Varanasi Travel Forum

I am going to Varanasi next month for several days. I would like to solicit those of you that have spent any time there to share some of your memories and advice with me.

Saluti da Firenze,

Rene

Hello Rene

Varanasi (or Benares) is very touristy, but also a very Inidan experience. A early morning boattrip (at sunrise) along the Ganga is the best way to see this place. We stayed at a wonderful guesthouse in a room with riverview and a large terrace outside our door. I am not sure what the name was, but I am sure I mentioned it on my "Benares"-page.
There is all these small, narrow alleys which make it all feel very crowded (which it is, because evereyone wants to live closest to the river) and if you're claustrofobic it would be scary. It was one of my most interesting experiences in India.

I saw you had a question on Amritsar too...are you coming in from Pakistan? Amritsar has the beautiful golden temple surrounded by water which is a great experience if you go there when it gets dark.

Aukje

I've spent a total of 6 years living in India, and love it. But I have to say that I found Varanasi the most impenetrable place on the sub-continent! Personally, I wouldn't spend too long there, though the boat trip on the Ganges is a good idea.