Distance: approximately Approximately 755-800 km
One of India's busiest pilgrimage routes, with a genuine choice of transport: an 8-hour Vande Bharat, a range of overnight sleeper trains, direct flights, and a long but straightforward drive down NH-19.
The fastest is the Vande Bharat Express (22436), covering roughly 755 km in about 8 hours, running six days a week with AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car only - no sleeper. Overnight options include the Kashi Vishwanath Express, Shiv Ganga Express and Shramjeevi SF Express, generally taking 11-14 hours depending on the service.
Varanasi has more than one station. Varanasi Junction (BSB), also called Varanasi Cantt, is the main one and about 3 km from the city centre. Banaras (MUV), formerly Manduadih, is less crowded and closer to Assi Ghat - worth checking if BSB is waitlisted, since it holds a separate quota.
Roughly 800 km via NH-19, typically 12-14 hours by car. Volvo AC sleeper buses run from Delhi, usually departing early evening and arriving the following morning. For a journey this long, most travellers find train or flight the better call.
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) at Babatpur is about 26 km northwest of the city. Multiple daily flights from Delhi take roughly 1.5 hours, making this the fastest option overall once airport transfers are counted.
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