The Varanasi City Guides answer the questions every first-time visitor has: where to find hot kachori in the morning and the famous tomato chaat, which ghats to walk at dawn, how to watch the evening aarti without the crush and how to reach Sarnath or the forts on the Ganga. Each guide is a short, opinionated list that tells you why a place matters, what to order or look for and one practical tip, and it opens in your browser as soon as you pay.
About the Varanasi City Guides
- 146 places
- 6 guides
- 13 languages
- Works offline
- Print or PDF
- Instant access
- Free updates
The six Varanasi guides
Food guide
24 places
Kachori and jalebi for breakfast in the old lanes, tomato chaat, thick lassi in clay cups, paan, Banarasi sweets, thalis and cafés over the river.
Things to do guide
26 places
The ghats at first light, the temples worth the queue, two museums that justify the ticket and Sarnath with the university campus done properly.
Family guide
24 places
The calm side of the city, with green space, boats, a marble map of India to walk across, easy museums, rainy-day ideas and food children will eat.
Nightlife guide
24 places
The aarti and the river after dark, live classical music, rooftop cafés above the ghats, late chaat and lassi and the few hotel bars there are.
Day trips guide
24 places
Sarnath for an easy half day, the forts at Ramnagar and Chunar, the goddess hills of Vindhyachal, Jaunpur and longer journeys by train.
Budget guide
24 places
Free ghats and temples, museums that cost very little, street food for small change and how to get around without paying tourist prices.
Why an interactive guide beats a list
Tick places off
Mark each place as done and watch your progress, so you always know what is left.
Your own notes
Write notes on any place and add your own finds. They stay on your phone.
One tap to Maps
Every place opens in Google Maps, and the day route puts your picks in a sensible order.
Open now, near me
Filter by what is open right now or what is closest to you.
Works offline
Open the guide once with a connection and it keeps working without data.
Print it or save as PDF
On a computer, print any guide or save it as a PDF to take with you.
Three places from the guides
Deena Chaat Bhandar
Luxa Road, near PDR Mall
The chaat shop that put tamatar chaat on the map: tomato, potato and spices cooked in ghee under a crunch of papdi. Order the crisp fried spinach leaves too, and finish with a kulfi. From the food guide.
Nepali Temple
Lalita Ghat
A Shiva temple carved from wood in the pagoda style of Nepal, built by a Nepali king in the early 1800s. Climb a few steps from the river and you have it almost to yourself; a quarter of an hour is enough. From the things to do guide.
Chunar Fort
Chunar, 40 km southwest, Mirzapur district
A hilltop fort above a bend in the Ganga, held in turn by the Mauryans, Sher Shah and the British. Much of it is closed, so come for the terrace, the temple and the view, and take a boat round the base to feel its size. From the day trips guide.
Plan your days in Varanasi
Day one: a sunrise boat and the ghats on foot with the things to do guide, kachori in the old lanes from the food guide, then the evening aarti and a rooftop café from the nightlife guide. Day two: Sarnath in the morning from the day trips guide, then the BHU campus, its museum and a thali in the south of the city. For a foggy or slow day, the family and budget guides point you to indoor shows, quiet temples and chai near Assi.
Questions about the Varanasi guides
What do the Varanasi City Guides include?
Six guides with 146 places altogether: food, things to do, family, nightlife, day trips and budget. For every place you get the reason it is worth going, the area, notes on opening times and a practical tip.
How do I receive the guides once I have paid?
The links show up on your order page straight after payment and in your confirmation email. They open in any browser on a phone or laptop, with no app and no account.
Can I use the guides offline in Varanasi?
Yes. Open each guide once while connected and it keeps working without signal, ticks and notes included. Map links need mobile data.
Which languages are the guides in?
The guides open in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. You can switch the language inside the guide at any time.
How much do the Varanasi guides cost?
One guide is €4.99, two are €8.99, four are €15.99 and all six are €19.99.
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