Varanasi Independent: Delhi to the Ganges by Train (Self-Launched)
4 days · Varanasi, India
Volunteering With India charges £250
No-markup version: ~£125 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Volunteering With India's 4-day Delhi–Varanasi package: you take the same overnight/sleeper trains, stay in a riverside guesthouse near the ghats in Varanasi, and book the Sarnath trip, sunrise boat ride and Ganga Aarti yourself. No group, no guide markup — just book IRCTC train tickets, a ghat-side guesthouse, and a couple of local boats and you get the exact same experiences for a fraction of the operator price. Best for solo travellers comfortable with Indian railways and chaotic ghats; costs are approximate backpacker rates.
Day-by-day
Delhi → Varanasi by overnight train
New Delhi to Varanasi
Spend the day in Delhi (Paharganj or Connaught Place are convenient bases), then head to New Delhi Railway Station for an evening train to Varanasi. Book an AC 3-Tier or SL sleeper on IRCTC (book 60+ days ahead; trains like the Kashi Vishwanath Express or Shiv Ganga Express run overnight, ~12-14 hrs). Alternatively the Vande Bharat runs Delhi 15:00 → Varanasi ~23:00 in about 8 hrs if you prefer a daytime run and a hotel night in Varanasi instead. Use the metro or an Ola/Uber to the station. Keep your ticket and ID handy — station police check both.
🚌Delhi Metro/Ola to New Delhi Railway Station (~£1-2); overnight sleeper train Delhi–Varanasi AC 3-Tier ~£12-18
🛏Overnight AC 3-Tier train berth (or budget hotel in Paharganj, Delhi if you take a day train)
- →Explore Paharganj or Connaught Place
- →Board overnight train from New Delhi Railway Station
- →Optional: swap train for Vande Bharat day train (~£15-25)
Arrive Varanasi, Sarnath and Ganga Aarti at dusk
Varanasi
Arrive early morning, take a prepaid auto or Ola from Varanasi Junction to your guesthouse near Assi or Dashashwamedh Ghat (~£1.50-3). Check in, then take a shared auto or Ola to Sarnath (~10 km, £1-2), where the Buddha gave his first sermon — see the Dhamek Stupa, the Sarnath Archaeological Museum and the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara. Return to the city for sunset: walk to Dashashwamedh Ghat around 18:00-18:45 for the Ganga Aarti fire ceremony. Watch free from the steps, or hire a small boat for a water-level view (£4-8 shared). Cheap thali dinner in the lanes behind the ghats.
🚌Auto/Ola from station to ghats ~£2; return trip to Sarnath ~£3-4
🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat or Dashashwamedh Ghat, double room ~£15-25/night
- →Sarnath stupa and museum (entry ~£2, museum ~£1)
- →Sunset Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat (free)
- →Optional shared boat for Aarti view (~£5)
Sunrise boat, ghats, temples and Banarasi silk bazaars
Varanasi
Be at the ghats by 05:15 for a sunrise rowboat along the Ganges — negotiate directly with boatmen at Assi or Dashashwamedh Ghat for a 1.5-2 hr shared ride (£5-10 per person, less if you team up with other travellers). Then walk the ghats north to Manikarnika, visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple (free, no phones inside), and wander Vishwanath Gali for Banarasi silk sarees — expect hard bargaining, and buy from fixed-price government emporiums if you want less pressure. Afternoon: Bharat Kala Bhavan museum on the BHU campus (£1-2), or just rest. Evening: street food crawl — kachori sabzi, tamatar chaat, malaiyo in winter, and a lassi at Blue Lassi.
🚌Walking plus short autos ~£2-3
🛏Same guesthouse near the ghats
- →Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges (~£5-10 shared)
- →Walk the ghats and Kashi Vishwanath area
- →Banarasi silk bazaar browsing in Vishwanath Gali
- →Bharat Kala Bhavan museum (~£2)
- →Street food crawl
Free morning, then train back to Delhi
Varanasi to New Delhi
Enjoy a slow morning — yoga on Assi Ghat at sunrise (many free/donation classes), a final chai, and last-minute shopping. Check out and take an auto to Varanasi Junction or Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction for your train back to Delhi (again, AC 3-Tier sleeper booked ahead, ~£12-18; alternatively the Vande Bharat departing ~15:00 arriving Delhi ~23:00). Buy snacks and water for the journey. Arrive New Delhi Railway Station and continue to the airport (Airport Express ~£1.50) or your onward hotel.
🚌Auto to station ~£2; sleeper train Varanasi–Delhi ~£12-18; Airport Express ~£1.50 if flying out
🛏Overnight train or onward booking in Delhi
- →Sunrise yoga or walk at Assi Ghat (donation-based)
- →Last-minute silk and handicraft shopping
- →Return train to New Delhi
Self-launched vs. Volunteering With India
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Volunteering With India | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£125 | £250 |
| Duration | 4 days | 4 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £125 per person (50%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Volunteering With India-style trips? Check them out here.~£125
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Varanasi Independent: Delhi to the Ganges by Train (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £125 per person for 4 days in Varanasi, India. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Volunteering With India?+
Yes — Volunteering With India charges around £250 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £125 — a saving of roughly £125 (50%) per person.
How long is the Varanasi, India trip?+
This itinerary runs 4 days, covering 4 day-by-day stops through Varanasi, India.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, budget, backpacker trip through Varanasi, India, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.