Private journeys in seven lands · a planner replies within one working day
Try "Udaipur", "tiger", "honeymoon", "Ladakh in July"
Fourteen nights along the Gangetic plain, from the Mughal monuments of Agra to the place of the Buddha's enlightenment: Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, Lucknow's kitchens and imambaras, four nights on the Ganges at Varanasi with Sarnath, then Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda. Private car, private guides, the best rooms available.
This is our fullest journey through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and it follows the land rather than a theme. It begins with the Mughal empire at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, moves east on the expressway to the nawabs' Lucknow, settles for four nights in Varanasi, the holiest city on the Ganges, and ends in the Buddhist heartland of Bihar at Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda.
The hotels change with the land: The Oberoi Amarvilas facing the Taj, Taj Mahal Lucknow, BrijRama Palace on the ghats and Taj Nadesar Palace in its gardens, then the best comfortable hotels in Bihar. The pace allows rest days and long lunches, and each region has a specialist guide. October to March is the season, with fog to plan around in December and January.
Highlights
Day by day
Your driver meets you at Delhi airport and drives to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway. Check in at The Oberoi Amarvilas, where every room faces the Taj Mahal. Rest, and in the last hour of light cross the river to Mehtab Bagh, the Mughal garden aligned with the Taj, for sunset. Dinner at the hotel.
Enter the Taj Mahal at the east gate as it opens, walking through the gardens to the marble platform as the light changes, then inside to the cenotaphs. Breakfast at the hotel. In the afternoon, explore Agra Fort's palaces and the Musamman Burj, then cross the Yamuna to the inlaid marble tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah. Evening at leisure.
Drive to Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's capital, for the halls of audience, the Panch Mahal and the royal palaces in the morning calm, then the great mosque, the Buland Darwaza and Salim Chishti's marble tomb. Return to Agra for lunch and an afternoon at a marble inlay workshop. This day also serves as a backup for a second Taj sunrise if fog intervened.
Drive east on the Agra–Lucknow Expressway, about 5 hours. Check in at Taj Mahal Lucknow. In the early evening, your food guide leads a walk through Aminabad and Chowk: galouti kebab, nihari with kulcha, biryani and kulfi, in small portions at well-chosen kitchens.
Morning at the Bara Imambara and its rooftop maze, the Rumi Darwaza and the Chota Imambara. After lunch, visit a chikankari workshop to see block printing and hand embroidery. In the late afternoon, walk the shell-scarred ruins of the Residency, besieged in 1857. Dinner at the hotel's Awadhi restaurant.
Drive south-east to Varanasi, or take a morning train, arriving in the afternoon. A private boat carries you along the ghats to BrijRama Palace on Darbhanga Ghat. At dusk, walk a few minutes to Dashashwamedh for the Ganga aarti, then dinner on the palace terrace above the river.
Step down from the palace before sunrise into a rowing boat and drift along the ghats as bathers and priests begin the day, passing Manikarnika at a respectful distance. Land near the old city and walk the lanes to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, with breakfast at an old sweet shop. Afternoon at leisure; at dusk, watch the aarti from a private boat.
Move to Taj Nadesar Palace after breakfast. Late morning with a family of Banarasi silk weavers at their handlooms. Afternoon in the palace gardens or spa. In the evening, an optional private recital of classical music, which we can arrange at the hotel.
A slow morning. In the afternoon, drive to Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Walk through the excavated monasteries to the Dhamek Stupa, see the Lion Capital of Ashoka in the museum, closed on Fridays, and stay for evening chanting at the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara. This is the link between the two halves of the journey.
Drive east on the Grand Trunk Road into Bihar, stopping at Sasaram for the tomb of Sher Shah Suri in its lake. Arrive at Marasa Sarovar Premiere in Bodh Gaya in the afternoon. In the evening, visit the Mahabodhi Temple as lamps are lit and monks chant around the Bodhi tree. Phones stay at the hotel.
Enter the temple complex as it opens at about 5 am and walk with your guide around the temple and its shrines to the Bodhi tree and the Vajrasana, sitting in meditation as the sun rises. After breakfast and rest, visit the Thai, Bhutanese, Japanese and Tibetan monasteries. Return after dark for a guided meditation near the tree.
