Uttar Pradesh tour packages

• Duration: 2 to 11 days; most travellers take 5 or 6.
• Price: from ₹10,499 per person, stays, local travel and the sightseeing listed on each trip page.
• Places: the ghats and Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, Sarnath, the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj, Lucknow's imambaras, Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Govardhan and Barsana in Braj, and the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
• Travel: Every trip is private and starts where its page says, with a pick-up at the airport, station or hotel: Delhi for the Mathura–Vrindavan, Agra and Golden Triangle plans, Lucknow or Varanasi for the Ayodhya and Ganga circuits, Delhi or Mathura for the long Braj-to-Kashi yatras, Jaipur for the Jaipur and Agra trip and Patna for the Bodh Gaya plan. Flights and trains to the start city are not part of the package.
• Stay: hotels in each city on twin or triple sharing, with an overnight in Mathura or Vrindavan on the Braj trips; each trip page lists its stays and the meals included.
• Best time: October to March is the season: dry days of 15 to 30°C for long temple days, with Diwali in Ayodhya, Dev Deepawali on the Varanasi ghats and Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan the high points.
• Weather: Uttar Pradesh is the flat plain of the Ganga and the Yamuna, with three clear seasons.
• Trip type: private trips planned around your dates and your group.

2 Days Mathura Vrindavan Yatra2D/1N · ₹10,4993 Days Mathura Vrindavan Gokul Yatra3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra4D/3N · ₹13,4004 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Bliss4D/3N · ₹15,499

Two or three days covers Mathura and Vrindavan from Delhi, and four days adds a Taj Mahal day in Agra. Five days does Lucknow and Ayodhya, or Varanasi, Ayodhya and Lucknow, and six days runs from Braj through Agra and Lucknow to Ayodhya. Eight to eleven days crosses the state from Mathura or Lucknow through Ayodhya and Prayagraj to Varanasi and Sarnath, and the ten day plan begins in Bodh Gaya. The Golden Triangle plans pair Agra with Delhi and Jaipur in four to seven days.

2 days / 1 night, from ₹10,499 per person: 2 Days Mathura Vrindavan Yatra (2D/1N, from ₹10,499).

3 days / 2 nights, from ₹10,999 per person: 3 Days Mathura Vrindavan Gokul Yatra (3D/2N, from ₹10,999).

4 days / 3 nights, from ₹13,400 per person: 4 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹13,400); 4 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹15,499).

5 days / 4 nights, from ₹16,999 per person: 5 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹16,999); 5 Days Jaipur Agra Getaway (5D/4N, from ₹17,566); 5 Days Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹29,000).

6 days / 5 nights, from ₹19,999 per person: 6 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹19,999); 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Escape (6D/5N, from ₹22,424); 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon (6D/5N, from ₹24,424).

7 days / 6 nights, from ₹20,380 per person: 7 Days Delhi Mathura Agra Jaipur Yatra (7D/6N, from ₹20,380).

8 days / 7 nights, from ₹26,999 per person: 8 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Prayagraj Varanasi Yatra (8D/7N, from ₹26,999).

9 days / 8 nights, from ₹29,999 per person: 9 Days Mathura Ayodhya Varanasi Yatra (9D/8N, from ₹29,999).

10 days and longer, from ₹27,999: 10 Days Bodh Gaya Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (10D/9N, from ₹27,999); 11 Days Mathura Vrindavan Ayodhya Varanasi Yatra (11D/10N, from ₹36,999).

2 Days Mathura Vrindavan Yatra2D/1N · ₹10,4993 Days Mathura Vrindavan Gokul Yatra3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra4D/3N · ₹13,4004 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Bliss4D/3N · ₹15,4995 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Yatra5D/4N · ₹16,9995 Days Jaipur Agra Getaway5D/4N · ₹17,5666 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra6D/5N · ₹19,9996 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Escape6D/5N · ₹22,4247 Days Delhi Mathura Agra Jaipur Yatra7D/6N · ₹20,3808 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Prayagraj Varanasi Yatra8D/7N · ₹26,9999 Days Mathura Ayodhya Varanasi Yatra9D/8N · ₹29,999

4 days / 3 nights from ₹13,400 per person. Two or three days covers Mathura and Vrindavan from Delhi, and four days adds a Taj Mahal day in Agra. Five days does Lucknow and Ayodhya, or Varanasi, Ayodhya and Lucknow, and six days runs from Braj through Agra and Lucknow to Ayodhya. Eight to eleven days crosses the state from Mathura or Lucknow through Ayodhya and Prayagraj to Varanasi and Sarnath, and the ten day plan begins in Bodh Gaya. The Golden Triangle plans pair Agra with Delhi and Jaipur in four to seven days.

