Self-Launched Buddhist Circuit: Varanasi to Lucknow (7 Days)

Land at Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport and pre-book an Ola/Uber (~£4–5) or take the airport shuttle to a guesthouse near Assi Ghat or Godowlia (many single rooms £10–18). Drop your bag, then take a shared auto-rickshaw (~£1) or local bus 8km north to Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Wander the Deer Park at your own pace: Dhamek Stupa, the Dharmarajika and Chaukhandi stupas, the excavated monastery ruins, and the Lion Capital of Ashoka in the museum (closed Fridays — check before you go). Entry to the monument complex is roughly £1–3. Evening: optional Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, free to watch from the steps (arrive an hour early for a spot).

🚌Airport pickup by Ola/Uber (~£4–5); shared auto to Sarnath and back (~£1 each way)

🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat, Varanasi (£10–18/night, single)

• →Sarnath Deer Park & Dhamek Stupa
• →Dharmarajika & Chaukhandi Stupas
• →Sarnath Archaeological Museum (Lion Capital of Ashoka)
• →Evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat

Travel day with purpose. Easiest route is the train: Varanasi to Gaya Junction (roughly 4–6 hours, sleeper class ~£3–5, 3AC ~£7–10) — book on IRCTC or at the counter a few days ahead. From Gaya, a shared auto or local bus to Bodhgaya is about 40 minutes (~£1). Settle into a monastery guesthouse or budget hotel (Bodhgaya has Tibetan and Thai monasteries offering clean singles from £8–15). Afternoon: the Great Buddha Statue (25m, free), then cross the Niranjana River footbridge to Sujata Temple, honouring the village woman who fed the Buddha before enlightenment. Evening meditation or chanting at the Maha Bodhi Temple is free and genuinely atmospheric.

🚌Train Varanasi–Gaya sleeper (~£3–5) or 3AC (~£7–10); shared auto/bus Gaya–Bodhgaya (~£1)

🛏Monastery guesthouse or budget hotel, Bodhgaya (£8–15/night)

• →Great Buddha Statue
• →Niranjana River crossing
• →Sujata Temple
• →Evening prayer at Maha Bodhi Temple

Start early at the Maha Bodhi Temple and the sacred Bodhi Tree — arrive before 7am for the calmest hour. Entry is free (cameras may carry a small fee); Boddhgaya's Chinese Temple is nearby and free. Late morning, take a shared jeep or bus from Bodhgaya to Rajgir (~2 hrs, ~£1–2). Climb Gridhakuta Hill (Vulture's Peak) — take the small ropeway (~£1) or walk 30–40 minutes — then visit Bimbisara Jail and the Saptaparni Caves. Onward by shared auto to Nalanda (~30 min, ~£1) for the vast Nalanda University ruins, one of the world's oldest residential universities (entry ~£2 for foreign visitors). Continue to Patna by bus or train from Rajgir/Nalanda (2–3 hrs, ~£1–3). Stay near Patna Junction (£10–17).

🚌Shared jeep/bus Bodhgaya–Rajgir (~£1–2); auto/ropeway at Rajgir (~£2); bus/train to Patna (~£1–3)

🛏Budget hotel near Patna Junction (£10–17/night)

• →Maha Bodhi Temple & Bodhi Tree at sunrise
• →Chinese Temple
• →Gridhakuta Hill (Vulture's Peak)
• →Bimbisara Jail & Saptaparni Caves
• →Nalanda University ruins

This leg is the trickiest on public transport, so be up early. Local bus from Patna to Vaishali (~2 hrs, ~£1), where the Buddha delivered his last sermon — see the Ashokan pillar, the relic stupa and the nearby Coronation Tank. Get back to the main road and catch a bus toward Muzaffarpur or Chhapra, then onward toward Gorakhpur (patched journey, roughly 4–6 hrs total, £3–5); from Gorakhpur frequent shared jeeps and buses run to Kushinagar (~1.5 hrs, ~£1). Alternative if timing breaks down: backtrack to Patna and take an overnight train to Gorakhpur, then a dawn local bus. Check into a guesthouse or monastery stay in Kushinagar (£8–15) and visit the Mahaparinirvana Temple, where the reclining Buddha marks the place of his passing, plus the Rambhar Stupa where he was cremated — both within easy walking/cycle-rickshaw range.

