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Useful tips for Varanasi bus groups with ‘what to see’ and ‘what to do’ items and ‘bus- friendly’ or must see tourist sites in Varanasi. Check our list of attractions before planning your bus tour with a stop or departure in Varanasi. Let us know if your favourite attraction or ‘bus-stop’ is not there and you think we should add it to our list of Varanasi highlights.
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) is located 18kms from Varanasi"s old town and is mainly used by people arriving from domestic cities like Delhi, Agra, and Mumbai. It"s a chaotic place that gives a hint at how crazy Varanasi can be.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second prime minister of India and is a local hero for winning a war against Pakistan. However, in India the airport is more simply known as Varanasi Airport. Landing in Varanasi immediately transports you to the city"s mad world, and it"s not uncommon to see stray cows walking past the airport terminal.
The transfer time to Varanasi depends heavily on the traffic but can easily be up to and over an hour. The price depends heavily on your bargaining skills, especially if you"re organising a transfer on arrival.
Pre arranged airport transfers can be booked with local tour companies. The driver will greet you at the arrivals gate and will help negotiate your path through the incessant flurry of taxi and hotel touts. He"ll almost certainly have an enviable moustache and a load of jokes to help relax you.
These drivers know the short cuts and can help reduce the transfer time in bad traffic. They"ll also give you the local tips about how to battle the monkeys and which scams to be wary of. Our website lists different tour companies that offer this service, including Ganpati Travel, Sankrit Tour Zone on Pared Kothi, and Clean Car Rental. Vehicles will probably be the local Tata variety, but they should be air-conditioned, an essential extra when arriving between March and September. Expect to pay around €15-20. Be sure to compare vehicles offered by filling out the quote request form.
If you booked a coach or minibus in Varanasi it"s common for them to meet you at the airport. After all, they wouldn"t want a tout to potentially steal their customers! This convenience makes it both cheap and efficient to get from the airport to your hotel. Arriving in Varanasi can be intense, so having a local driver and guide to talk you through it helps calm the nerves. Read more about bus or coach with driver rentals in Varanasi.
Travellers organising a car with driver should take advantage of the driver meeting them at the Varanasi airport. Local drivers add a supplement for airport pick-ups so a day"s car with driver hire can cost only a little more than an airport transfer. Plus, it"s good to build a relationship with your driver and get all the local knowledge before you arrive in Varanasi old town. View more Varanasi car with driver rental details here.
Exit the arrivals gate and you"ll be hit by dozens of taxi touts offering cheaper deals than the man stood beside them. Some will get cheeky and start carrying your luggage, knowing you must follow them to their taxi. Others will shout loudly that you"re their customer and nobody else can interfere. Sometimes it"s best to just avoid conversation. Just showing an interest in a taxi will bring another 15 touts in your direction.
There are countless scams regarding Varanasi airport taxi drivers so before you get in take a few minutes to chat with your driver and clearly agree a price (write it down if necessary.) It"s common for you to reach your destination and the driver to add on an extra charge for something ridiculous like "airport waiting charge", "travelling between 3-5pm extra government fee", or "special fare because you are two English passengers arriving from Agra on a Wednesday afternoon." To avoid the touts it"s best to clearly say that you have already pre-booked a taxi, even if you haven"t.
The safer option when arriving is to use the pre paid taxi stand outside the terminal. Even here you will have to bargain and expect a price of €10-20. Pay in advance and get a receipt to take to the driver. Then ignore any suggestion the driver makes about special charges.
They"re offering a cheaper journey in their three wheelers, but how cheap? That depends on your bargaining. Anywhere between €3 – 20 and be warned that local Varanasi residents are amongst the best negotiators in the whole of India. It takes a similar amount of time because while these tuctucs don"t exceed 30kph, then can negotiate tight spaces.
There is a local bus service from the airport that will drop you in Kachahari. From here you can take a tuctuc to your hotel. This will cost less than €1 but taking a local bus in Varanasi is not for the feint hearted. Expect chronic overcrowding and seats that have been torn apart by monkeys.
Want to know more about travel in India? Read more about things to do and see in Varanasi, various travel services in India or ideas for trips and transport in Uttar Pradesh. A relaxing holiday or successful business trip starts at the airport. Start your trip the best way you can by booking the airport transfer of your choice. Just fill out the form to start receiving airport transport quotes for free and discover the benefits of using RentAutobus first hand!
Would you like to organize a bus tour to see all these beautiful highlights? Request quotes and compare the different bus and coach hire companies: