This is the written version of the Varanasi Ayodhya 3 nights 4 days itinerary, for anyone who would rather read every stop in order than scan the day cards above.
In short: Day 1 is the old city of Varanasi — Kal Bhairav, Kashi Vishwanath and Annapurna, an afternoon break, an optional boat ride and the evening Ganga Aarti. Day 2 is the southern temples, Banaras Hindu University and Sarnath, followed by an early night. Day 3 is the drive to Ayodhya, then Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan and the Saryu aarti, with an overnight stay there. Day 4 is the early Ram Mandir darshan and your onward journey.
Day 1 in Detail: Old-City Temples & the Evening Aarti
Land, check in, and give the day to the three old-city temples before the river takes over in the evening.
1. Check in and settle in
On arrivalArriving by flight into Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, or by train to Varanasi Junction or Manduadih, go straight to the hotel and leave your bags there before anything else. With three more days ahead of you, there is no need to rush into sightseeing the moment you land — a short rest sets up the rest of the day better than skipping it.
2. Kal Bhairav Temple
Late morningTradition has visitors ask Kal Bhairav's permission before the other two temples — he is regarded as the guardian deity of the city — so the old-city trail begins here. Hours run roughly 5:00 AM–1:30 PM and 4:30–9:30 PM; darshan is free, and 30–45 minutes covers it.
A cab or auto only gets you to the mouth of the lane — the last stretch to the shrine is on foot.
3. Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Late morningThe temple this whole trip is often named after: a Jyotirlinga shrine, rebuilt in its present form in 1780 and reached since December 2021 through the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. Phones, cameras and smartwatches stay outside — use the lockers or leave them at the hotel.
The queue decides the time, not the temple: allow 1.5 to 3 hours, more on Mondays and through the month of Shravan.
4. Annapurna Temple
MiddayA short walk — about 15 metres — from Kashi Vishwanath, and worth visiting together with it: Annapurna represents the nourishment that sustains the city Vishwanath watches over. Built in 1729, its hours run roughly 4:00–11:30 AM and 7:00–11:00 PM, so it is shut for most of the afternoon.
5. Rest, or wander Vishwanath Gali
AfternoonThree temples on foot in the old-city heat is a fair morning's work, and this plan is not trying to cram everything into one day. Go back to the hotel and put your feet up, or drift through Vishwanath Gali and the Godowlia market, known for Banarasi silk — nobody expects you to buy anything.
6. A boat ride ahead of the aarti
Evening, optionalIf you have the appetite for one more thing before dinner, a boat from Assi, Dashashwamedh, Namo or Kedar ghat puts you on the water in time for the aarti — a better vantage point than the packed steps, with less jostling.
Settle the fare before you board if you flag one down yourself, or arrange it ahead through us.
7. Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat
Around duskThe evening worship of the river runs about 45 minutes and starts around dusk — roughly 5:45–6:00 PM in winter, 6:45–7:00 PM in summer.
Claim a spot on the steps at least 45 minutes ahead, or you will be watching from the back.
8. Dinner and street food
NightTamatar chaat, kachori-sabzi and a thick glass of Banarasi lassi are the things to look for. Portions are small and cheap enough that trying two or three stalls beats committing to one restaurant.
Overnight in Varanasi. A hotel near the ghats or the Cantt area keeps tomorrow's start short — our own budget hotel near Assi Ghat is one option, and you can keep the same room for Day 2 as well.
Day 2 in Detail: Southern Temples, BHU & Sarnath
A full second day: three more temples before mid-morning, the BHU campus, breakfast, and Sarnath in the afternoon, with an early night ahead of tomorrow's drive.
1. Sunrise at Assi Ghat
Optional, before 7 AMWorth the alarm if atmosphere matters more to you than sleep. Subah-e-Banaras, the free government-run morning programme, opens around sunrise — near 5:30 AM, a little earlier in summer — and this is the one hour the ghats are genuinely quiet.
2. Durga Temple
By 7 AMEveryone calls it the Monkey Temple, and for good reason, so keep food zipped away. This red Nagara-style shrine beside Durga Kund dates to the 18th century; hours run roughly 4:00 AM–1:00 PM and 3:00–9:00 PM, and half an hour is plenty.
3. Tulsi Manas Mandir
MorningA short walk from the Durga Temple, dedicated to Lord Rama — a fitting stop before this trip turns toward Ayodhya in a couple of days. It marks the spot where Tulsidas is said to have written the Ramcharitmanas, and keeps hours of roughly 6:00 AM–8:00 PM in winter, 5:30 AM–9:00 PM in summer.
4. Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple
MorningBy tradition founded by Tulsidas, and dedicated to Hanuman as the reliever of troubles. Phones and cameras stay outside here too — the same rule you will meet again at the Ram Mandir.
Tuesdays and Saturdays draw the longest queues.
5. Banaras Hindu University & the New Vishwanath Temple
Late morningOne of the largest residential university campuses in Asia, and worth the drive-through even if you have no connection to it. Stop at the New Vishwanath, or Birla, Temple inside the grounds, and add the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum on campus if it happens to be open that day.
6. Breakfast, and the saree market if you want it
BreakfastHotel breakfast is the simplest option. For something more local, kachori-sabzi and jalebi from a street stall, finished with a Banarasi paan, is the Varanasi way to start the day. If Banarasi silk is still on your list, this is an easier window for it than after Sarnath.
7. Sarnath
AfternoonAbout 10 km out, and the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after enlightenment. The Dhamek Stupa, the Deer Park, the Chaukhandi Stupa and the Archaeological Museum are all worth the half day if you have it.
Give it 2–3 hours in total, including the drive there and back.
8. Dinner and an early night
EveningHead back for dinner and rest rather than a late evening out — tomorrow starts with the drive to Ayodhya, and there is no benefit to being tired for it. Pack tonight if you can, so the morning is just breakfast and the road.
Second night in Varanasi. Same hotel as Day 1 keeps tomorrow morning simple — you leave for Ayodhya after breakfast, not before it.
Day 3 in Detail: Varanasi to Ayodhya: Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan & the Saryu
Drive to Ayodhya after breakfast, then give the afternoon to Hanuman Garhi and Kanak Bhawan and the evening to the Saryu — the Ram Mandir itself is kept for tomorrow morning.
1. Breakfast, check out, and the drive to Ayodhya
MorningHave breakfast, check out, and get on the road. Ayodhya is about 200 km from Varanasi, a drive of roughly 4 to 5 hours, so you are not racing a clock the way a same-day trip would — there is no need to leave before dawn. Build in a stop for a meal or a stretch if the group wants one.
2. Check in at your Ayodhya hotel
Around middayAyodhya sits on the Saryu river and is revered as the birthplace of Lord Rama, one of Hinduism's seven most sacred cities. Check in, freshen up, and take a short break before the afternoon's temples — you have the rest of the day for them, so there is no rush.
3. Hanuman Garhi
AfternoonA hilltop temple to Hanuman, and by tradition the stop that comes before the Ram Mandir — visiting it today rather than tomorrow morning is deliberate. A flight of steps leads up to the shrine, so wear something easy to slip off; the hilltop gives a wide view over the city.
Tuesdays and Saturdays, Hanuman's days, tend to be busier.
4. Kanak Bhawan
AfternoonDedicated to Rama and Sita, and said by tradition to have been gifted to Sita by Kaikeyi. The idols here are richly adorned, and the atmosphere is calmer than a temple with a long queue.
5. Ram ki Paidi and the Saryu aarti
EveningA run of bathing ghats along the Saryu, and the setting for Ayodhya's own evening aarti, which follows sunset rather than a fixed clock time. A walk along the river here is a quieter way to close the day than anything on offer in Varanasi.
Overnight in Ayodhya. This is the point of the extra night: the Ram Mandir waits until you are rested and the morning is calm, instead of being squeezed in after a full day on the road. See our Ayodhya travel guide for more on the city while you settle in.
Day 4 in Detail: Ram Mandir Darshan & Departure
An early, unhurried Ram Mandir darshan, then Ramkatha Park or Guptar Ghat if the morning allows, before you leave Ayodhya.
1. Breakfast, then the Ram Mandir
Early morningHave breakfast and head out early — this is what last night bought you over a same-day trip from Varanasi: no drive behind you, no accumulated tiredness, just the darshan. The Ram Janmabhoomi Temple was consecrated in January 2024 and marks the site revered as Rama's birthplace. Security is strict; phones and bags are generally not allowed inside, so carry only what you need and dress modestly.
Darshan slots and entry rules are set by the temple trust and change, so confirm the current rules for your date before you travel.
2. Ramkatha Park and Guptar Ghat
If the morning allowsRamkatha Park is a quiet park built around the life of Rama, a good place to sit for a while. Guptar Ghat, on the Saryu and away from the busier centre, is believed to be where Rama took his jal samadhi. Neither is essential — add one or both only if the darshan has not used up the morning.
3. Onward from Ayodhya
Whenever you are readyFrom here, most people head to Ayodhya Dham Junction railway station or Maharishi Valmiki International Airport for onward travel. If your flight or train is out of Varanasi instead, the drive back is the same 200 km, roughly 4 to 5 hours, that brought you here.
Trip ends with your Ayodhya drop — or the drive back to Varanasi, if that is where your onward journey starts.
Good to Know Before You Go
- Phones and cameras are not allowed inside Kashi Vishwanath, Sankat Mochan or the Ram Mandir — plan to travel light or use a locker.
- Dress modestly for every temple on this route: shoulders and knees covered, and shoes that slip off easily.
- The old-city lanes to Kal Bhairav, Annapurna and Kashi Vishwanath are walked, not driven — build the extra time in.
- The Varanasi–Ayodhya drive is about 200 km each way, roughly 4 to 5 hours — with a night in Ayodhya, you do not need to rush it in either direction.
- Ram Mandir entry rules — darshan slots and what you can carry in — are set by the temple trust and change, so confirm the current rules for your date before you go.
- Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation ghat, can be seen respectfully from a boat if your route passes it. It is a place of mourning — do not photograph the cremations.
- Timings here come from published visitor guides and shift on festival days, especially Ram Navami in Ayodhya — confirm locally if your dates fall near one.