Uttar Pradesh Travel Guide: Agra, Varanasi, Lucknow and More

Photo: Antrix3, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Uttar Pradesh is the plain of the Ganges and the Yamuna, and it holds more of India's best-known places than any other state. The Taj Mahal is here, and so are the ghats of Varanasi, the Sangam at Prayagraj and the Krishna towns of Mathura and Vrindavan. Ayodhya and Sarnath are here too. Lucknow, the capital, keeps the manners and the cooking of the old nawabs of Awadh.

Two rivers, a string of pilgrim towns, and the most famous tomb in the world.

Where to go

• Agra: the Taj Mahal at sunrise, the red sandstone Agra Fort, and the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah across the Yamuna.
• Fatehpur Sikri: Akbar's abandoned capital of red stone, about 40 kilometres from Agra.
• Varanasi: the ghats, the evening aarti and the old lanes of Kashi. Read dawn on the river at Varanasi.
• Sarnath: where the Buddha gave his first sermon, with the Dhamek Stupa and the museum of the Ashokan lion capital.
• Prayagraj: the Sangam, where the Ganges and Yamuna meet, and the site of the Magh Mela and the Kumbh.
• Lucknow: the Bara Imambara and its maze, the Residency ruins, and Awadhi food.
• Mathura and Vrindavan: the towns of Krishna's birth and childhood, crowded with temples and pilgrims at Holi and Janmashtami.
• Ayodhya: the town of Rama on the Saryu river, with the new Ram temple and the riverside ghats.
• Dudhwa National Park: tall grassland and sal forest on the Nepal border, with tiger, rhino and swamp deer.

Main cities

Lucknow is the capital. It grew under the nawabs of Awadh in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and its monuments, its chikankari embroidery and its kebabs date from that court.

• Lucknow: the Imambaras, Hazratganj, the old Chowk market and the food of Aminabad.
• Agra: the Mughal monuments, marble inlay workshops and the sweet called petha.
• Varanasi: the river, the temples and the Banarasi silk looms.
• Prayagraj: the Sangam, Anand Bhawan, the Nehru family home, and the great river fairs.
• Kanpur: an old mill city on the Ganges, with the riverside town of Bithoor nearby.
• Noida and Ghaziabad: Delhi's eastern suburbs, now with their own airport at Jewar.
• Jhansi: the fort of Rani Lakshmibai, and the rail gateway to Orchha and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
• Gorakhpur: the base for Kushinagar, where the Buddha died, and for the road to Nepal.

Festivals

• Holi in Braj (February or March): a week of colour in Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon, including the Lathmar Holi of Barsana.
• Magh Mela (January and February): pilgrims camp by the Sangam at Prayagraj and bathe on fixed days; every twelve years it becomes the Kumbh.
• Ram Navami (March or April): Rama's birthday, kept in Ayodhya with crowds at the temples and the river.
• Deepotsav (October or November): Ayodhya lights its ghats with lakhs of lamps the evening before Diwali; 7 November in 2026.
• Dev Deepawali (November): the ghats of Varanasi lit with lamps on Kartik Purnima, 24 November in 2026, after the Ganga Mahotsav. Regional calendars can shift a date by a day.

Food to try

• Galouti kebab: Lucknow's soft, finely minced meat patty, eaten with a small paratha.
• Awadhi biryani: rice and meat cooked slowly in a sealed pot, lighter on spice than southern styles.
• Kachori sabzi and jalebi: the Varanasi breakfast of stuffed fried bread, potato curry and hot syrup spirals.
• Malaiyyo: a cold-weather froth of milk and saffron, sold before sunrise in Varanasi in winter.
• Petha and peda: Agra's translucent ash-gourd sweet and Mathura's browned milk fudge.
• Banarasi paan: betel leaf folded round sweet or plain fillings, eaten after a meal.

Stories from Uttar Pradesh

• Varanasi Ghats at Dawn: Boat Rides, Aarti Times and How to Visit
• Banarasi Saris: How They Are Woven and Where to Buy Them
• Cities in Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi and Prayagraj

Plan your visit

Best season	October to March. December and January bring cold nights and dense morning fog, which can delay trains and flights. April to June is very hot, and the monsoon runs from July to September.
How to reach	Most visitors from abroad fly to Delhi for Agra, Mathura and western UP. Within the state: Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow; Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi; Noida International Airport at Jewar (open since June 2026); and airports at Agra, Prayagraj, Ayodhya and Gorakhpur. Main railway junctions: Agra Cantt, Mathura, Lucknow Charbagh, Kanpur Central, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Ayodhya Dham.
Getting around	Fast trains link Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Varanasi. Expressways run from Delhi to Agra and on to Lucknow. In the cities, autos, cycle rickshaws and app cabs; in Varanasi, walk the ghats or take a boat.
Where to stay	Agra: Taj Ganj near the east gate, or Fatehabad Road. Varanasi: the ghats around Assi and Dashashwamedh, or Cantonment for quiet. Lucknow: Hazratganj and Gomti Nagar. Mathura and Vrindavan near the Krishna temples.
How long to spend	One or two days for Agra and Fatehpur Sikri; two or three for Varanasi and Sarnath; a week to add Lucknow and Prayagraj or Ayodhya.
Permits	No permits are needed. The Taj Mahal is closed to visitors every Friday; night viewing is offered on the full-moon night and two nights either side, except Fridays and during Ramzan. Dudhwa National Park usually opens from mid-November to 15 June; check the date each year.

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Questions people ask

What day is the Taj Mahal closed?

Every Friday. On other days it opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes before sunset.

What is the best time to visit Uttar Pradesh?

October to March. Winter mornings can be foggy, so leave slack in train plans in December and January.

How many days do I need for Agra and Varanasi?

Allow one full day for Agra, two with Fatehpur Sikri, and two or three for Varanasi and Sarnath. An overnight train or a short flight links them.

When is Dev Deepawali in 2026?

On Kartik Purnima, Tuesday 24 November 2026. The Ganga Mahotsav runs from 20 to 23 November. Boats and riverside rooms sell out early.

How do I reach Agra from Delhi?

By fast train from New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt in about two hours, or by road on the Yamuna Expressway in about three to four hours.

Written by Muthu, editor of Aura of India. Sources: Taj Mahal official site: visiting hours, Taj Mahal official site: night view, Noida International Airport: start of commercial flights, UP Ecotourism: Dudhwa National Park. Last verified: 13 October 2026.

Your turn: Taj Mahal at sunrise or Varanasi at dawn: which would you choose for your one early morning in Uttar Pradesh?