🚌Local bus Patna–Vaishali (~£1); connecting bus to Gorakhpur (~£3–5); shared jeep Gorakhpur–Kushinagar (~£1)

🛏Guesthouse/monastery stay, Kushinagar (£8–15/night)

• →Vaishali Ashokan Pillar & Coronation Tank
• →Mahaparinirvana Temple (reclining Buddha)
• →Rambhar Stupa
• →Evening chanting at local monasteries

Cross the border today. From Kushinagar, take a shared jeep/bus to Gorakhpur (~1.5 hrs, ~£1), then a bus onward to Sunauli on the Indian border (3–4 hrs, ~£2–3). Walk across into Belahiya, Nepal — visa on arrival for most Western passport holders (bring USD cash for the fee, roughly £25–30; check current rules), or get an Indian e-visa already in hand. From Belahiya, a shared tempo/tuk-tuk runs to Lumbini (~25 min, ~£1). Stay inside the Lumbini Development Zone or nearby Bhairahawa for £8–16. Hire a bicycle (~£2/day) to loop the vast monastic zone. Afternoon at the Maya Devi Temple marking the Buddha's birthplace, with the sacred pond and Ashokan pillar; entry ~£3. Optional Sound & Light Show in the evening.

🚌Shared jeep Kushinagar–Gorakhpur (~£1); bus Gorakhpur–Sunauli (~£2–3); walk border; tempo Belahiya–Lumbini (~£1)

🛏Guesthouse in Lumbini Development Zone or Bhairahawa (£8–16/night)

• →Maya Devi Temple & sacred pond
• →Ashokan Pillar at Lumbini
• →Cycle through the international monastic zone
• →Optional evening Sound & Light Show

Early bicycle or auto to Kapilavastu, the Buddha's childhood home — Tilaurakot on the Nepali side has the excavated palace ruins (entry ~£1) and the Lumbini Museum of archaeological finds. Shared jeep back to Belahiya/Sunauli, walk the border to India again, then take a local bus toward Balrampur/Shravasti — via Gorakhpur or Naugarh, roughly 4–5 hrs total (~£3–5), possibly with a change at Bansi or Balrampur. Expect to ask around and be patient; buses are frequent but slow. Arrive Shravasti and settle into a monastery guesthouse (£8–14). Late-afternoon wander among the Sahet Mahet ruins of Jetavana Monastery, where the Buddha spent many rainy seasons, and the nearby Angulimal Caves — both quiet and free or near-free.

🚌Cycle/auto to Kapilavastu (~£1–2); jeep to border (~£1); local buses via Balrampur to Shravasti (~£3–5)

🛏Monastery guesthouse or simple hotel, Shravasti (£8–14/night)

• →Tilaurakot palace ruins, Kapilavastu
• →Sahet Mahet & Jetavana Monastery ruins
• →Angulimal Caves
• →Free time for meditation

One last quiet morning at Jetavana, then head for the city. Bus or shared jeep from Shravasti to Balrampur/Gonda (~1–2 hrs, ~£1–2), then a train to Lucknow (Gonda–Lucknow ~3–4 hrs, sleeper ~£2–4 or 3AC ~£6–8); check IRCTC or the station counter. In Lucknow, dump bags at a budget hotel near Aminabad or Hazratganj (£12–20). Afternoon: Bara Imambara and its famous labyrinth (Bhulbhulaiya, entry ~£3–4 for foreigners, and it closes around sunset), Rumi Darwaza and the Husainabad Clock Tower area. Finish with a Lucknowi kebab crawl — Tunday Kababi in Aminabad for galouti kebabs, roughly £3–5 for a feast. Overnight near the airport or station for an early departure.

🚌Bus/jeep Shravasti–Balrampur/Gonda (~£1–2); train Gonda–Lucknow sleeper (~£2–4)

🛏Budget hotel in Lucknow, Aminabad/Hazratganj (£12–20/night)

• →Morning at Jetavana, Shravasti
• →Bara Imambara & Bhulbhulaiya labyrinth
• →Rumi Darwaza
• →Lucknowi kebab food walk (Tunday Kababi)