Sacred North India — Delhi, Varanasi, Allahabad, Khajuraho & the Himalayan Ganges (Self-Launched)

Land at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and make your own way into the city — the Airport Express Metro Line runs to New Delhi station in ~20 minutes for about £2.20 (or a prepaid taxi/official Uber for £6–10). Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse. Spend the afternoon on a self-guided temple circuit: Bangla Sahib Gurudwara (free, cover your head, and eat at the free langar kitchen), Birla Mandir, and the lotus-shaped Bahá'í House of Worship (Lotus Temple, free, closed Mondays). If time allows, add Swaminarayan Akshardham with its evening water-and-light show — book the £6–7 ticket directly at the gate. Dinner of chole bhature or a thali in Paharganj for £2–3.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£2.20, or prepaid taxi/Uber ~£6–10. Local metro/auto-rickshaw hops £0.30–1.

🛏Paharganj or Karol Bagh budget guesthouse, double room ~£15–20 (e.g. Hotel Namaskar, Smyle Inn)

• →Bangla Sahib Gurudwara (free)
• →Birla Mandir (free)
• →Lotus Temple (free)
• →Akshardham Temple & evening light show (~£6.50, self-booked)

Take an overnight or daytime train from New Delhi to Varanasi Junction (Varanasi Cantt) — book on IRCTC (3AC ≈ £15–20, sleeper ≈ £6–9; trains like the Shiv Ganga Express or the Kashi Vishwanath Express). On arrival, settle into a guesthouse in the old city near the ghats. In the evening, walk to Dashashwamedh Ghat for the free Ganga Aarti ceremony at sunset — arrive 45 min early for a good spot on the steps or watch from a hired rowboat (£3–4). Visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple (free, but phones/cameras and bags must be left behind — use the free lockers) and Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple.

🚌New Delhi → Varanasi train, 3AC ~£15–20 / sleeper ~£6–9. Auto-rickshaw from station to ghats ~£2.

🛏Old-city Varanasi guesthouse near Assi or Dashashwamedh Ghat, ~£12–18 (e.g. Stops Hostel, a ghat-side homestay)

• →Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat (free)
• →Kashi Vishwanath Temple (free)
• →Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple (free)
• →Optional: yoga session at a ghat (£10–25)
• →Optional: sitar recital at a musician's home (£15–30)

Wake before sunrise and take a wooden rowboat on the Ganges at the ghats — go direct with the boatmen at Assi or Dashashwamedh Ghat rather than a group tour, about £3–4 for a shared boat per person or £8–12 privately. Then head to the station and take a train on to Prayagraj (Allahabad) — the journey is around 2–4 hours (chair car/3AC ~£3–6). In Allahabad, visit Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, and take a small boat out to the meeting point (£2–4). Visit Anand Bhawan, the Nehru family home turned museum (£1 entrance).

🚌Sunrise boat on the Ganges ~£3–4. Varanasi → Prayagraj train ~£3–6. Auto-rickshaw to Sangam ~£2.

🛏Civil Lines or near-station hotel in Prayagraj, ~£10–16 (e.g. Hotel Milan, a budget guesthouse)

• →Sunrise Ganges boat ride (~£3–4)
• →Triveni Sangam boat trip (~£2–4)
• →Anand Bhawan museum (~£1)

Journey on to Khajuraho — either a direct train (the Khajuraho–Mahoba/Manikpur route) or train to Satna/Jhansi plus a shared bus; total travel £4–8 and about half a day. In the afternoon, explore the UNESCO-listed Khajuraho Temple Complex on foot. The Western Group, with the Kandariya Mahadeva and Lakshmana temples, is the highlight (£4 for foreign visitors, bookable at the gate). Then cross to the smaller Eastern Group near the old village. In the evening, the Light and Sound Show in the temple complex is a moving narration of the site's history (£4–5, buy at the ticket office).

🚌Prayagraj → Khajuraho train/bus combination ~£4–8. Local cycle-rickshaw/bicycle hire ~£1–3.

🛏Khajuraho village guesthouse or budget hotel, ~£10–16

• →Western Group of Temples (~£4)
• →Eastern Group of Temples (included)
• →Optional: Light & Sound Show (~£4.50)

Stop off at Orchha en route, an atmospheric riverside town of 16th-century palaces and chhatris. Explore the Jahangir Mahal, Raj Mahal and Rai Parveen Mahal — a single combined ticket covers the Orchha monuments at about £2. Get here on a local bus from Khajuraho (~2–3 hours, £2–3) or a shared taxi. Continue to Gwalior by train or bus (£2–4). Gwalior is a manageable, walkable city; watch the town light up over a plate of poha or a state-thali dinner for £2–3.

🚌Khajuraho → Orchha bus ~£2–3; Orchha → Gwalior train/bus ~£2–4. Local auto-rickshaws £1–2.

🛏Gwalior budget hotel near the fort or station, ~£11–17

• →Orchha Fort complex — Jahangir Mahal, Raj Mahal, Rai Parveen Mahal (~£2 combined ticket)

Spend the morning at the hilltop Gwalior Fort, walking up (or taking a shared auto to the top) to the Man Mandir Palace, the Saas-Bahu Temples and the Jain rock-cut cave temples — entry is around £2–3. After lunch, take a train to Agra (the fast Shatabdi or Gwalior–Agra Intercity, about 1.5 hours, £2–5). Check into a guesthouse in the Taj Ganj area, ideally with a rooftop that frames the Taj Mahal. Evening: pick one of the classic add-ons self-booked — a veg cooking class and dinner (£8–12), an old-city food walk (£10–15), the Kalakriti 'Mohabbat the Taj' show (£10–15), or a 1-hour ayurvedic massage (£10–15).

