Kashi Ghat Darshan on Foot & by Boat

Plan last checked: 11 November 2026. Dates, prices and permits are confirmed again on call before you pay. How we check

Highlights & Route

The ghats of Varanasi are the city’s living room. Over roughly seven kilometres of stone steps along the Ganga, people bathe, pray, wrestle, wash clothes, cremate their dead and play cricket, often side by side. This yatra is for yatris who want to understand that riverfront slowly and on foot, with a guide who can tell you which ghat is which and why it matters, rather than only see it from a passing boat.

The day opens on the water. From Assi Ghat at the southern end you float north past Tulsi, Harishchandra, Kedar and Dashashwamedh ghats to Manikarnika as the sun rises over the far bank. Back on land, the guided walk takes you along the same stretch on foot, through the burning ghats, past the palaces of former princely states built on the steps, and into the lanes behind them where the city’s sweet shops, silk weavers and small shrines sit shoulder to shoulder.

The afternoon is yours, with suggestions from our coordinator for lunch and shopping. At dusk you return to Dashashwamedh Ghat, where a place is kept for you to watch the Ganga Aarti. Pickup from and drop to your hotel in Varanasi are included for the morning and the evening. Cars cannot go right up to the ghats in the old city, so the vehicle stops at the nearest permitted point and our coordinator walks with you for the last stretch.

Route

Hotel pickup → Assi Ghat → sunrise boat to Manikarnika Ghat and back → guided walk: Assi, Tulsi, Harishchandra, Kedar, Chausatti, Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika and the old-city lanes → free afternoon → Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat → drop at your hotel

Good to know before you book

• Boats are not permitted when the Ganga is in flood, usually for some weeks between July and September; the walk still happens and the boat portion is refunded.
• Manikarnika and Harishchandra are working cremation ghats. Photography of the pyres is not allowed and the guide will show you where to stand respectfully.
• The walk is about 3 km over stone steps and lanes at an easy pace with stops; wear comfortable footwear and carry water.
• The aarti begins just after sunset, around 6 pm in winter and 7 pm in summer, and the steps fill up an hour before.
• Subah-e-Banaras, the morning aarti and music programme at Assi Ghat, starts before sunrise and you will catch part of it while waiting for the boat.
• Hotel stay, meals and travel to and from Varanasi are not included; hotel pickup and drop within Varanasi are included. The price is per person.