Hidden Secrets of Varanasi: Vibrant Tradition (Guided Tour)
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Varanasi, India
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Food and drink, Transportation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Virtual Experiential Museum, (Varanasi)8256+39M, Manmandir Ghat, Bangali Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India
Our meeting point will at Rajendra Prasad Ghat, infront of Virtual experiential museum And the Guide will be standing infront of the Entrance of the Museum
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Dashashwamegh ghat
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Vishalakshi Temple
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Nepali Temple (Kathwala Temple)
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Manikarnika Ghat
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
5
Manikarnikeshwar Mahadev Temple - Kashi Khand
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 469 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Bruno_S, Mar 2026
Akash gave us one of the most authentic and insightful experiences we could have hoped for in Varanasi.
He took us far beyond the typical tourist route and showed us the hidden gems of the city. Our tour included the beautiful Nepali Temple, the powerful and humbling Manikarnika Ghat, the fascinating underground Manikarnikeshwar Mahadev Temple, the unique leaning Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple, and the historic Manikarnika Kund.
Akash was born and raised in these very streets, and it truly shows. His knowledge, stories, and deep connection to the city made everything come alive in a way we would have never experienced on our own. He is incredibly patient and thoughtfully curated the tour both in terms of timing and the places we visited.
There is simply no way we would have seen Varanasi like this without him. It felt real, raw, and very different from the usual tourist experience.
Highly recommend Akash if you want to truly understand the soul of Varanasi.
Luciano_P, Mar 2026
Niwas was a very good guide, he took us to many places in the city center that otherwise I definitely would not have found by myself. He answered all of our questions and grave us plenty of time to take photos and absorb the intensity of the tour. Another good thing is that there were no shop visits, but if you want it the guide can recommend some places to lunch after the tour end.
Sophie_H, Feb 2026
This wasn’t quite the tour I was hoping for unfortunately. The brothers were nice and looked out for our group (all female travellers) well in the crowds, but I was personally looking for a little more history and context to Varanasi and its ghats than I received as a European tourist.
It ended up a bit of a wild chase through the city to see bodies being cremated due to parts being closed off, which I didn’t find particularly respectful nor did I particularly want to focus on in the way that we did. We got herded onto a boat to try to see it better, the tour overran and I don’t feel that any of us were wanting to circle the cremation area as much as we did - I think the guides got a bit caught up in the excitement and forgot about the tour.
Not a tour I’d recommend unless your main focus is to see bodies being cremated.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We truly appreciate your honest thoughts.
First of all, we are glad to hear that you felt safe with our guides in the crowds. Taking care of our guests, especially when navigating the busy streets and ghats of Varanasi, is always one of our top priorities.
We are very sorry that the experience did not meet your expectations. Our intention is always to present Varanasi with respect, focusing on its deep history, spirituality, and cultural traditions, not only on the cremation ghats.
We would also like to clarify that the day you booked the tour was during the Holi celebration that takes place with ashes near the cremation area, where the Aghori sadhus traditionally gather. On that particular day, many areas around the cremation ghats were strictly blocked by authorities because of the celebrations and the large crowds.
Despite these unexpected restrictions, our team tried their best to show you as much of the city as possible. Unfortunately, several routes and viewpoints were closed, which limited the experience compared to our normal tour.
We also explained during the tour that we ourselves were not satisfied with the situation, because what we normally show is very different and much more complete. For this reason, we offered you the option to receive a full refund and also invited you to join the same tour again the next day so you could experience it properly.
Your feedback about wanting more historical context is very valuable to us, and we will certainly take it into account to continue improving the experience for future guests.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts, and we truly wish you a wonderful continuation of your travels in India.
Warm regards,
Caroline_h, Feb 2026
Aksjal was a brilliant young g guide-we learnt so much about Varanasi and had a well paced tour around temples and the ghats-great first morning in the city
Magdalena_B, Feb 2026
Very good educated guide with good english! We visited all places from the list and got all the stories about the places. Would recommend!
Lisa_M, Feb 2026
Niwas was a good guide, very passionate about his hometown and sharing the history of Varanasi. I personally would have liked more time at the ghats and less time wandering the small lanes of Varanasi, we spent about 5mins at Manikarnika ghat, more time there would have been preferable to me as it is so fascinating.
MARIAN_D, Jan 2026
Worthwhile tour - Nivas was a great guide who made Varanasi come alive . Don’t hesitate to do a tour with him
Arko_M, Jan 2026
It was a great experience, a break from the constant chaos of the ancient city with a walk into it's narrow, maze-like alleys with a lesson in history that we usually don't learn in books. Akash, our guide, was incredibly well-versed with the locality and its interesting history. Would definitely recommend.
Minoru_G, Jan 2026
Akash is really a knowledgeable person, young and polite and I could listen to his English very much even though I'm not native English speaker and sometimes I had to ask meanings of unfamiliar wordings, every time he kindly explain with other similar wordings.
If you have not received any reply of questions you sent advice, just send request for answer to Viater service, in my case, I received WhatsApp message from Akash, an hour before the tour.
After that everything was perfect.
Isa_O, Jan 2026
Wonderful tour with a small group. Guide was knowledgeable, friendly and easy to follow. Highly recommend doing this on the first day to get grounded and see the primary attractions before wandering alone.
Morgan_B, Dec 2025
Great tour with Akash this morning. He is super friendly and highly knowledgeable. The tour is a perfect introduction to this amazing city: in three hours, you’ll see the main sights and understand why Varanasi is very special.
