Varanasi Sights and Their Visiting Rules

October 18, 2026

Most Varanasi sights are places of worship first, so the rules matter as much as the opening hours. This page lists the main ones by kind: Hindu temples, a Buddhist site, a fort and museums, a quiet study centre and the river. Prices are in Indian rupees (INR; about 95 to the US dollar), and fees and hours change, so check them before you set off.

Rules that apply almost everywhere

Cover your shoulders and knees, and take your shoes off wherever people ahead of you do.
Speak quietly and ask before photographing people, and do not photograph at all inside temples that forbid it.
Hold on to your bag. Cows, motorbikes and monkeys share the lanes.

Hindu temples

Kashi Vishwanath and its corridor. The corridor, opened in December 2021, connects the temple to Lalita Ghat on the river. Ahilyabai Holkar rebuilt the temple in 1780, and Ranjit Singh funded its gold plating in the 1830s. Doors are open from 03:00 to 23:00, and walking in costs nothing. Phones, cameras, other devices and pens are not allowed in, and free lockers are available. The trust sells a queue-skip Sugam Darshan ticket at INR 300, and a foreign visitor with a valid passport can get a darshan ticket at INR 600 from the head-office help desk by showing the original passport. Gate staff decide who goes into the sanctum, so follow their directions. The trust’s FAQ lists timings and rules.

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. It is associated with the poet Tulsidas, and monkeys live around it, so keep bags closed and food hidden.

Durga Mandir. A red temple of the 18th century beside a water tank (kund) in Durgakund, in the south of the city near the university and Assi.

New Vishwanath (Birla) Temple. On the Banaras Hindu University campus, built between 1931 and 1966 and topped by a 77 m spire. Visitors of all faiths may enter without a fee. Shoes come off and cameras stay away. Reported hours differ between sources, so confirm them on the day. Bharat Kala Bhavan, the campus museum, closes on Sundays at least, and its hours also vary by source.

A Buddhist site: Sarnath

About 10 km from the ghats, Sarnath is where the Buddha gave his first teaching. UNESCO inscribed the site on 25 July 2026. The archaeological park holds the Dhamek and Dharmarajika stupas, the Ashoka pillar remains and the Chaukhandi Stupa, dated 1588. The museum keeps the Lion Capital of Ashoka and opens 10:00 to 17:00, except Fridays. Fees are not confirmed, so ask at the entrance. Read the UNESCO article for the listing.

A fort and its museum

Across the river, about 14 km by road over the bridge, Ramnagar Fort dates from 1750 and was built for Maharaja Balwant Singh. The Saraswati Bhawan museum inside shows vintage American cars, palanquins, weapons and a clock dated 1852. It is open 10:00 to 17:00. A listing gives about INR 200 for a foreign adult, which is not an official tariff. See the museum listing .

A quiet stop: Rajghat Study Centre

On the river at Rajghat, this Krishnamurti Foundation centre lets day visitors use its library and bookshop. It also takes overnight guests.

The river and the ghats

Mornings on the steps, or from a boat, show the ghats at their best. Manikarnika and Harishchandra are working cremation grounds with families in mourning, so stay away, stay silent and keep cameras down. Anyone offering a paid rooftop view is working towards a demand for “wood money”. The Ganga is polluted: do not bathe in it or drink from it. When the river rises past its warning level between July and September, boats stop, so check that they are running.

Getting between sights

Cars and buses reach Godowlia or stop about 1.5 km before the temple, and e-rickshaws and walking cover the remainder. To compare guided options, browse Varanasi temple sightseeing tours and check what a price includes.