Diwali in India 2026: 8-Day Tour of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi (5–12 November)

Arrive in Delhi during the festival week

Your driver meets you at Delhi airport and takes you to your hotel. The city's markets are packed with Diwali shoppers this week, buying sweets, lamps, gifts and new clothes, and many buildings are already strung with lights. Traffic is heavier than usual, so do not be surprised if the drive takes a little longer.

Rest tonight after your flight. Delhi's air is often hazy in early November, so we keep outdoor time in the capital short and plan the sightseeing for the clearer middle of the day. If you are sensitive to pollution, pack a well-fitting mask for the city days.

If you feel like stepping out, a short evening drive through central Delhi shows the festive lights on homes, hotels and shopfronts. For dinner, keep it simple after the journey. You will see boxes of mithai, Indian sweets, everywhere this week; they are given as gifts between families, colleagues and neighbours, and your guide will make sure you try the best of them over the coming days.

• ArrivalMeet and greet at Delhi airport and private transfer
• EveningRest, or a short drive past the festive lights

OvernightDelhi, 1 night.

Dhanteras in Old Delhi, then Agra

Today is Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali, when Indians traditionally buy gold, silver or new kitchen utensils for good luck. Start at Humayun's Tomb, the Mughal garden tomb that inspired the Taj Mahal, finished around 1570 in red sandstone and white marble and set in a formal Persian-style garden divided by water channels.

Then ride a cycle-rickshaw through Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk, where jewellers and sweet shops are mobbed with shoppers. Dariba Kalan, the old silver lane, is at its busiest today, and Kinari Bazaar glitters with tinsel, garlands and decorations. Keep valuables close in the crowds, and let your guide lead the way.

After lunch, drive south to Agra. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so this evening you watch the sun set over it from Mehtab Bagh, the Mughal garden on the far bank of the Yamuna, laid out in line with the Taj itself. It is quieter than the main complex and gives one of the best views of the whole mausoleum reflected in the river.

• MorningHumayun's Tomb and Old Delhi by cycle-rickshaw
• AfternoonDrive to Agra
• SunsetThe Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh

OvernightAgra, 1 night; some Premium hotels have Taj views.

The Taj Mahal at sunrise, then Jaipur

Enter the Taj Mahal with your guide as the gates open, 30 minutes before sunrise, when the marble is softest and the gardens quietest. Built by Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1653 for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, it rewards a close look: the flowers inlaid in semi-precious stone, and the calligraphy that grows larger as it rises so that it reads evenly from below. Bring only a small bag; food, tripods and large bags are not allowed.

After breakfast, explore Agra Fort, the red sandstone citadel of the Mughal emperors, where Shah Jahan spent his last years as a prisoner of his son. Pick up a box of petha, Agra's candied pumpkin sweet, for the road.

Drive west to Jaipur, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri, Emperor Akbar's abandoned 16th-century capital, with its palaces, the great mosque and the white marble tomb of the Sufi saint Salim Chishti. As you arrive in Jaipur, lights are already going up across the old city and in the markets.

• SunriseThe Taj Mahal
• MorningAgra Fort
• AfternoonFatehpur Sikri and the drive to Jaipur

OvernightJaipur, 3 nights.

Diwali night in the Pink City

Visit Amber Fort in the morning, the hilltop palace of the Kachwaha rulers, with its Hall of Mirrors. We take you up by jeep. Many shops close early today as families prepare for Lakshmi Puja, the prayer to the goddess of wealth, performed at dusk. Doorsteps are swept and decorated with rangoli, patterns of coloured powder and flower petals, and marigold garlands hang over doorways.

Rest in the afternoon. After dark, your guide takes you on a drive through the old city, where the bazaars along Johari Bazaar and MI Road are lit with lights from end to end, a Jaipur tradition, and families light rows of clay lamps outside their homes. Wish people a happy Diwali; you will often be offered a sweet in return.

Later, watch the fireworks from your hotel. Some hotels hold their own Diwali celebrations with lamps, rangoli patterns and a festive dinner. Fireworks go on until late and the air gets smoky, so earplugs help. For photographs, a steady hand or a small support for your camera makes the most of the lamplight.

• MorningAmber Fort
• AfternoonRest
• EveningDrive through the lit bazaars, then fireworks from your hotel

OvernightJaipur.

Jaipur's palaces after the festival

Enjoy a slow start after a late night. Today is Govardhan Puja, which remembers the god Krishna lifting Govardhan hill to shelter villagers from a storm. Temples prepare annakut, a mountain of food offerings, and some shops stay shut. If you would like to see it, your guide can take you to the Govind Dev Ji temple, Jaipur's most loved Krishna temple, in the gardens behind the City Palace; it is crowded and joyful at aarti times.

In the afternoon, see the City Palace, still home to the former royal family; the Jantar Mantar observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose giant stone sundial still tells the local time; and the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds, built in 1799 with hundreds of small latticed windows. Your guide can explain the rituals you see in temples and homes.

In the evening, drive up to Nahargarh Fort on the ridge for sunset over the Pink City, with many homes still lit from the night before.

• MorningFree, or the Govind Dev Ji temple
• AfternoonCity Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal
• SunsetOptional Nahargarh Fort viewpoint

OvernightJaipur.

Fly to Varanasi for the evening aarti

Fly to Varanasi, usually with a change in Delhi; the journey takes most of the day. Your Varanasi driver meets you at the airport. Varanasi, also called Kashi or Banaras, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the holiest place in Hinduism, strung along a crescent of more than 80 ghats on the Ganges. Cars cannot reach the riverfront, so the last stretch is on foot or by cycle-rickshaw, with your guide leading the way.

In the evening, watch the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat from a boat on the river, as priests offer fire, flowers and incense to the Ganges to the sound of bells and chanting. The ceremony begins soon after dark and lasts about 45 minutes. Many people float small leaf-boat lamps on the water; you can buy one from the children on the steps.

Afterwards, try a Banarasi lassi served in a clay cup.

• DayFlights from Jaipur to Varanasi
• EveningThe Ganga aarti from a boat

OvernightVaranasi, 2 nights, near the ghats.

Dawn on the ghats and Sarnath

Take a rowing boat at dawn along the ghats, as pilgrims bathe and pray in the river and the sun rises over the far bank. You pass Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation ground, where fires burn day and night; please do not photograph the cremations. Then walk the old city's narrow lanes with your guide, past tiny shrines, silk shops and wandering cows. Breakfast is kachori with spiced potato and hot jalebi, a favourite Banaras start to the day.

In the afternoon, drive to Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon after his enlightenment, to see the Dhamek Stupa, a great brick and stone mound in a quiet park, and the museum with the Lion Capital of Ashoka, carved in the 3rd century BCE and now the national emblem of India. The museum is closed on Fridays, so today suits it well.

Today is Bhai Dooj, the last day of Diwali, when sisters and brothers exchange blessings and gifts.

• DawnRowing boat along the ghats
• MorningOld city lanes
• AfternoonSarnath

OvernightVaranasi.

Fly home

If your flight leaves later in the day, take a last early walk along the ghats, when the river is calm and the city is just waking up.

Transfer to Varanasi airport and fly to Delhi or Mumbai for your international flight home. Allow at least four hours between flights, as domestic delays are common in the festival season. If you would like to stay on, our Pushkar Fair tour starts in Jaipur on 14 November.

• MorningTransfer to Varanasi airport