Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj in one trip: the order, the kilometres and the days it really takes

Yes, you can see Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya in one trip, and the easiest way round is Varanasi first, then Prayagraj, then Ayodhya, then back to Varanasi. That loop is about 515 km of driving. We'd give it five days, with one night in Prayagraj and one in Ayodhya, so nobody spends a whole day in the back of a car.

Which order should you do it in?

Start and finish in Varanasi, because that's where the airport and the big trains are. From there we go south-west to Prayagraj first. It's the short leg, about 125 km, so you arrive by lunch and still get the Sangam boat in the afternoon light.

Ayodhya comes next. Prayagraj to Ayodhya is about 170 km, and Ayodhya back to Varanasi is about 220 km. Doing it the other way round works too, but then the long 220 km leg falls on day two, when people are still tired from travelling in.

Can it be done in three days?

Only if you drop something. Three days means either skipping the Prayagraj night and doing the Sangam as a rushed detour, or doing Ayodhya as a 440 km day trip from Varanasi. We run that day trip in our Varanasi and Ayodhya package, and we leave at six in the morning on purpose, because leaving at nine costs you the whole Ayodhya afternoon.

For all three cities, five days is the number we'd honestly suggest. Four can work for a young group that doesn't mind early starts. With grandparents along, please don't try it in four.

What a five-day loop looks like

Day one is Varanasi itself: Kashi Vishwanath in the afternoon, when the queue is usually shorter, and the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh at about quarter past six. Day two starts with a sunrise boat, then the drive to Prayagraj and the Triveni Sangam by boat in the afternoon, with Bade Hanuman and Akshayavat after.

Day three is the drive to Ayodhya, Ram Janmabhoomi darshan in the afternoon and the Saryu aarti at Ram ki Paidi in the evening. On day four we do Hanuman Garhi and Kanak Bhawan early, before the heat, and drive back to Kashi in time for a second aarti. Day five is Sarnath, then the airport or the station.

Our Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya package follows exactly this loop: four nights, five days, from ₹14,999 a person, with the hotels, an AC vehicle throughout, the sunrise boat in Varanasi and the Sangam boat in Prayagraj included.

What isn't included, and why

Temple fees and darshan slots aren't part of any package we sell, ours or anyone's. Kashi Vishwanath's Sugam darshan is booked by you on the temple trust's own site, and Ayodhya's passes are handled by the Ayodhya trust. We plan the day around whatever slot you get, and the driver waits nearby while you're inside.

Lunch and dinner are left out on purpose, too. Prayagraj and Ayodhya both have good places to eat near the temples, and we'd rather you choose than pay for a set thali you didn't want.

When is the best time to go?

October to March is the comfortable season for all three cities. In May and June the afternoons go past 40°C, which makes the long road legs and the open Sangam boat hard going. Ram Navami in spring is the most special time to be in Ayodhya, and also the most crowded, so book the hotels early if your dates fall around it.