10-Day Buddhist Circuit: Birth to Death Places of Buddha (Self-Launched)

Fly into Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (pre-booked e-Visa required) and take a pre-paid taxi or shared auto to a guesthouse near Assi Ghat or Dashashwamedh (~£3-5, 45 min). After checking in, do a self-guided temple walk visiting Bharat Mata Mandir, Durga Temple, Tulsi Manas Temple and Sankat Mochan; Vishwanath Temple's main sanctum is restricted to Hindus, but you can view the golden spire from the lane outside. In the evening join the free-to-watch Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat (arrive by 17:30 for a step seat; a boat seat for a better view is ~£4). Book a sunrise rowboat for tomorrow morning (~£5-8 for a shared boat, ~£15 private) through your guesthouse.

🚌Airport pre-paid taxi/shared auto ~£4; walking and cycle-rickshaw in the old city (~£1-2)

🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat (double with fan/AC, ~£14)

• →Self-guided old-city temple walk (Bharat Mata Mandir, Durga, Tulsi Manas, Sankat Mochan)
• →Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat
• →Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges (book locally)

Start at 5:30am for the classic sunrise boat ride past the burning ghats to Manikarnika — the best light and the quietest hour. Breakfast back at the guesthouse, then take a local bus or shared auto to Sarnath (10km, ~£0.50-1). At the Deer Park complex, buy the combined Archaeological Survey of India ticket (~£3, covers Dhamek Stupa, Dharmarajika Stupa and monastery remains); Chaukhandi Stupa and the Lion Capital of Ashoka (in the Sarnath Museum, closed Fridays) are nearby. A local ASI-approved guide at the gate costs ~£8-12 for an hour if you want context, or use a free audio guide app. Return to Varanasi for the evening.

🚌Sunrise boat ~£7; local bus/shared auto to Sarnath ~£1 return

🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat (~£14)

• →Sunrise Ganges boat ride
• →Sarnath Deer Park, Dhamek & Dharmarajika Stupas
• →Chaukhandi Stupa and Sarnath Museum (Lion Capital of Ashoka)

Book a morning train from Varanasi to Gaya in advance on IRCTC (Jan Shatabdi or similar, 2-4 hrs, ~£3-6 in sleeper/chair car) — the fastest reliable option versus a 5-6 hour bus. From Gaya station take a shared auto or taxi the final 13km to Bodhgaya (~£2-4). Settle into a guesthouse in the village (many monasteries also rent simple rooms). Spend the late afternoon and evening around the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi Tree — general entry is free, but cameras and phones attract a small fee; evening chanting under the tree is the highlight. Overnight in Bodhgaya.

🚌Varanasi–Gaya train ~£5; shared auto Gaya–Bodhgaya ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or monastery guest room in Bodhgaya (~£12)

• →Mahabodhi Temple and Bodhi Tree
• →Evening prayer and chanting with monks

Leave bags at the guesthouse and take a shared taxi or local bus from Bodhgaya to Rajgir (~2 hrs, ~£2-3). In Rajgir hire a cycle-rickshaw or shared auto for a half-day loop to Gridhakuta Hill (Vulture's Peak — either a 45-min walk up or the ropeway, ~£1), Bimbisara's Jail and the Saptaparni Caves (~£4 for the rickshaw). Continue 12km to Nalanda to walk the vast university ruins (ASI ticket ~£3, closed Fridays). From Nalanda/Rajgir take a local bus to Bihar Sharif then a train or bus to Patna (~3-4 hrs, ~£3-5). It's a long day — if you prefer, sleep in Rajgir and shift Patna to the morning.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Bodhgaya–Rajgir ~£3; rickshaw loop ~£4; bus/train to Patna ~£4

🛏Budget hotel near Patna Junction (~£14)

• →Vulture's Peak (Gridhakuta Hill) hike or ropeway
• →Bimbisara Jail and Saptaparni Caves
• →Nalanda University ruins

Take a morning local bus or shared taxi from Patna to Vaishali (55km, ~1.5 hrs, ~£1.50-2.50) — the Ashokan Lion Pillar, the Relic Stupa and the peaceful ruins are free or nominally ticketed. Continue onward by bus to Muzaffarpur or Chhapra and connect to Kushinagar (total 5-7 hrs, ~£5-7); the last stretch is slow, so start early. In Kushinagar check into a guesthouse near the Mahaparinirvana Temple and visit the reclining Buddha statue and the Rambhar Stupa (cremation site) before dusk.

