Two days in Varanasi: a plan that fits the river's clock

Day 1: arrive, rest, then the aarti

Arrive by midday - Varanasi Junction is about 2 km from the hotel, the airport about 20 km - and check in at noon. Have lunch at Flavours and take the afternoon slowly; the day's main event is after dark.

The evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat starts around 5:45 PM from October to March and around 6:45 PM from April to September, and runs about 45 minutes. Leave the hotel about 90 minutes before the start - around 4:15 PM in winter - to be settled on the steps, or book a boat through the travel desk and watch from the water. After the aarti, eat near the ghats or come back to Shivpur for dinner.

Day 2: the river at dawn

Set the alarm. Sunrise is about 6:35 AM in December and about 5:05 AM in June; leave the hotel roughly an hour and a quarter before it, and be on the water 30 to 45 minutes before the sun. Board at Assi Ghat for the calmer start and the Subah-e-Banaras morning aarti, or at Dashashwamedh for the shortest drive. Ask the travel desk the night before, and they will book both the cab and the boat.

Day 2: darshan while it is quiet

Step off the boat and walk up to Kashi Vishwanath through the corridor that now joins the temple to the river - early morning on a weekday is when the queue is shortest. Leave phones, watches and bags at the hotel or use the cloakroom; they are not allowed inside. If you want the shorter queue, book Sugam Darshan on the temple trust's official site in advance.

Then wander the lanes of the old city for breakfast, and head back to Shivpur by late morning. If your checkout falls on this day, ask the front desk the evening before to hold your bags, or to extend your stay.

Day 2: Sarnath in the afternoon

After lunch and a rest, drive about 5 km to Sarnath: the Dhamek Stupa and ruins are open till sunset and the museum, home of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, till 5 PM. Stay on for the light-and-sound show at the stupa around 6:30 PM if it is running. It is the calmest half-day in the city - a good way to close the trip.

If Day 2 is a Friday, swap it: Sarnath's museum is closed on Fridays, so do Sarnath on the morning of Day 1 instead - it is only 5 km from the hotel - and keep the afternoon of Day 2 for the old city.

If you have a third day

• Assi Ghat in the evening, for its own aarti and a quieter crowd.
• A slow walk along the ghats from Assi to Dashashwamedh in the late afternoon light.
• In the monsoon, when boats may be suspended, trade the river for more of the temples and lanes.