GIT India

There are few places more quintessentially Indian than Varanasi. It is a sacred city to Hindu's who consider it good luck to die there. As a result many older people tend to come to the area. The city is most famous as the place where Hindu's bathe in the Ganges.

Varanasi is located in northern India and it is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is believed that the area has been occupied for at least four thousand years and the city is considered to be sacred by Hindus. The main tourist attractions in the city are the many temples as well as the opportunity to see the local Hindu population bathing in the Ganges which is considered to be a purifying experience.

One of the things that you are definitely going to want to see are the ghats, these are the stairs that lead down to the river allowing bathers access. You are more than welcome to bathe yourself although many people will be uncomfortable with this since most of the city's sewage gets dumped into the river. Some of the ghats are used for cremating the dead and this is done in full public view. In addition not all corpses are cremated and they can be seen floating down the river from time to time. They tend to wash up on the east side of the city so this area is best avoided. Some the ghats have specific customs about who can use them and for what purpose so make sure that you find out about this before you use them.

One thing that you should be aware of if you are going to visit Varanasi is that it gets very hot during the summer. It is less hot during the winter but still not particularly comfortable. The area has a tropical climate so it has a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season is not as hot but it is more humid. The best time to visit is between October and March.

Getting around in Varanasi is not easy since most of the sites that you are going to want to see are along the waterfront. Most of them are in small winding alleys and the only practical way to see them is to walk. This can get very uncomfortable because of the heat. Also expect to get lost several times as it can be very difficult to find your way around. The locals are used to encountering lost tourists and are pretty good about pointing you in the right direction.

Getting to Varanasi is fairly easy as it is well served by both train and bus. There is an airport that has daily flights to the major cities of India. As a major tourist destination there are lots of hotels in town so you shouldn't have a problem finding a place to stay. Although you do have to be aware of the festivals as they can result in the city being quite crowded.