How to Reach Varanasi

Varanasi, ranks among one of the oldest living cities in the world. The city in fact is often said to be as old as civilization itself. In yesteryears Varanasi was quite popular by the names of Benaras or Kashi. The city sits majestically in the state of Uttar Pradesh and the banks of the holy Ganges River.

The city being one of the most important pilgrimage centers and cultural hubs of the country, receives visitors from every part of the country and globe. Each year thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit Varanasi to pay their tribute to Lord Shiva Jyotirlingam at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Also, Varanasi has many other temples and visit-able places where tourists and visitors flock in large numbers. Apart from this, many devout Hindus visit the city to carry out pind daan ceremony or the final rites of their deceased ancestors or asthi bisarjan of deceased ancestors.

Hence, the city is crowded throughout the year and remains crowded all the time. Visitors can reach Varanasi in a hassle-free way as it is extremely well connected to all over the country through well developed network of buses, trains and flights. The roads and highways of Varanasi are well developed and well maintained that makes transportation easy in Varanasi. If you want to travel to Varanasi, these are the various ways by means of which you can reach the holy city:

Reach Varanasi by Flight

Varanasi airport known by the name of Lal Bahadur Shastry Airport connects Varanasi to almost all the important cities of the country through regular and frequent flights. Domestic airlines such as Indigo and Air India operate flights from cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Delhi, Khajuraho to the city of Varanasi. Fights also operate between Varanasi and Kathmandu. Once you have reached Varanasi by flight, you can hire a taxi/cab to reach your booked hotel/resort/guest house.

Reach Varanasi by Road

Varanasi is well connected via Road transport to the length and breadth of Uttar Pradesh. A huge number of private buses as well as state buses ply between Varanasi and other cities of UP such as Allahabad, Lucknow, Gorakhpur etc. Inter-state bus services operate between Varanasi and Patna and Ranchi in the state of Bihar and Jharkhand respectively. If you are looking to travel in luxury AC Buses, that option too is available in Varanasi. Well maintained and broad National Highways, namely NH28 and NH2 connect Varanasi to Lucknow. The journey is a comfortable one and takes nearly 7hrs.

Reach Varanasi by Train

The city is served by two major rail heads; i.e. Kashi railway station and Varanasi railway junction. Extensive railway networks connect these two stations to all major railway stations across the country. Several trains run between Delhi and Varanasi almost regularly. BSB Garibrath running between Varanasi and Delhi’s Anand Vihar station is one such train. You can avail auto rickshaw services to reach your pre-booked hotel from any of these two railway stations of Varanasi.

Local transport in Varanasi

Rickshaws, Auto rickshaws and local taxis are the chief modes of local transport in the city of Varanasi.