Uttar Pradesh Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Uttar Pradesh

Agra: the Taj at dawn and by moonlight

Reach the Taj Mahal as its gates open on our Taj Mahal sunrise tour, or see it on one of five nights around the full moon with the Taj Mahal moonlight viewing. Agra Fort, Mehtab Bagh and Fatehpur Sikri fill the rest of a stay. More on our Agra page.

Varanasi: the river at dusk and dawn

Stand on the ghat or sit in a boat for the Ganga Aarti, then row past the ghats at first light; the Varanasi Ganga Aarti tour combines the two. Add the Varanasi sweets walk, a classical music evening or the Varanasi photo tour. See Varanasi.

Sarnath: where the Buddha first taught

Ten kilometres from Varanasi, the Dhamek Stupa marks the Buddha's first sermon, and the museum, shut on Fridays, keeps the Lion Capital of Ashoka, now India's national emblem. Our Sarnath from Varanasi trip fits into half a day.

Mathura and Vrindavan: Krishna's Braj

Temple darshan at set hours, an aarti on the Yamuna and the circuit around Govardhan hill make up a Braj visit. Our Mathura and Vrindavan tour is a day or an overnight, and the 2 Days Mathura Vrindavan with Goverdhan Barsana adds Radha's Barsana. See Mathura and Vrindavan.

Holi in Braj

Braj celebrates Holi for about a week, with Lathmar Holi at Barsana and Nandgaon before the main day. Our Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan experience chooses which events to join, with a private guide and car.

Ayodhya: darshan and the Saryu

The temple trust issues timed darshan and aarti passes for the Ram Mandir through its website, free of charge; Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan and the floodlit ghats of Ram ki Paidi complete the day. Our Ayodhya Ram Mandir tour is planned around darshan hours. See Ayodhya.

Prayagraj and Chitrakoot: the Sangam and Ramghat

At Prayagraj, boats to the Sangam, where the Ganga meets the Yamuna, are rented at the ghat near Akbar's fort, and priests on platforms in mid-river help pilgrims bathe. Our 6 Days Varanasi Ayodhya Tour with Prayagraj Chitrakoot visits the Sangam, then ends a day at the evening aarti at Ramghat on the Mandakini in Chitrakoot. Background in our Prayagraj travel guide.

Lucknow: Nawabi food and buildings

The capital is known for kebabs and biryani, chikan embroidery and zardozi, the Bara Imambara and the Rumi Darwaza. None of our trips here includes it; our Lucknow travel guide covers the city.

Festivals worth planning around

Dev Deepawali lights Varanasi's ghats about fifteen days after Diwali, Ayodhya's Deepotsav fills the town with lamps on the eve of Diwali, Agra's Taj Mahotsav runs from 18 to 27 February, and the Magh Mela gathers pilgrims at the Sangam every January and February.

Choosing between our tours and experiences

Our experiences are single outings in one place, listed by theme under festivals, culinary, performing arts and honeymoon and romance; add them to any trip. Our tour packages cover one place or join several. For pilgrims there are the circuits: the 4 Days Mathura Vrindavan Agra Tour, the six-day Varanasi–Ayodhya route, or eight days from Braj to Kedarnath. On a first trip to India, see Agra on the Golden Triangle Tour — 6 days, or add the Ganges with Golden Triangle with Varanasi — 8 days; Spiritual India — Varanasi and Rishikesh pairs the river with yoga upstream. Browse the full list on our Uttar Pradesh tour packages page.

When to go for these

October to March suits nearly everything here, with cool mornings for the Taj at dawn and the boat in Varanasi, but winter nights can drop to 3–4°C and dense fog in late December and January can delay flights and trains. Summer temperatures can reach 45°C, so plan outdoor sights for early morning. The monsoon normally arrives around 20 June and withdraws by about 10 October, and in high floods boats on the Ganges at Varanasi are stopped. UP Tourism gives Prayagraj a shorter season, November to February.

Planning tips

Agra and Varanasi are 657 km apart by road, so link them by train or plane. On Fridays the Taj and Sarnath's museum are both shut. Temple rules differ: Kashi Vishwanath bars phones, gadgets and even pens but has free lockers, and Krishna Janmasthan bars phones and watches. More in our Uttar Pradesh travel guide.