How to Reach Varanasi

Varanasi, the holy city, a major tourist destination in North India is midway on the New Delhi-Calcutta route. It is connected by all the modes of transport from most of the metropolitan cities of India. You have many options of scheduling your journey, by rail, road or air. The foreign tourists, planning an exhaustive and informative tour of North and North East India prefer the Delhi-Agra-Varanasi-Calcutta package tours. A visit to Khajuraho, the city of beautiful temples on this route will add a pristine charm to the itinerary. This will also facilitate in maximizing the value for the money spent. Reach Varanasi by rail. The rail journey in India is an inexpensive and exhilarating option for a foreign traveler but requires an elaborate planning if traveling in holiday season. Though the Tatkal or the prompt system of ticket booking is an option but not guaranteed on all the routes. The Indian Railway has major trains linking the holy city of Varanasi with most of the state capitals. Direct trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, Hyderabad, Patna, Bhopal are available at regular periodicity. You can travel air-conditioned first class from any of these places in less than $100. Reach Varanasi by Road. The Golden Quadrilateral plan, linking the four corners of India with International Standard road network has Varanasi on its West to East leg. The work is now almost completed, though a few stretches may mar the otherwise scenic journey through the lush Gangetic plains. The journey can be performed on private or State Transport luxury buses. You can also hire a taxi if planning to savor the picturesque countryside or conduct photo shoots midway. Reach Varanasi by Air. The opening of air travel to private companies has added a number of flights to this oldest inhabited city. The airport at Babatpur, IATA code VNS, is about 14 miles from Varanasi. All domestic airlines; Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Spice Jet, Go Air and Deccan Airlines have direct flights from most of the destination in India. The airport has an International terminal to cater to flights from Nepal. The bookings can be done through internet or tour-travel operators. The e-ticket is a valid ticket but may need an endorsement at the airport, so allow sufficient time for such eventualities. Low Cost Airlines. The recent advent of low cost airlines on the Indian flight scene has resulted in huge rush on most of the circuits. The airport at Varanasi with limited capacity is generally jam-packed during holiday season. So be ready for the ubiquitous queues during check-in, check-out or even at the baggage bays. It is also advisable to not to board the no-frills-low-cost flights to Varanasi. You may be rattled by the experience in case of an unforeseen emergency of delayed flights. These airlines may not proffer even a glass of water to the harried traveler. Another cost cutting exercise with these airlines is the baggage limits. So ensure that you are carrying excess baggage, the penalty itself may exceed the cost of the journey. The recent security related precautions may also be considered while selecting the flight. It is highly recommended that you board only a direct flight if your destination is Varanasi. If the flight is a having a stop-over at Delhi or Calcutta, it is better to plan a site seeing at the stop-over than welcoming passengers in the stationed plane.