Varanasi by train

The Indian railway is a mind-boggling network of tracks covering thousands of miles. During our Varanasi by train tour, you’ll take the overnight train directly from Agra to Varanasi, getting an up-close-and-personal glimpse of local travel. The station platform will be a chaotic jumble of businessman, suitcases, children, monkeys and dogs. At every stop, station vendors will wander through the train shouting loudly as they sell samosas, pakoras, coffee and sweet masala chai. It's an eye-opening and rewarding experience which will immerse you in the true India.

Duration	6 days, 5 nights Departs daily from Agra Best time to travel: July to late April	Accommodation	Simple hotel. Comfort level 1/2 (see accommodation)
Price	£129 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	2 sleeper trains, 3 nights accommodation with breakfast, transfers from and to Varanasi station.
Transport	Train and private car	Excludes	International flights, entrance fees.

Days 1 and 2: Agra - Varanasi

Travel time - Agra to Varanasi: approx 11-12 hours

This evening, you’ll be transferred from your hotel in Agra to the railway station, for the overnight journey to Varanasi by train. After about 11 hours (give or take – you’re on India time now) you’ll arrive in the holy city of Varanasi by train. You’ll be collected by your driver at the station and taken to your hotel, a simple and comfortable hotel in the leafy Cantonment area, just north of Varanasi's railway station. This hotel has well furnished rooms with Indian art on the walls and a green themed restaurant which serves good Indian, Chinese and Western food. There is also a subterranean bar which can be enjoyed here.

Varanasi by train - Lush, green countryside

Varanasi by train - The hustle and bustle along the Ganges...

Days 3 and 4: Varanasi

The next two days of this Varanasi by train module are completely free for you to explore at your own pace. The Ganges is flanked by a series of ghats – broad stone staircases leading down to the water – that stretch into the horizon. You can stroll along the traffic-free ghats, and attend the evening prayer ceremony on the main ghat where flower candles are set afloat on the river.

Life and death rubs shoulders here like nowhere else on earth, and the experience is very inspiring. Watching a cremation take place on the ‘burning ghats’ during this Varanai by train module is something that you will remember forever. Next to the cremation ghat, you’ll find kids playing cricket, cows nosing through rubbish, and women beating laundry on rocks.

Equally, you could take a city tour through the twisting alleyways of Varanasi, sneaking past the dozing cows, or take an excursion to Sarnath – a holy place for Buddhists - 10 km from Varanasi. It was here that Buddha gave his first lecture. After his enlightenment in Bodhgaya, Buddha came to Sarnath to preach about the Middle Way of reaching Nirvana. After this, the religious ruler Ashoka built an enormous stupa (temple) and several Buddhist monasteries to commemorate the teaching. Each Buddhist country in the world now has its own temple, which often makes the place feel like a World Expo is being held there. You can get to Sarnath by auto rickshaw in about 20 minutes or, if you would prefer, we can arrange a private car to take you there during your Varanasi by train module.

Varanasi by train - Washing in the Ganges

Day 5: Varanasi - Overnight train to Delhi

Travel time - Varanasi to Delhi: approx 12 hours

Today, we can highly recommend a boat trip on the Ganges at dawn during your Varanasi by train module. This is an extremely special experience and you cannot help but soak up the intensely spiritual atmosphere. You’ll float past pilgrims from all walks of life as they perform their ritual bathing before sunrise, and religious chanting will drift to your ears over the water. During the afternoon on the fifth day of your Varanasi by train module, you can perhaps consider visiting the Bharat Mata Temple and Varanasi University. At the end of the day, we'll arrange the easy transfer to the railway station for the overnight train back to Delhi (departs at about 7pm).

Day 6: Delhi - End of module

At the end of your Varanasi by train module, you’ll arrive early in New Delhi in the morning (about 7.30am). From the train, you're likely to see the morning rituals of the Indians. It is pretty normal to see people using the edge of the track as a toilet and doing their ablutions in the early morning. Many people live in make-shift communities along the tracks, and lack bathroom facilities so it is not surprising.

The afternoon is free for you to explore frenetic Delhi, at your own pace. Try some local treats from the stalls around the India Gate, savour the stillness of Humayun’s Tomb, and discover Qutab Minar, the Red Fort and Raj Ghat. Or head to Connaught Place, the Tibetan Colony or Khan Market for some last-minute purchases before your trip home.

Varanasi by train - Saddhu on one of the many ghats

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