2 plans: 4 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹13,400); 4 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹15,499).

4 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra4D/3N · ₹13,4004 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Bliss4D/3N · ₹15,499

5 days / 4 nights from ₹16,999 per person. Two or three days covers Mathura and Vrindavan from Delhi, and four days adds a Taj Mahal day in Agra. Five days does Lucknow and Ayodhya, or Varanasi, Ayodhya and Lucknow, and six days runs from Braj through Agra and Lucknow to Ayodhya. Eight to eleven days crosses the state from Mathura or Lucknow through Ayodhya and Prayagraj to Varanasi and Sarnath, and the ten day plan begins in Bodh Gaya. The Golden Triangle plans pair Agra with Delhi and Jaipur in four to seven days.

5 plans: 5 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹16,999); 5 Days Jaipur Agra Getaway (5D/4N, from ₹17,566); 5 Days Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹29,000); 5 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Getaway (5D/4N, from ₹39,000).

5 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Yatra5D/4N · ₹16,9995 Days Jaipur Agra Getaway5D/4N · ₹17,5665 Days Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra5D/4N · ₹29,0005 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Getaway5D/4N · ₹39,000

6 days / 5 nights from ₹19,999 per person. Two or three days covers Mathura and Vrindavan from Delhi, and four days adds a Taj Mahal day in Agra. Five days does Lucknow and Ayodhya, or Varanasi, Ayodhya and Lucknow, and six days runs from Braj through Agra and Lucknow to Ayodhya. Eight to eleven days crosses the state from Mathura or Lucknow through Ayodhya and Prayagraj to Varanasi and Sarnath, and the ten day plan begins in Bodh Gaya. The Golden Triangle plans pair Agra with Delhi and Jaipur in four to seven days.

3 plans: 6 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹19,999); 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Escape (6D/5N, from ₹22,424); 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon (6D/5N, from ₹24,424).

6 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra6D/5N · ₹19,9996 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Escape6D/5N · ₹22,4246 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon6D/5N · ₹24,424

These are the places Uttar Pradesh trips are built from. Each trip page lists exactly which of them it covers, and a private trip can swap one for another.

• The ghats of Varanasi: The riverfront of Kashi, best seen by boat at dawn from Assi Ghat, with the evening Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh and the cremation fires of Manikarnika.
• Kashi Vishwanath and the Varanasi temples: The Jyotirlinga temple at the heart of the old city, reached through its new corridor, with Kaal Bhairav, Sankat Mochan, the Durga temple and the Banaras Hindu University campus.
• Sarnath: Where the Buddha gave his first sermon, half an hour from Varanasi: the Dhamek Stupa and the museum that holds the Ashoka lion capital, India's national emblem.
• The Ram Mandir, Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple, consecrated in January 2024, with Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhavan, Dashrath Mahal and the evening aarti on the Sarayu.
• Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj: A boat out to the meeting of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the unseen Saraswati, the site of the Kumbh Mela, with the reclining Hanuman temple and Anand Bhavan, the Nehru family home, in the city.
• Lucknow's imambaras: The Bara Imambara and its Bhool Bhulaiya maze, the Chota Imambara, Rumi Darwaza and the ruins of the Residency from the 1857 siege, in the old city of the Nawabs.
• Mathura: Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, the Dwarkadhish temple and the evening Yamuna aarti at Vishram Ghat, in the town held to be Krishna's birthplace.
• Vrindavan: Banke Bihari, the ISKCON temple, Radha Raman and the white marble Prem Mandir, lit up after dark, with the grove of Nidhivan in the old town.
• Gokul, Govardhan and Barsana: The Braj villages of Krishna's childhood: Raman Reti and Brahmand Ghat at Gokul, Govardhan hill and Radha Kund, and the Radha Rani temple on the hill at Barsana.
• The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort: Shah Jahan's white marble tomb for Mumtaz Mahal, best early in the morning and closed on Fridays, with the red sandstone fort along the Yamuna and the sunset view from Mehtab Bagh.
• Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra: Akbar's abandoned red sandstone capital with the Buland Darwaza, and his tomb at Sikandra, on the roads out of Agra.
• Naimisharanya: The old forest tirth near Sitapur, with Chakra Tirth and Vyas Gaddi, on the long yatras between Lucknow and Ayodhya.