🚌Patna–Vaishali bus ~£2; Vaishali–Kushinagar buses/connections ~£6

🛏Guesthouse near Mahaparinirvana Temple (~£13)

• →Vaishali Ashokan pillar and Relic Stupa
• →Mahaparinirvana Temple reclining Buddha
• →Rambhar Stupa

Take a shared jeep or local bus from Kushinagar to Sunauli/Belahiya border (~2 hrs, ~£2-3), walk across the border (free for most nationalities on arrival, but check current Nepali visa-on-arrival fees — commonly ~£25-30 for 15 days), then a rickshaw or bus to Lumbini (~22km, ~£2-3). Rent a bicycle inside the Lumbini Development Zone (~£2/day) to reach the Mayadevi Temple (entry ~£3 for foreigners), the marker stone of Buddha's birth, the Ashoka Pillar and the sacred pond. Spend the evening walking the various national monasteries — Korean, Thai, German — all free to enter.

🚌Shared jeep to border ~£3; border transfer to Lumbini ~£3; bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Lumbini (~£11)

• →Mayadevi Temple and Ashoka Pillar
• →Bicycle tour of the Lumbini monastic zone

Cycle or take a tuk-tuk back to the border, cross into India, and take a bus to Gorakhpur (~3 hrs, ~£3) and onward to Balrampur/Sravasti (~3-4 hrs, ~£3-4). Alternatively, take the overnight/intercity train from Gorakhpur toward Gonda and a shared auto onward. In Sravasti, hire a local auto (~£5) to cover Jetavana monastery ruins, the Anand Bodhi Tree, Sahet Mahet and the Angulimala caves — all clustered around a quiet archaeological site with an ASI ticket of ~£3 (closed Fridays). Sunset over the ruins is the best moment.

🚌Lumbini–border ~£2; bus to Gorakhpur ~£3; bus to Sravasti ~£4; local auto ~£5

🛏Guesthouse or dharamshala in Sravasti (~£10)

• →Jetavana Monastery ruins and Anand Bodhi Tree
• →Sahet Mahet stupas
• →Angulimala caves

Take a shared auto or bus from Sravasti to Balrampur station and a train to Lucknow (3-4 hrs, ~£2-4). Spend a few hours in Lucknow — the Bara Imambara (entry ~£3, closed on certain days) and a plate of galouti kebabs in Aminabad — then take an evening Shatabdi or overnight train to New Delhi (Lucknow–NDLS ~6-8 hrs, ~£7-12). Book this leg early on IRCTC as it sells out. Note the operator's own version expects you to self-book a Lucknow–Delhi flight; the train is dramatically cheaper.

🚌Sravasti–Balrampur shared auto ~£2; train to Lucknow ~£3; Lucknow–Delhi train ~£10

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Paharganj/Karol Bagh, Delhi (~£15)

• →Lucknow Bara Imambara and Aminabad food stop

Use the Delhi Metro (day card ~£2) plus a cycle-rickshaw in Chandni Chowk (~£1-2). Start at Jama Masjid (free, ~£1 camera), wander Chandni Chowk's spice lanes, then Red Fort (ASI ticket ~£4, closed Mondays) and Rajghat (free). After lunch head south by metro to Humayun's Tomb (~£4) and drive-past Rashtrapati Bhawan and India Gate, finishing at Qutub Minar (~£4). Buying the ASI combined ticket or paying individually works out similar — budget ~£8-10 total in entrance fees. Many sites are free for children under 15.

🚌Delhi Metro day card ~£2; cycle-rickshaw ~£2; auto between monuments ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Paharganj/Karol Bagh (~£15)

• →Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk walk
• →Red Fort and Rajghat
• →Humayun's Tomb, India Gate, Qutub Minar

Take the Delhi Metro Airport Express from New Delhi station to IGI Airport (~£2, 20 min) or a pre-paid taxi (~£5-7) with plenty of buffer. If your flight is late, the National Museum (closed Mondays) or Lodhi Garden make a good final morning. Buy a local SIM/eSIM for data on day 1 — it makes booking trains, autos and tickets on the go far easier.

🚌Airport Express ~£2

🛏—

• →Free morning at Lodhi Garden or National Museum (optional)