What is it?

Varanasi — also called Kashi or Benares — is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, a place Hindus believe was founded by Shiva himself and where dying grants liberation from the endless cycle of rebirth. Life here unfolds along a three-mile crescent of stone steps, the ghats, that tumble down to the Ganges: pilgrims bathe at sunrise, widows in white murmur prayers, wrestlers train in dusty akharas, and barbers shave the heads of mourners. At Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats, funeral pyres burn day and night in full public view, smoke curling over the river in a matter-of-fact confrontation with mortality that few visitors ever forget. Come evening, the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat erupts into spectacle — brass lamps swung in unison, drums, conch shells, bells and thousands of floating diyas drifting downstream like stars. Behind the ghats lies a labyrinth of galis so narrow that cows block traffic, where silk shops, sweet stalls, marigold garlands, sadhus and the scent of sandalwood and incense compress centuries into a single overwhelming sensory rush.

Where is it?

Varanasi sits on the western bank of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, roughly 800km southeast of Delhi and easily reached by domestic flight, overnight train or the Golden Triangle circuit. The essentials are Dashashwamedh Ghat for the evening aarti, Assi Ghat for sunrise yoga and boat rides, Manikarnika for the cremation grounds, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and a short trip to Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. Visit between October and March for cool, clear weather — Dev Deepawali in November, when the entire ghat-line is lit by a million oil lamps, is the most magical night of the year, while summer temperatures can exceed 45°C.

What makes it worth it?

Varanasi is not a comfortable city, and that is exactly the point — it strips away the polished travel experience and hands you life and death, side by side, without apology. Travellers routinely describe the pre-dawn boat ride as the single most moving hour of their lives: mist on the water, temple bells, the first orange light hitting a thousand years of crumbling palaces and stairways. Watching a family carry a shrouded body to the pyre while children fly kites overhead and chai sellers call out their trade rearranges something in you; many say they left with less fear of dying and more urgency about living. "You don't visit Varanasi, it visits you" is a sentiment repeated again and again by people who arrived planning two nights and stayed a week. Years later you'll remember the smell of incense and woodsmoke, the sound of the aarti bells, and the sight of a tiny leaf-boat of flowers and flame carrying your own wish out into the dark river.

How accessible is it?

Varanasi is easy and cheap to reach: daily flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Kathmandu land at Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, and frequent trains connect from Delhi, Agra, Kolkata and Lucknow. Accommodation ranges from £8–15 per night in ghat-side guesthouses to £100+ at heritage hotels like BrijRama Palace; a shared sunrise boat costs around £2–5 per person, a private one £8–15, and a good local guide roughly £15–25 for half a day. Physically it's undemanding, though the ghats involve many steps and the old-city lanes are narrow, uneven and not wheelchair-friendly; expect crowds, persistent touts, cows and motorbikes in tight spaces. Most nationalities need an Indian e-visa (apply online, around $25–40, a few days' processing), and dressing modestly plus never photographing cremations without permission are non-negotiable courtesies. Millions of pilgrims and hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors come each year, so guides, boats and tours are simple to arrange on arrival — but book hotels well ahead for Dev Deepawali and major festivals.