What to eat

Lucknow is the food stop: Awadhi kebabs such as the galouti, biryani, nihari and sheermal for meat eaters, and the chaat, makhan malai in winter and kulfi for everyone. Varanasi is known for kachori-sabzi and jalebi at breakfast, lassi in clay cups, malaiyo in the winter months and Banarasi paan after dinner. Mathura is famous for its peda and Agra for its petha. Vegetarian food is easy to find everywhere, and the temple towns of Mathura, Vrindavan and Ayodhya are vegetarian by custom.

Every trip is private, so the plan below is a starting point: the days, the hotels and the pace are set around you.

• Day 1: arrive in Varanasi, see the ghats from a boat and watch the evening Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
• Day 2: Kashi Vishwanath, Sankat Mochan, the Durga temple and the BHU campus, then Sarnath's Dhamek Stupa and museum.
• Day 3: drive to Ayodhya, about 220 km and five hours, for Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhavan and the evening aarti on the Sarayu.
• Day 4: darshan at the Ram Mandir, then on to Lucknow, about 135 km and three hours, for the evening.
• Day 5: the flight or train home from Lucknow.

Uttar Pradesh packages start at ₹10,499 per person: ₹10,499 for 2 days, ₹10,999 for 3 days, ₹13,400 for 4 days, ₹16,999 for 5 days, ₹19,999 for 6 days, ₹20,380 for 7 days, ₹26,999 for 8 days and ₹29,999 for 9 days. That covers the stays, a private car or a vehicle sized to your group for the whole route, and the sightseeing each trip page lists. Meals differ by trip, from breakfast only to all meals on the longer yatras, and most trips leave temple and monument tickets and the Varanasi boat ride to be paid on the spot; each trip page says exactly what it includes. Flights or trains to the start city and home from the end city are not included.

What moves the price is the season, the hotel category, the size of the car and how many of you share it, since a private trip prices the vehicle and the rooms for your group. October to March is the season, and Diwali, Dev Deepawali in Varanasi, Holi in Braj and the Christmas to New Year weeks are the dearest and fill up first; April to September costs least. Flights and trains to the start city, most entry tickets and anything not named on the trip page stay out of the fare, and 5% GST is added to the price shown.

The Braj circuit of Krishna's towns, two or three days from Delhi: Krishna Janmabhoomi and the Vishram Ghat aarti in Mathura, Banke Bihari and Prem Mandir in Vrindavan, Gokul, and Govardhan and Barsana on the longer plans, several of which add the Taj Mahal or go on to Ayodhya and Varanasi.

7 trips on this page, from ₹10,499 per person: 2 Days Mathura Vrindavan Yatra (2D/1N, from ₹10,499); 3 Days Mathura Vrindavan Gokul Yatra (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 4 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹13,400); 6 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹19,999).

2 Days Mathura Vrindavan Yatra2D/1N · ₹10,4993 Days Mathura Vrindavan Gokul Yatra3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra4D/3N · ₹13,4006 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra6D/5N · ₹19,999

The Ram and Ganga circuit: the Ram Mandir and the Sarayu at Ayodhya, the Sangam at Prayagraj and the ghats, Kashi Vishwanath and Sarnath at Varanasi, with Lucknow at one end, in five to eleven days.

7 trips on this page, from ₹16,999 per person: 5 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹16,999); 6 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹19,999); 8 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Prayagraj Varanasi Yatra (8D/7N, from ₹26,999); 10 Days Bodh Gaya Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (10D/9N, from ₹27,999).

5 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Yatra5D/4N · ₹16,9996 Days Mathura Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra6D/5N · ₹19,9998 Days Lucknow Ayodhya Prayagraj Varanasi Yatra8D/7N · ₹26,99910 Days Bodh Gaya Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra10D/9N · ₹27,999

The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort with Delhi and Jaipur by private car in four to seven days, some with Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra or Mathura and Vrindavan on the way; the Jaipur and Agra trip adds the Bharatpur bird sanctuary.

9 trips on this page, from ₹13,400 per person: 4 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹13,400); 4 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹15,499); 5 Days Jaipur Agra Getaway (5D/4N, from ₹17,566); 7 Days Delhi Mathura Agra Jaipur Yatra (7D/6N, from ₹20,380).

4 Days Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan Yatra4D/3N · ₹13,4004 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Bliss4D/3N · ₹15,4995 Days Jaipur Agra Getaway5D/4N · ₹17,5667 Days Delhi Mathura Agra Jaipur Yatra7D/6N · ₹20,380

The Buddhist and Hindu circuit in ten days: Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi Temple and Bodhi Tree in Bihar, Sarnath where the Buddha first taught, then Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya and Lucknow.

1 trip on this page, from ₹27,999 per person: 10 Days Bodh Gaya Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra (10D/9N, from ₹27,999).

