Incredible India
8 Things to Do in Varanasi Beyond the Sunrise Boat Ride
India's oldest living city rewards travellers who go beyond the postcard sunrise boat ride, from the evening aarti to a fort across the river most visitors skip.
Jul 26, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, and it rewards travellers who slow down rather than rush the ghats in an afternoon. Here are eight things to do, each with a direct map link to plan around.
1. Dashashwamedh Ghat at sunrise
The most famous of Varanasi's eighty-odd ghats, this is where the Ganga Aarti fire ceremony happens every evening, but sunrise is when it is worth seeing first, quiet, lit gold, boats already out on the water.
2. A boat ride along the ghats
Hiring a rowboat for an hour at dawn is the single most useful thing to do in Varanasi, since it's the only way to actually see the full sweep of temples and steps from the water rather than one ghat at a time on foot.
3. The evening Ganga Aarti
A structured fire ceremony performed by a row of priests each evening at Dashashwamedh Ghat, with drums, conch shells, and enough genuine ceremony to justify getting there forty-five minutes early for a seat.
4. Kashi Vishwanath Temple
One of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to Shiva and the spiritual centre of the old city, rebuilt with a new pedestrian corridor down to the river that makes the walk from the ghats considerably easier than it used to be.
5. A walk through the old city lanes
The narrow lanes behind the ghats, too tight for cars, hold centuries-old havelis, silk weavers, and small shrines around every second corner, best explored slowly on foot in the cooler morning hours.
6. Sarnath, where Buddha gave his first sermon
A short drive from the ghats, Sarnath's Dhamek Stupa and archaeological museum mark the deer park where Buddha delivered his first teaching after enlightenment, a genuinely calm counterpoint to the old city's intensity.
7. Banarasi silk shopping
Varanasi has woven silk for over a thousand years, and a handful of family-run showrooms near the old city still sell genuine handloom Banarasi sarees, worth a visit even without buying, to see the weaving looms in the back rooms.
8. A morning at Ramnagar Fort
Across the river from the main ghats, this 18th-century sandstone fort still belongs to the former royal family of Varanasi and holds an eccentric museum of vintage cars, weapons, and royal memorabilia, reachable by a short boat crossing.
Traveller tips
- Negotiate and confirm the boat price before getting in, and expect to pay more for the sunrise slot than a midday ride.
- Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, especially near the temples and during the evening aarti.
- Photography of cremation ghats (Manikarnika and Harishchandra) is considered deeply disrespectful; keep cameras away from those specific ghats out of basic courtesy.
- Early morning (5:30-7am) is both the coolest and least crowded time to be on the water or in the old city lanes.
Where this is
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh