CURATED EXPERIENCES ACROSS INDIA
Varanasi,
Eternal
Varanasi doesn't perform for tourists; it simply continues, the way it has for thousands of years. Beyond the crowds at Ganga Aarti, Localist's Varanasi lives in its weaving traditions and quiet heritage walks through lanes older than most countries.
Our top picks
Most loved Varanasi Experiences
HeritageVaranasi heritage walk: Banaras by the River
Trace Varanasi's riverfront on foot, from Chet Singh Ghat — where an 18th-century uprising nearly cost a British governor his life — to Harishchandra Ghat, one of the city's cremation grounds, where last rites run around the clock and death is believed to free the soul from rebirth. Pass ancient temples and the historic Bengali quarter along the way, ending at Dashashwamedh Ghat in time for the evening Ganga Aarti.
Banarasi Sarees & beyond: A Varanasi Market Walk
Beyond Varanasi's ghats and temples lies its business heart, the bustling lanes of Godowlia. This is where the city's famous Banarasi sarees are born of a weaving tradition centuries in the making, alongside handicrafts, wooden toys, and intricate metal crafts that have drawn traders and travelers to Banaras for generations. It's a different side of the city: less spiritual, all sensory, where Varanasi's diversity truly comes alive.
Varanasi photography tour
See Varanasi through a photographer's eye on this Varanasi photography tour, led by a local photographer featured in National Geographic, who has worked alongside names like Raghu Rai. His years photographing the city have earned him access few guides have—golden light at the Nepali Temple's Kathmandu-style pagoda, raw, unfiltered scenes at Manikarnika Ghat, and hidden lanes closed off to most visitors, each layered with stories only he knows. Less a sightseeing walk, more a masterclass in seeing the city the way it really looks.