Varanasi, India
 

Hi,
I will be going to Varanasi, India this December.
Can anyone recommend a clean, inexpensive Guesthouse on the Ghats with nice river views?
Also, is 3 full days in Varanasi a good amount of time to see everything?
Thanks!

Three days is a perfect amount of time. Can't recommend accommo as places change and the second of my two visits there is now now almost 10 years ago.

And your inexpensive might be my expensive. How much do you want to spend?

The Rashmi Guesthouse in Varanasi has been talked up a lot in the Asia Forum.

Do a Fodor's search to find details.

Three days is good, although for Varanasi the more the better. I'd recommend a side trip to Sarnath while you're there. Alistair Sawday lists a couple of places - Shiva Ganges View and Ganges View - see www.sawdays.co.uk .

I highly recommend Ganges View. It is beautiful, clean, and the food is excellent. Varanasi is wondeful, have a great trip.

Thank you all very much for your replies. I was thinking of rates at between US$25-50 per night. But I'd be willing to spend a bit more if I had to.

I'll check into all of your recommendations. Thanks again.

I was going to hire a boat ride at the Main Ghat (not sure of the spelling but it starts with a "D"), and then go north. But should we also spend the extra money and time to ride down the south part too (toward Assi Ghat)?

Thanks!!

I stayed at the Alka (members.tripod.com/~hotelalka/index.html) where the best room is $16 (assuming their web site is up to date - I think that's the same price I paid in '01). It certainly wasn't luxurious, in fact basic, but clean and with AC. The view is great, especially if you eat dinner there.

From my TR: "The hotel sits right on the riverbank, at Meer Ghat. My room, and balcony, looked directly onto the ghat and the river. I waited for dinner with a nearly full moon to my left, evening prayers at the main ghat in front of me, and the wide, flat, expanse of the river, bearing the floating flames of votive candles, before, beside and behind me. Magical."

If you take a boat from Main ghat north, you will pass by the cremation ghat and some other spots, then turn back. Good to go at night.

A better boat ride, especially at dawn is to go by rickshaw down to Assi Ghat (30 rupees, about 20 minutes), then hire a boat there to come back up the river.

The sun will be rising in front of you, and you'll sort of work your way up into all the activity. You get less sellers at the southern end to disrupt your peace as well. Go only one way and get off, oherwise it gets pretty hot on the return portion . Ride should be about 150 rupees for an hour. Check your watch and verify the start time with your boat driver!

One thing to beware of is that everyone always gives you the wrong time for sunrise. Go about 1/2 to one hour earlier. YOu don't want to start your ride at sunrise, you want the sun to come up while you are on the river!

I stayed at and really enjoyed the Ganges View; I had a huge room with all the mod cons for a reasonable (but not cheap) sum. My trip report is here if you'd like to check it out:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35147706

It now includes a link to the Ganges View, as I had forgotten it in my initial posting!

Rashmi Guest House is also called Palace on River (not to be confused with Palace on Ganges). It was clean and the hotel rooftop restaurant serviced high quality food at reasonable prices. We stayed in room 303; it has the best view of the river. Ramesh the manager is very accommodating and will help with whatever you need.

Gr8 information... I love to visi every corner of india. I feel varanasi will be my next destination.


RGDS
Aman Garg