Hidden Alleys and Markets of the Old City

Highlights

• Shrines tourists never find, in the narrow lanes behind the ghats
• Thatheri Bazaar, where brass and copper are hammered by hand
• The flower and spice markets of Chowk
• Kachori Gali, the street of the city’s breakfast

What you will do

The real Varanasi lives in the galis, the narrow lanes behind the river. We pass shrines tourists never find, small workshops, and chai wallahs who have stood in the same spot for forty years. Shiva tells you what you are looking at and who lives behind each door, at your pace.

How the time goes

1. StartPickup at your hotel
2. +20 minInto the lanes near the river, neighbourhood shrines
3. +1 hChowk markets: flowers, spices, cloth
4. +2 hThatheri Bazaar and Kachori Gali
5. +3 hBack to your hotel

Meeting point

Shiva picks you up at your hotel or guesthouse in Varanasi. Staying near the ghats, where cars cannot go? He meets you at the nearest landmark.

Good to know

• Lanes are uneven and busy, with cows and scooters: wear closed shoes.
• Shoulders and knees covered if you want to step into shrines.

Best for

Curious walkers, photographers, anyone who wants to understand how the city lives.

Meals and tips

Meals are never included, unless the page says so. Shiva can suggest where to eat, and you pay at the stall or restaurant.

Tips are optional. If a tip is useful, Shiva tells you where, how, when and how much, and only then. Nothing else is extra: everything not listed above is included in the price.