evening performances and also it is worth visiting a burning ghat but remember to be respectful by putting away your camera.

Things to do in Varanasi Travel Guide:

1) Ganga Aarti (श्री गंगा आरती) performance at night in Varanasi where Brahmans hold large bowls of fire in their hands while offering holy mantras to river Ganges, Shiva (Hindu God of destruction), Surya (Sun God) and the universe
2) Dashashwamedh Ghat (दशाश्वमेध घाट) main ghat on the Ganga River
3) Wandering around in back-alleys in the old city quarter of Varanasi
4) Manikarnika Ghat (मणिकर्णिका घाट) burning ghat where bodies are cremated along the Ganges River
5) Boat ride in Varanasi on the Ganges River either for sunrise or sunset
6) Visiting the many ghats in Varanasi during different times of the day and in the evening

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Our visit Varanasi travel guide documentary covers some of the top attractions including a ghats guide, burning ghats, fascinating temples and the city by day and evening when Varanasi comes alive at night with performances. We also cover off-the-beaten-path activities you won't find in a typical Varanasi tourism brochure, Varanasi city tour or Varanasi itinerary.

Varanasi City Guide | India Travel Video transcript:

Alright guys it is our second last destination here in India. We have finally made it to Varanasi (वाराणसी) & this is our first morning exploring the ghats.

Ghats is the word used to describe the steps that lead down to the river’s edge. There are a total of 87 ghats in Varanasi (वाराणसी), some bigger than others, but we just focused on a handful, starting at Dashashwamedh Ghat (दशाश्वमेध घाट) & working our way down. Along the way we saw former palaces built by royal families, cheap guesthouses that cater to backpackers & plenty of temples.

As lively as the Ganges is by day, we also made time to visit by night so we could watch the Ganga Aarti ceremony. This is a fire worship ceremony that takes place at Dashashwamedh Ghat (दशाश्वमेध घाट), with lots of singing, chanting, burning candles and billowing incense. You can watch the ceremony from the steps or aboard the boats for a small fee arriving early to claim a spot as it gets busy.

So one of my favorite things to do here in Varanasi (वाराणसी) is just wander around like go exploring through the old town is just like a labyrinth, it is like a maze. There is so much people watching. There is a lot of animals & cows. There is also a lot of opportunity to shop as well.

Lastly, it wouldn’t have been a proper trip to Varanasi (वाराणसी) without taking a boat ride down the Ganges River. We were up before the crack of dawn to meet our boatman, and our early morning wake up call was rewarded with one of the best sunrises we saw in India.

So we're wrapping things up here in Varanasi (वाराणसी) at the train station. We've done all of our train travel in India by trains so it is kind of appropriate that our very last journey to Kolkata is by train.

This is part of our Travel in India video series showcasing Indian food, Indian culture and Indian cuisine.

Music in this video courtesy of Joakim Karud http://youtube.com/joakimkarud