Getting lost in the kaleidoscope of colours in Varanasi

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
1
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
9
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
5
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
2
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
7
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
8
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
60 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
288th/454
Top 70%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$50 ($40-$120 in 2020 prices)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

Varanasi feels like a microcosm of India – nowhere else will you see such a vibrant variety of cultures, religions and colours.  Yet this is also combined with the thronging masses, rubbish and pollution.  You. tend to be reminded of the whole “India. 10/10 potential. 1/10 execution” 😂.

 

I loved my time in Varanasi as I just headed off to get lost in amongst the lanes, wandered into incense-heavy temples and looked over the riverside ghats as people washed themselves for ritual, or just washed themselves.   I can also understand though why some might find it a bit oppressive.  Either way, it feels like one of the must do experiences of this wonderful country

 

The ghats of Varanasi, India

 

Some simple tips:

#1 Get lost in the small alley ways – its all part of the experience and you’ll no doubt find some cool temples and views of the Ganges that aren’t in the standard tourist route.

#2 Try to avoid taking a standard tourist tour of the Ghats.  Instead, find one of the guys with his own boat near the water and get him to take you out.  It just avoids being crammed into a boat with 40 other fellow tourists.

#3 Its India, so be ready for people near-constantly nagging you to sell you something, but it is probably a bit worse in Varanasi and it is a tourist hotspot where people tend to have spent a lot to visit.

 

Highlights

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#1 Looking from the water at the Ghats - Varanasi's most famous spectacle

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#2 Getting lost in amongst the winding narrow alley ways that cross-cross all through Varanasi and give you that wonderful experience of, just for a moment, being lost in the whole atmosphere of the place

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#3 Seeing some of the funeral rituals at the Burning Ghats, often with many happening at once

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#4 Jumping in a tuk tuk or just walking through the mayhem of the narrow streets

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#5 Sunrise views across the Ganges

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#6 Cows - lots of them, basically everywhere

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#7 Getting in amongst the washing, praying and generally people hanging out by the Ghats

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#8 Finding that random guy who has a boat, more than prepared to take you out and letting you enjoy the experience not in a crammed tourist boat like this one 🤪

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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