10 Days Bodh Gaya Varanasi Ayodhya Lucknow Yatra10D/9N · ₹27,999

Couples: 2 plans with the quieter stays and private transfers, from ₹24,424: 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon (6D/5N, from ₹24,424); 5 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹41,000).

Families and couples take the private trips: the same places at your own pace, with the room category and the car chosen for your group.

6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon6D/5N · ₹24,4245 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹41,000

Best time

October to March is the season: dry days of 15 to 30°C for long temple days, with Diwali in Ayodhya, Dev Deepawali on the Varanasi ghats and Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan the high points. December and January bring cold nights and dense morning fog that delays trains and flights; April to June is fierce heat past 40°C, and the July to September monsoon raises the Ganga and can stop the Varanasi boat rides.

• October to November, 15 to 32°C: The best start to the season: dry, warm days and the festivals, with Deepotsav lighting the Sarayu ghats in Ayodhya at Diwali and Dev Deepawali lighting the Varanasi ghats at the Kartik full moon, about a fortnight later. Book early for both.
• December to January, 5 to 22°C: Cool, sunny days and cold nights; dense morning fog often delays trains and flights and can hide the Taj Mahal until mid-morning. Prayagraj's Magh Mela usually begins in January.
• February to March, 10 to 32°C: Pleasant again before the heat; Holi in Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana, with the Lathmar Holi at Barsana in the week before, is the busiest time in Braj.
• April to September, 25 to 45°C: The off-season: fierce heat from April to June, past 40°C across the plains, then the monsoon from July, when the Ganga runs high and the Varanasi boat rides can be stopped. Cheaper, but long temple days are hard work.

What to pack

Light cottons for October, November, February and March, and warm layers for December and January, when nights in Varanasi, Lucknow and Agra drop to about 5°C and the mornings are foggy. Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the temples, a stole or scarf, and slip-on shoes, since shoes come off at every shrine. Travel light on temple days: phones and bags stay in the lockers at the Ram Mandir and Kashi Vishwanath. Add a refillable bottle, mosquito repellent for the evening aarti on the ghats, and old clothes you do not mind ruining if you travel for Holi in Braj.

Getting there

From Hyderabad, fly to Varanasi or Lucknow for the Ayodhya and Ganga trips, which start and end in Lucknow, Ayodhya or Varanasi, or to Delhi for the Mathura, Vrindavan and Agra plans; some routes are non-stop and others connect through Delhi. By train each is a journey of a day or more. Every trip starts with a pick-up at the airport or station, and the flight or train is not part of the package.

From Bengaluru, fly to Varanasi or Lucknow for the Ayodhya and Varanasi circuits, or to Delhi for Mathura, Vrindavan and Agra; some routes are non-stop and others connect through Delhi. The trip starts with a pick-up at the airport or station in its start city; flights are booked separately.

From Chennai, fly to Lucknow or Varanasi for the Ayodhya and Ganga trips, or to Delhi for the Braj and Agra plans, non-stop on some routes and through Delhi on others. Your car and driver meet you at the airport or station in the start city; the flight or train is not part of the package.

Permits and fees

No permit is needed anywhere on these routes; carry a photo ID for hotels and temple security. Darshan at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is free, and phones, bags and leather items are not allowed inside, with lockers outside; at Kashi Vishwanath phones are not allowed in the sanctum, and some of our Varanasi trips arrange a priority darshan, which still has a queue. The Taj Mahal is closed every Friday, and its tickets cost more for foreign nationals. Temple rules and ticketing change, so confirm before you travel.

Uttar Pradesh or Uttarakhand? Both are Ganga pilgrimages, but different ones. Varanasi is the ancient city on the plains: dense lanes, more than eighty ghats, Kashi Vishwanath, the burning ghats and the evening aarti at Dashashwamedh, with Sarnath, Prayagraj and Ayodhya within a day's drive. Haridwar and Rishikesh are where the river leaves the hills, with the aarti at Har Ki Pauri, yoga, rafting and Mussoorie above them, five or six hours from Delhi. Pick Uttar Pradesh for the great temple towns and a winter trip; Uttarakhand for the river in the hills and the Char Dham.

Uttar Pradesh or the Golden Triangle? The Golden Triangle is Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in four to seven days: the Taj Mahal and one Rajasthan city, all by road. An Uttar Pradesh trip goes east instead, to Mathura and Vrindavan, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Varanasi, and is more a pilgrimage than a monuments tour. Several plans on this page join the two, adding Mathura and Vrindavan to the Taj and Jaipur.