Destinations

Uttar Pradesh

The Taj Mahal, Varanasi's ancient ghats and pilgrimage routes woven through centuries of faith.

The evening Ganga Aarti ceremony on the ghats of Varanasi

Uttar Pradesh holds some of India's most recognised sites, from the Taj Mahal to Varanasi's ghats along the Ganges, alongside major pilgrimage destinations for several faiths.

Given the crowds these sites attract, timing and access planning matter more here than almost anywhere else, and it's where our local relationships make the most practical difference.

The name

Why it is called Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh simply means "northern province". Under the British it was the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, usually shortened to U.P., and when India became a republic in 1950 it was given a Hindi name that kept the familiar initials. The older names Awadh, Braj and Bundelkhand are still used for its regions.

The essentials

Capital: Lucknow
Languages: Hindi and Urdu, with Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Braj Bhasha
Best time: October to March
Main airports: Lucknow and Varanasi; Delhi for Agra

Places

Where to go in Uttar Pradesh

Agra and Fatehpur Sikri

Three UNESCO sites in a day's reach: the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Akbar's red sandstone capital at Fatehpur Sikri, built in the 1570s and soon abandoned.

Varanasi

One of the oldest living cities in the world. Take a boat along the ghats at dawn, watch the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh in the evening, and walk the lanes to Kashi Vishwanath.

Sarnath

Just outside Varanasi, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. The Dhamek Stupa, and the museum holding Ashoka's lion capital, now India's national emblem.

Lucknow

The city of the Nawabs: the Bara Imambara and its maze, the Rumi Darwaza, the British Residency, and the kebabs of Aminabad and Chowk.

Prayagraj

The Triveni Sangam, where the Ganga and Yamuna meet, site of the Kumbh Mela, and Anand Bhawan, the Nehru family home.

Ayodhya

The city of Lord Rama, with the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Hanuman Garhi and the ghats of the Saryu, lit with lamps at Diwali.

Mathura and Vrindavan

Krishna's birthplace and childhood home, with temples such as Banke Bihari and Prem Mandir, and the most famous Holi in India.

Kushinagar

Where the Buddha passed into parinirvana, with the reclining Buddha of the Mahaparinirvana Temple.

Wildlife and nature

Dudhwa National Park in the Terai near Nepal, with tigers, swamp deer and reintroduced one-horned rhinos, and the National Chambal Sanctuary for gharials and river dolphins.

At the table

What to eat in Uttar Pradesh

Awadhi biryani and dum pukht

Slow-cooked, fragrant dishes from Lucknow's royal kitchens.

Galouti kebab

Melt-in-the-mouth minced kebabs, said to have been created for a Nawab who had lost his teeth.

Kachori sabzi and jalebi

The classic breakfast of Varanasi and Agra.

Banarasi paan and lassi

Sweet betel leaf, and thick lassi in clay cups.

Mathura peda and Agra petha

Milk sweets offered to Krishna, and translucent ash-gourd sweets.

Malaiyyo

Varanasi's saffron milk froth, made only on winter mornings.

Timing

When to go to Uttar Pradesh

October to March. The plains are extremely hot from April and humid through the monsoon, and December and January bring genuine fog that can delay flights and trains and occasionally obscures Agra entirely in the early morning - which matters if you have one dawn to see it.

Jan
22-8 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Cool and pleasant, but fog is common at dawn and can disrupt travel. Plan a buffer.
Feb
26-11 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
The best month. Clear, mild, comfortable for long sightseeing days.
Mar
33-16 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
Warm and clear. Holi falls here, and Braj near Mathura is its epicentre.
Apr
39-22 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Hot. Early starts essential, afternoons indoors.
May
42-27 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Best avoided
Severe heat on the plains, regularly over 44C.
Jun
40-28 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Best avoided
Hot and increasingly humid before the monsoon.
Jul
35-27 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Best avoided
Monsoon. Humid, with heavy afternoon rain.
Aug
33-26 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Best avoided
Wettest month. The Ganga runs high at Varanasi and ghats can flood.
Sep
33-25 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Rain easing. Still humid but quieter and better value.
Oct
33-19 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
Season opens. Clear air, comfortable days, Dussehra and Diwali fall around now.
Nov
29-13 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
Excellent. Dev Deepawali at Varanasi is in this window.
Dec
23-8 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Cool and atmospheric, but fog risk returns. Peak season prices.

Worth timing your trip around

Dev Deepawali
One of the best places for it
November, fifteen days after Diwali
Varanasi lights every step of every ghat with oil lamps, and the river reflects the lot. Widely considered the most beautiful night of the year on the Ganga. Accommodation with a river view is limited and goes very early.
Holi in Braj
One of the best places for it
Usually March, at the full moon
The Mathura and Vrindavan area celebrates Holi for over a week and more intensely than anywhere else in India. Remarkable to witness and genuinely overwhelming to be inside - we would talk through what level of involvement suits your party before building it in.

Festival timings shift each year with the lunar calendar, so we have not published dates that would be out of date by the time you read them. See the full calendar for Uttar Pradesh, or tell us the year and we will confirm the dates for you.

Good to know

Before you go

The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays. Go at sunrise for the light and the smallest crowds.
Dense fog in December and January can delay trains and flights, so leave slack in winter plans.
At Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, do not photograph cremations.
Holi in Braj, Dev Deepawali and the Kumbh years fill hotels months ahead.

Journeys