🚌Gwalior → Agra train ~£2–5. Auto to fort and around town ~£2–4.

🛏Taj Ganj or Fatehabad Road guesthouse, ~£12–20 (e.g. Hotel Kamal, Joey's Hostel)

• →Gwalior Fort & Man Mandir Palace (~£2.50)
• →Saas-Bahu Temples & Jain Cave Temples (included)
• →Optional: cooking class (~£10), food walk (~£12), or Taj show (~£12)

Beat the crowds at sunrise for the Taj Mahal — the earlier you're in the much calmer it is (foreigner ticket ~£11, buy online via the ASI portal and don't queue at the gate). Then take a self-booked or local-guide tour of Agra Fort, the UNESCO red-sandstone Mughal stronghold (£5.50). Push on to Mathura (train or bus, ~1.5–2.5 hours, £2–4). In Krishna's birthplace, visit Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, Shree Dwarkadheesh Temple, and the sprawling ISKCON Krishna Balaram Mandir (all free, though Janmabhoomi tickets/precautions apply). Base yourself in nearby Vrindavan or Mathura for the night.

🚌Agra → Mathura train/bus ~£2–4. Auto-rickshaws around Mathura ~£1–3.

🛏Mathura or Vrindavan budget hotel/dharam guesthouse, ~£10–16

• →Sunrise Taj Mahal (~£11)
• →Agra Fort with local guide (~£5.50 entry + £5 guide)
• →Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, Dwarkadheesh Temple, ISKCON Temple (free)

Travel north to Haridwar by train (via Delhi or a direct connection, roughly 5–7 hours total, 3AC £6–10). Haridwar is where the Ganges leaves the mountains and enters the plains, one of the seven holiest Hindu cities. In the evening, join the spectacular Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri — free, but arrive early to sit close to the river. Eat at a pure-veg dhaba: aloo puri or a thali for £1.50–3, and try hot jalebi and rabri from a stall.

🚌Mathura → Haridwar train(s) ~£6–10. Cycle-rickshaw around town ~£1–2.

🛏Haridwar guesthouse near Har Ki Pauri or the station, ~£10–16 (e.g. a Ganga-view budget hotel)

• →Ganga Aarti at Haridwar Ghat / Har Ki Pauri (free)

Take the ropeway (udankhatola) up to both Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi temples — each round trip is about £1.50–2.50, with a short uphill walk from the base stations. Afterward, take a short train, bus or shared taxi the 25 km to Rishikesh (30–60 minutes, £1–2). Check into a riverside guesthouse or hostel around Laxman Jhula, Tapovan or Ram Jhula. Spend the afternoon walking the banks, crossing the suspension bridges, and finding a café overlooking the Ganges.

🚌Mansa Devi + Chandi Devi cable cars ~£3–5 combined. Haridwar → Rishikesh train/bus/shared taxi ~£1–2.

🛏Rishikesh hostel or riverside guesthouse, ~£8–16 (e.g. Zostel Rishikesh, a Tapovan guesthouse)

• →Mansa Devi Temple by ropeway
• →Chandi Devi Temple by ropeway
• →Rickshaw ride through Haridwar (~£1.50)

A full Rishikesh day. Walk across Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula, the two famous iron suspension bridges, and the riverside ashrams around them — the Beatles Ashram (Chaurasi Kutia) is a quirky, graffiti-covered stop (£3–4 entry). Drop into a drop-in yoga class at one of the ashrams or studios (£3–8 for a group session). In the evening, head to Triveni Ghat for the Ganga Aarti, smaller and more intimate than Haridwar's but just as atmospheric, and completely free. Optional extra: a white-water rafting stretch on the Ganges (self-booked via a local operator, £10–18) — check the season and the operator's safety record.

🚌Local auto-rickshaw/bike-taxi between ghats and bridges £0.50–2; much is walkable along the river.

🛏Rishikesh hostel or riverside guesthouse, ~£8–16

• →Lakshman Jhula & Ram Jhula (free)
• →Beatles Ashram (~£3.50)
• →Drop-in yoga class (~£4)
• →Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat (free)
• →Optional: Ganges white-water rafting (~£10–18)

Make your way back to Delhi for your onward flight. Easiest option is a pre-booked shared or private taxi from Rishikesh to Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport (DED, ~45 min, £8–12) for a budget flight to Delhi, or a direct overnight/AC bus or train from Rishikesh/Haridwar to Delhi (bus ~£6–10, train 3AC ~£6–10, 6–7 hours). Allow a generous buffer before your departure — Delhi traffic is notorious. If you have hours to spare, leave bags at a station cloakroom and grab a last masala dosa or butter chicken in Paharganj. Costs listed for this day cover the return transport only.

🚌Rishikesh → Dehradun Airport taxi ~£8–12 + budget flight to Delhi (~£25–45 if booked ahead); or Rishikesh/Haridwar → Delhi AC bus/train ~£6–10.

🛏N/A — depart (or add a budget guesthouse in Paharganj for ~£15 if you have a late flight)

• →Return trip to Delhi
• →Optional last-minute Delhi sightseeing/shopping