Riddhima_R, Nov 2025
Amazing is the word for this experience and for Badal. I had the best time with him and considering I was solo female traveller, he was extremely caring and I felt like I was exploring Banaras with a friend. 10/10 recommend for anyone looking to explore the parts of Banaras that you otherwise wouldn’t be able too. I am sure he is my go to person the next time I explore Banaras next! ♥️
Linah_N, Nov 2025
The guide was knowledgeable and experienced. He was also very easy going and gave us time to take rest while on the walking tour.We loved it!
Fiona_M, Oct 2025
We had an amazing time on our tour with Niwas - he was friendly, informative and happy to answer any questions. I feel like we saw the real Varanasi which we never would have seen by ourselves - highly recommend this tour.
Kim_C, Oct 2025
WOW what an informative fabulous tour around the backstreets of Old Varanasi. Niwas Vidya Chaubey was the perfect guide. We feel we now have a greater understanding of the soul of beautiful Varanasi. Can't recommend Niwas enough!
Jenny_Y, Sep 2025
A very lively and informative tour that allowed me to discover parts of Varanasi that I wouldn’t have otherwise! Would highly recommend
Steve_B, Sep 2025
We really like our tour with Niwas, very informative and not too rushed. He really took time to explain everything to us and made sure we were comfortable at any time of the tour. This tour is a must if you visit Varanasi, you will learn many things that we could have never known otherwise!
Megan_K, Jul 2025
This was a wonderful tour! Ravi of Mango travel gave this tour which was a wonderful start to my Varanasi experience! Thank you Ravi!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. We're truly grateful for your kind words and are delighted to hear that you had a positive experience with us.
It was a pleasure having you as our guest, and we hope to welcome you back again soon!
Warm regards,
Badal Pandey
The Mango Travel
Nathan_B, Jun 2025
Badal was a terrific tour guide. He was knowledgeable and super friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed the tourist attractions and the tastes of local culture, food, and tradition. The tour was a perfect way to start exploring Varanasi, and made us feel incredibly comfortable in the city. Highly recommend!!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. We're truly grateful for your kind words and are delighted to hear that you had a positive experience with us.
It was a pleasure having you as our guest, and we hope to welcome you back again soon!
Warm regards,
Badal Pandey
The Mango Travel
Martien_V, Apr 2025
Loved every minute of this tour with guide Akash. He’s very knowledgeable and eager for you to understand the culture, history and stories behind the places of interest. And he’s got a great sense of humour!!!
Most remarkable was the time we spend at Manikarnika Ghat seeing the rituals from beginning to end with Akash’s narration.
Keep your eyes peeled While walking through the old city with Alakash, there’s colourful and vibrant street art everywhere and little temples and nooks at every corner!
The two words: ‘Got It?’ Will always remind me of this tour with Akash!
Simon_T, Mar 2025
Had a fantastic walking tour with Akash. Really friendly, showed me all the hidden away parts of the city, and went above & beyond to make my tour enjoyable. I also asked if he could guide me around the Aarti performance in the evening for an extra cost and he was only too happy to help and made sure I got fantastic seats and a small part in proceedings. Would highly recommend.
lorena_p, Mar 2025
I had a great experience thanks to my guide Vidja who is very passionate and willing to go the extra mile to show you the hidden gems of Varanasi!
Schalk_V, Mar 2025
Had a great tour with Akash - not only did we see a lot, but we also learned so much about local Varanasi but also Hindu culture.
Will highly recommend
Rachel_W, Feb 2025
Varanasi was a bit overwhelming, and I was glad we picked Hidden Secrets to guide us through the city. We met our guide, Akash, at a busy intersection outside the old part of the city near the Ganges.
Akash led us through the streets of the old city, a maze we would have gotten lost in if left on our own. We stopped to see some incredible things you could see nowhere else: A cremation on the Ganges; an underground temple; a rooftop tour of a medieval mosque; and the Ratneshwar Mahadev.
Akash was incredible. He was sharp and attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. We felt like we were in great hands. Sometimes he would get far ahead of us and we would lose sight; but he always found us.
Tushar_P, Dec 2024
I was shown around Varanasi by Vidya Niwas Chaubey and boy oh boy what a gem of a person he was. He went above and beyond for me to show me the streets of Varanasi and the history behind it. He’s truly a humble, honest and hard working man! Would recommend 10/10 if you want to explore the city from a local’s perspective.
Amy_M, Dec 2024
Was such a great tour with Manish! We got to learn a lot from him, he explained a lot of things around Varanasi and answered any questions we had
Dean_G, Nov 2024
Guide: Akash
Highly recommend this tour with Akash or his brother. Akash was an unbelievable guide and provided incredibly in depth and interesting information during the tour. Akash regularly checked in with us on the tour to ensure we were keeping up with what he was sharing, and proved to be incredibly engaging as well in the way he delivered the tour.
Marcos_V, Jul 2024
If only I could 1000 stars for this review. The guide Akash is excellent, such a great guy, his knowledge about Varanasi and all culture is impressing. I highly doubt you could find anyone better in the city. The tour was so amazing, its impossible for a tourist to live this experience by itself alone.
TrishaJane_P, Jun 2024
This walking tour was truly the highlight of our visit to Varanasi! Badal is so kind and knowledgeable! He taught us so much and the tour was really informative. He answered all of our questions and he really knows the ins and outs of Varanasi. Best decision on this trip was to book this tour!! Recommended 100%!! You will not regret!
Thank you Badal for this amazing experience! We will never forget it 😊
Naveena_L, Jun 2024
We did tours in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and this was by far our favorite tour. Vidya was passionate about sharing his culture and traditions with us. It was a beautiful, spiritual, immersive experience. He was a very gracious guide and we feel so lucky to have had him! If you are coming to Varanasi, do yourself a favor and take this tour to really learn about the heart and soul of the city and India.
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Hidden Secrets of Varanasi: Vibrant Tradition (Guided Tour)
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