Morning at the Barabar caves, cut into granite in the 3rd century BCE and polished so finely they echo for seconds. Return for lunch. In the late afternoon, cross the Niranjana river to Bakraur and the stupa of Sujata, walking back through the fields at sunset.
Drive north-east through rural Bihar to Rajgir, the ancient capital of Magadha, and check in at the Indo Hokke Hotel. In the afternoon, visit Venuvana, the bamboo grove given to the Buddha, the cyclopean walls on the ridges and the hot springs at the foot of Vaibhar hill.
Climb Vulture Peak before sunrise for the view from the terrace where the Buddha taught, then continue to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa. After breakfast, drive to Nalanda for a morning among the monasteries and temples of the ancient university, its museum, closed on Fridays, and the Xuanzang Memorial Hall. Farewell dinner at the hotel.
After breakfast, drive to Patna, stopping at the white marble Jain temple of Pawapuri if time allows. If your flight is in the evening, visit the Bihar Museum, one of India's finest, before transferring to Patna airport for your onward flight.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
The closest luxury hotel to the Taj Mahal, about 600 m from the east gate, with views of the monument from every room. Its Mughal-style terraces, …
Lucknow's leading luxury hotel, in Gomti Nagar near the river, with spacious rooms, a pool and a kitchen known for Awadhi cooking. It is a calm …
A restored early 19th-century palace on Darbhanga Ghat, directly above the Ganges, a short walk from the evening aarti at Dashashwamedh. It is the best place …
A small former royal guest house of the maharajas of Benares, set in large gardens in the Varanasi cantonment. With only a handful of suites, it …
A modern, comfortable hotel a short drive from the Mahabodhi Temple, with spacious rooms, a pool and reliable service. It is our usual base in Bodh …
A quiet, Japanese-influenced hotel in Rajgir, built with Buddhist pilgrims in mind, with simple, well-kept rooms and calm grounds. It is the most comfortable base for …
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Questions travellers ask
Fourteen nights covers the main highlights at a comfortable pace: Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, Lucknow, Varanasi and Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda. It leaves out Kushinagar, Vaishali, Prayagraj and Dudhwa, which can be added with two to four more nights.
Four long drives of about 5 to 6 hours: Delhi to Agra, Agra to Lucknow, Lucknow to Varanasi and Varanasi to Bodh Gaya, plus shorter transfers. Expressways make the first two smooth. Lucknow to Varanasi can be done by train instead.
Patna is the nearest airport to Rajgir with regular flights to Delhi and other cities, about 2.5 to 3 hours by road. It also has the Bihar Museum, worth a visit before an evening flight. Gaya airport is an alternative, depending on schedules.
Yes. From Rajgir, add a long day via Vaishali and Kesaria to Kushinagar, with two nights there, and fly out from Gorakhpur. That extends the journey to 16 or 17 nights and covers all six major Indian Buddhist sites. We can also add Lumbini in Nepal from Kushinagar.
October to March. November and February are ideal. December and January are cold with morning fog, which can delay transport but gives atmospheric light. Bodh Gaya is busiest in December and January. April onwards is hot. Book early for the peak weeks of the season.
Yes. It shows a wide range of India, from Mughal grandeur to Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage, with private cars, guides and good hotels handling the logistics. The pace includes rest time. Varanasi can be intense, and your guide helps you through it.
Yes. Starting in Patna and ending in Delhi works equally well, finishing with the Taj Mahal. We check that your sunrise Taj visit does not fall on a Friday and that the Sarnath and Nalanda museums are visited on open days.
Breakfast and dinner are included at the hotels, plus the Lucknow food walk. Lunches are left open so you can choose between hotel restaurants and local places with your guide. We can include all meals on request. Dietary needs are shared with each hotel in advance.
Yes. Many guests find Varanasi the highlight and add a fifth night, for a day trip to Prayagraj and the Sangam or to Chunar Fort. In January and February, the Magh Mela at Prayagraj is a strong reason to extend.
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