Punjab Tour Packages

The simplest way is to see Delhi, Agra and Jaipur first and then fly north, as the 10 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur with Golden Temple Tour does: Amritsar is 447 km from Delhi by road, so the flight saves a long day. Amritsar also works as a gateway to the hills. Its airport serves Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir as well as Punjab, and the highway to Jammu leaves Punjab at Pathankot.

Fly into Amritsar for the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Attari border. Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport at Mohali, beside Chandigarh, is closer to the east of the state: Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar district, home to Anandpur Sahib. For a loop through Punjab, the specialist can bring you in at one airport and out at the other, so you do not drive back the way you came.

Hola Mohalla is held every March at Anandpur Sahib, straight after Holi, so its date moves with the Hindu calendar. Instituted by Guru Gobind Singh, it centres on Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, with Nihang Sikhs displaying gatka, the Sikh martial art, and horsemanship, alongside processions and free langar served on the roads into town. Visitors are welcome; SGPC organises it with the Rupnagar district administration. The town is very crowded, so book rooms well ahead.

Vaisakhi, on 13 or 14 April, is both Punjab's harvest festival and the anniversary of the Khalsa, created by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Gurdwaras fill, Nagar Kirtan processions move through the towns, and there is bhangra and giddha. The Golden Temple and the Akal Takht hold Amrit Sanchar ceremonies before large gatherings, and Talwandi Sabo holds a mela at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. In Amritsar, the day also recalls the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Baisakhi Day, 1919.

Cold enough to pack warm layers. IMD's Amritsar station recorded January lows of 1 to 3°C in each of the last four winters, and its warnings describe dense to very dense fog across most of Punjab in late December and January, when visibility at Amritsar can fall to almost nothing. Fog can delay flights, trains and road journeys, so leave some slack around travel days on a winter trip.

Yes. The langar at the Golden Temple is vegetarian, and Punjabi cooking has plenty of vegetarian classics: Amritsari kulcha, dal makhani, chhole bhature, and makki ki roti with sarson ka saag. Meat is easy to find too, from Amritsari fish to tandoori chicken. Some holy towns have their own rules: Punjab Tourism notes that non-vegetarian food and alcohol are restricted in Anandpur Sahib, so check before planning a meal there.

Yes. The Border Security Force also holds the evening retreat ceremony at Hussainiwala, near Ferozepur, and at Sadqi, near Fazilka, in the south-west of the state; Punjab Tourism lists both with Attari for border tourism, and a tailor-made trip can include either. Public viewing is never guaranteed: in May 2025 BSF closed all three ceremonies to visitors for several days, so check before you set out.