Varanasi from Shimla
in March 2027
4.5 hrs by road (Shimla → Haridwar) · from ₹9,500/person
📲 Get Shimla Quote on WhatsApp📅 March 2027 — What to Expect
- ✦Holi at Varanasi — colour celebrations in narrow galis (lanes) around Kashi Vishwanath
- ✦Holi boat rides on the Ganges while the city celebrates on the ghats
- ✦Traditional Holi sweets: thandai, gujiya, malpua at old city sweet shops
- ✦Classical music and Hindustani vocal performances in the evening after Holi
- ✦Bonfires at Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats on Holika Dahan night before Holi
Our Varanasi Package from Shimla
Varanasi & Prayagraj Spiritual Tour 3N/4D
All-inclusive Varanasi from Shimla — hotel, meals, AC transport, guide, permits, and Haridwar pickup. Travel in March 2027: Holi festival draws massive crowds · All temples and ghats fully active.
- ✓ AC transport from Shimla or Haridwar pickup
- ✓ All hotels (twin sharing, with meals)
- ✓ Experienced registered guide
- ✓ All pilgrimage permits and entry fees
- ✓ March specific advice & alerts
Free itinerary · No booking fee · Pay after confirmation
How to Reach from Shimla
Your journey starts at Haridwar. Here's how to get there from Shimla.
| Route | Shimla → Delhi → Dehradun (impractical — road preferred) |
| Duration | Road is far better |
| Airlines | Seasonal Shimla flights only |
| Fare | Road: ₹3,000–₹4,000 cab |
| +Transfer | Direct road via Solan–Nahan–Haridwar |
| Train | Kalka–Shimla toy train + Kalka–Haridwar Express |
| From → To | Kalka (KLK) — 90 km from Shimla → Haridwar (HW) |
| Duration | 5–6 hrs from Kalka |
| +Transfer | Direct road via Solan–Nahan–Haridwar |
| Distance | 240 km |
| Drive time | ~4.5 hrs |
| Via | NH-58 / NH-334 |
💡 Pro tip: We arrange airport/station pick-up from Haridwar or Dehradun and get you to the hotel before evening aarti.
Varanasi from Shimla in March — FAQs
Holi week is Varanasi's most intense crowd event. The old city lanes become barely navigable and the ghats are extremely packed. However, the experience is electric and unlike anything else in the world. The key is preparation: book a riverside guesthouse, hire a local guide for the old city, keep valuables minimal (colour stains everything), wear old clothes, and embrace the chaos. The boat ride on Holi day (watching the ghats from the river while colour fills the air) is worth every rupee.
Holika Dahan is the bonfire night before Holi — celebrating the burning of the demoness Holika. In Varanasi, the most significant Holika Dahan is at the Harishchandra burning ghat, where the sacred fire that has been burning continuously for centuries is used to light the Holika pyre. Smaller bonfires are lit at every neighbourhood crossroads from 9 PM onwards. Attending Holika Dahan in Varanasi is a deeply atmospheric, pre-Holi spiritual experience.
Yes — a boat ride on the Ganges during Holi day keeps you at a distance while you watch the celebrations on the ghats. The boat operators are not affected by colour play on the water. Alternatively, guesthouse rooftops provide excellent viewpoints. If you are in the narrow lanes, colour application is expected and largely unavoidable — wear old clothes and carry a waterproof bag for your phone. Most vendors stop colour play by noon.
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Ready to plan your Varanasi from Shimla in March?
Haridwar-based team — arranging pilgrimages & treks since 2017.