Buddhist Circuit Tour Varanasi to Lucknow 12 Days Sacred Sites

Four sacred sites, one continuous thread: birth, enlightenment, teaching, death

A 12-day guided Buddhist pilgrimage tour starting in Varanasi and ending in Lucknow, visiting Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Kushinagar, Lumbini and other key sites where Buddha lived and taught. The tour includes private transport, an English-speaking guide for all 12 days, 11 nights in 3-star hotels with breakfast, a boat ride on the Ganges, and a tuk-tuk ride through Varanasi. Lunch and dinner are not included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Varanasi temple tour

• Arrive at Varanasi
• Transfer to hotel
• Visit Bharat Mata Mandir, Durga, Tulsi Manas temples
• Visit Sankat Mochan and Vishwanath temples
• Attend Ganga Aarti at Dasaswamedh Ghat
• Overnight at hotel

Day 2: Sarnath Buddhist site visit

• Breakfast at hotel
• Half day tour of Sarnath
• Visit Dharmarajika, Chaukhandi and Dhamek stupas
• See monastery remains and Lion Capital of Ashoka
• Return to hotel
• Overnight stay

Day 3: Travel to Bodhgaya and evening prayer

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Bodhgaya (6-7 hours)
• Check into hotel
• Attend evening prayer at Mahabodhi Temple
• Overnight at hotel

Day 4: Bodhgaya sightseeing tour

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit Great Buddha Statue, Niranjana River, Sujata Temple
• Tour Mahabodhi Temple and Bodhi Tree
• Visit Chinese Temple and school of the destitute
• Return to hotel
• Overnight stay

Day 5: Travel to Rajgir and local sightseeing

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Rajgir (2 hours)
• Check into hotel
• Visit Vishwashanti Stupa via chairlift
• View Jain shrines and Griddhakuta site
• Return to hotel
• Overnight stay

Day 6: Patna city tour

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Patna (80 km)
• Check into hotel
• Visit Golghar, Gandhi Museum, Patna Museum
• See Har Mandir Takht, Qila House or Jalan Museum
• Explore ruins of Pataliputra
• Return to hotel
• Overnight stay

Day 7: Visit Vaishali and Kushinagar

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Vaishali
• Visit Vaishali site
• Continue drive to Kushinagar
• Check into hotel
• Visit Mahaparinirvana Temple and Rambhar Stupa
• Overnight stay

Day 8: Travel to Lumbini and visit birthplace

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Lumbini (5 hours)
• Check into hotel
• Visit Mayadevi Temple
• Overnight stay

Day 9: Kapilavastu childhood home visit

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Kapilavastu
• Visit ruins of palaces
• Overnight stay

Day 10: Sravasti Buddhist sites tour

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Sravasti
• Visit Anand Bodhi tree and Jetavana monastery ruins
• See Sahet Mahet and Angulimal caves
• Overnight stay

Day 11: Travel to Lucknow

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Lucknow (5.5 hours)
• Check into hotel
• Overnight stay

Day 12: Lucknow city tour and departure

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit Imambara and Rumi Darwaza
• Visit other historical monuments
• Transfer to airport
• Depart for onward journey

The experience

How do you move through a religion's geography without losing the thread? This tour builds itself around the four turning points of Buddha's life (birth in Lumbini, enlightenment in Bodhgaya, teaching in Sarnath and Sravasti, death in Kushinagar), so each stop answers a question the last one raised. You travel by private air-conditioned vehicle with the same English-speaking guide for all 12 days, which means someone who knows the sites can explain what you're standing in front of instead of reading from a script.

The first days anchor you in Varanasi. A morning boat ride on the Ganges comes before the temples, so you see the river's role in the city before you see the shrines. Sarnath sits 10 km away: the Dhamekh Stupa, the Chaukhandi Stupa, the Archaeological Museum and the Lion Capital of Ashoka are all there, marking the spot where Buddha preached his first sermon in the Deer Park. Then you drive six to seven hours south to Bodhgaya, where the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi Tree stand at the place of enlightenment. A full day there lets you visit the Great Buddha Statue, the Chinese Temple and the Niranjana River without rushing.

The middle section moves through Rajgir and Patna toward Kushinagar. Rajgir holds the Vishwashanti Stupa on Ratnagiri Hill, accessible by chairlift, with Buddha statues at four stages of his life carved into the stone. Patna's museums and ruins of Pataliputra fill a day. Then comes the long drive to Kushinagar, where the Mahaparinirvana Temple marks where Buddha died and the Rambhar Stupa is his cremation site. The final stretch takes you to Lumbini in Nepal, Buddha's birthplace, and then to Kapilavastu and Sravasti before the tour ends in Lucknow. Breakfast is included each morning. You arrange lunch and dinner yourself.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned transport for all 12 days.
• English-speaking guide throughout the tour.
• 11 nights in 3-star hotels with breakfast included.
• boat ride on the Ganges in Varanasi.
• tuk-tuk ride through Varanasi.
• entry to temples, stupas and museums at each site.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 05:00, the last at 21:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 12 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessiblePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Varanasi Excursion

Is this one for you?The fixed 12-day route and single guide mean you move through the four sacred sites in sequence without building the itinerary yourself: each day answers the last one, and someone who knows the sites explains what you're seeing instead of you piecing it together from a map.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3).

What does the morning boat ride on the Ganges in Varanasi actually show you?

The boat ride on the Ganges comes early in the tour and lets you see the river's role in Varanasi's religious life before you visit the temples: the ghats, the ritual bathing and the city's relationship to the water itself.

How long is the drive from Varanasi to Bodhgaya?

The drive from Varanasi to Bodhgaya is about 247 kilometers and takes six to seven hours by private air-conditioned vehicle.

What can you see at the Vishwashanti Stupa in Rajgir?

The Vishwashanti Stupa sits on Ratnagiri Hill and holds statues of Buddha at four stages of his life (birth, enlightenment, teaching and death), and can be reached by chairlift from the base of the hill.

Does the tour include meals beyond breakfast?

Breakfast is included each morning at the hotel. Lunch and dinner are not included, so you choose where and what to eat during the day.

Is there a guide with you the whole time, or does it change between cities?

The same English-speaking private guide stays with you for all 12 days, so you have one person who knows the sites and can answer questions as you move from place to place.

What happens on the last day in Lucknow?

The final morning includes a city tour of Lucknow covering the Imambara, Rumi Darwaza and other historical monuments, then transfer to the airport for your onward flight.