Golden Triangle Tour with Varanasi Spiritual Journey 7D/6N in Delhi

Seven days, and the last two are the reason

The Golden Triangle takes four days here, unhurried. Then the train east to Varanasi, which is not like anywhere else in the itinerary or in India.

Days 1–2: Delhi

Arrival and transfer, with the evening free.

Then Red Fort, Jama Masjid and a rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk; Raj Ghat, where Gandhi was cremated in 1948; India Gate, Parliament House and Qutub Minar with its 1,600-year-old unrusted iron pillar.

Days 3–4: Agra and Jaipur

The Taj Mahal, best at sunrise, and Agra Fort with the tower where Shah Jahan died a prisoner of his own son. Fatehpur Sikri on the road west, then Amber Fort, the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and the Hawa Mahal.

Days 5–7: Varanasi

The train east — included in every option.

A dawn boat along the ghats is the central experience. The whole waterfront turns to face the sunrise while thousands bathe, wash clothes, pray and practise yoga on the steps at once, and the buildings above read as one continuous stone facade from the water, which is how they were built to be seen.

At dusk, the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat: tiered brass lamps, bells, conch shells and incense, performed by priests in exact unison before thousands on the steps and in boats.

At Manikarnika and Harishchandra, the cremation fires burn without interruption, because Hindus hold that dying in Varanasi ends the cycle of rebirth. Photography at the cremation ghats is forbidden, absolutely.

The old-city lanes are too narrow for cars. Kashi Vishwanath, the silk weavers' workshops, and kachori-sabzi standing up for breakfast.

Sarnath, eleven kilometres out, is where the Buddha gave his first sermon after enlightenment.

Three options

Car, guide and train tickets; or the same with three-star or four-star hotels.