Mathura & Vrindavan Tour Packages

The temple opens every day for a morning and an evening session, with hours that change between summer and winter, and the deity is seen in short glimpses as a curtain is drawn and opened. There is no VIP darshan, and phones, umbrellas, leather and electronic items should be left behind. The temple asks elderly devotees, families with small children and people with disabilities to avoid its busiest days: weekends, public holidays, Ekadashi, full-moon and new-moon days, and festivals.

At Barsana, Radha's town, the women playfully beat the men of Krishna's Nandgaon with lathis, long sticks, while the men shield themselves; the next day it is Nandgaon's turn. It falls on Phalgun Shukla Navami, about a week before Holi, so the date moves each year with the Hindu calendar. Visitors can watch, but crowds are dense and traffic is slow, so start early, wear clothes you can lose to colour and leave valuables at the hotel.

The parikrama circles Govardhan hill, a sandstone ridge about 8 km long, on a route of about 21 km that devout pilgrims walk in full. You don't have to: you can walk part of it and reach places such as the Mansi Ganga tank by car. The 2-day Braj package spends a morning at Govardhan. Avoid Guru Purnima in July, when the authorities plan for well over a crore of pilgrims at the Mudiya Purnima fair.

Close security. Phones, key rings, watches and other electronic devices are not allowed inside the Shri Krishna Janmasthan complex, so leave them in the car with your driver. Shoes come off before the shrines, and the checks at the gate take time on busy days. Our itineraries put it first, on the day you arrive, before Vrindavan's temples.

Yes, with planning. Banke Bihari offers free assisted darshan for elderly and disabled devotees through its sewa adhikari goswamis, with requests confirmed at least 48 hours ahead, and wheelchairs can be hired near Sneh Bihari Mandir. Choose a weekday that is not a festival or Ekadashi. Tell us about any mobility needs when you enquire, and we build the day around them.

Only if the festival is the point. Krishna's birthday is celebrated at midnight, when the image of the infant Krishna is bathed, and Banke Bihari holds its only mangla aarti of the year in the early hours. Mathura fills with lakhs of devotees and traffic is restricted, so expect long queues. It falls in August or September; the date moves each year. For calmer temples, come between October and March.