UTTAR PRADESH

An overview of Uttar Pradesh Tourism

Uttar Pradesh is the state immediately south and east of Delhi, and nearly all of its tourist places lie along two rivers. The Yamuna gives Mathura, Vrindavan and Agra, all within 3 to 4 hours of Delhi on the Yamuna Expressway. The Ganga gives Prayagraj and Varanasi in the east, with Ayodhya on the Saryu between them and Lucknow, the state capital, in the middle. Sarnath, Kushinagar and Shravasti add the Buddhist sites. Because expressways now link Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi, every one of these is a road trip from Delhi rather than a flight.

We run chauffeur-driven cars, Innovas and tempo travellers from Delhi on all of these routes. The vehicle and driver stay with you for the whole trip, which matters in temple towns where the last kilometre is walked or done by e-rickshaw and the car needs to wait at a known point. The packages below range from a single long day at Agra to a five-day Varanasi and Prayagraj trip and an eleven-day Buddhist circuit.

Best time to visit Uttar Pradesh

October to March for the whole state. Agra works year round if the Taj is seen at sunrise; Varanasi and Ayodhya are hot from April to June and are visited early in the day in those months. The monsoon from July to September makes the ghats high and muddy but the countryside green.

Circuits we run from Delhi

Agra: same day, overnight, and with Fatehpur Sikri. The Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Mehtab Bagh, 3 hours from Delhi; add a night for the sunrise entry, or a detour to Fatehpur Sikri 40 km west.

Agra with Mathura and Vrindavan, 3 days. The Krishna temples first, then the Taj on the last morning, with no repeated road.

Ayodhya, 3 nights 4 days. Ram Mandir darshan, Hanuman Garhi and the Saryu aarti, about 690 km from Delhi on the expressways.

Varanasi, and Varanasi with Ayodhya and Prayagraj. Sunrise boat, Kashi Vishwanath, the Ganga aarti and Sarnath; the triangle adds the Sangam and the Ram Mandir, each about 3 hours apart.

Buddhist circuit, 11 days. Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda, Kushinagar, Shravasti, Sarnath and Lumbini, October to March.

Route notes for Uttar Pradesh road trips from Delhi

• Delhi to Agra about 230 km and 3 hours; Delhi to Ayodhya about 690 km and 10 to 11 hours; Delhi to Varanasi about 820 km and 12 to 13 hours, all on expressways.
• The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays; Kashi Vishwanath and the Ram Mandir do not allow phones or bags inside, and lockers are available at both.
• Included on every package: chauffeur-driven AC vehicle from Delhi, driver's charges, fuel, expressway tolls, parking and state taxes.
• Not included: hotels, meals, monument and temple entry, boats at Varanasi and Prayagraj, guides and e-rickshaws in the old towns.
• Vehicles: sedan for up to 3, Innova for up to 6, tempo traveller for 9 to 17, and buses for larger pilgrim groups.
• Suits: families and pilgrim groups who want door-to-door travel, and visitors from abroad who prefer a driver to trains for the Agra and Varanasi legs.