Terminal of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport

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Varanasi airport lounge: cards accepted, timings, food, taxi faresवाराणसी एयरपोर्ट लाउंज: कौन से कार्ड चलते हैं, समय, खाना, टैक्सी किराया

By Kashidwar · Updated 4 November 2026

Lounge hours05:00–21:00 daily
WherePast security, domestic departures, near Gate 2
Free entryEligible cards: one buffet visit, à la carte extra
To Godowlia (ghats)25–26 km · taxi ₹600–1,000 · 45–75 min
CodeVNS · Babatpur, 26 km north-west of the city
New terminalUnder construction; no opening date

Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) at Babatpur is small: one terminal, one lounge and a handful of food counters. The lounge, Take Off Bar and Lounge, sits past security in domestic departures and works like a restaurant: many Indian credit cards get a free buffet visit there, and the rest of the menu is paid. Here is what to expect, which cards are on the current lounge lists, and how to get from the airport to the ghats.

Varanasi airport lounge: Take Off Bar and Lounge

There is one lounge at Varanasi airport. Priority Pass and the banks' lounge lists call it Take Off Bar and Lounge; the Airports Authority of India lists it as the Executive Lounge on the ground floor of the security hold area, run by Hotel Pradeep of Varanasi. It is airside in domestic departures near Gate 2, so you reach it only after security, and it is open from 05:00 to 21:00 every day.

Open: 05:00–21:00 daily (Priority Pass listing)
Where: airside, domestic departures, ground floor of the security hold area, near Gate 2
You need: an eligible card and a same-day boarding pass
Included: one buffet visit per 24 hours; à la carte and soft drinks extra
International departures: no separate lounge is listed

It is a restaurant-style lounge rather than a quiet business lounge: air conditioning, Wi-Fi, TV screens and flight information, with food served at the tables. A card visit covers one buffet spread within 24 hours; à la carte dishes and soft drinks are charged separately, and seats are first come, first served when it is full.

Sources: [1] · [2] · [7]

Which credit cards work at the Varanasi airport lounge

Take Off Bar is on the current domestic lounge lists we checked: SBI Card's Tata Neu list dated 10 April 2026, IndusInd Bank's lounge programme and DBS Bank's Spark card terms. It is also on Priority Pass, and on the RuPay credit card lounge programme list (the copy we found is from 2024). Lists change every quarter, so open your own card's lounge list or app and look for Varanasi before you fly.

On the April 2026 SBI Tata Neu list: Varanasi, Take Off Bar, main terminal, departure
On IndusInd Bank's lounge programme: Varanasi VNS01, Take Off Bar and Lounge, domestic departure
On Priority Pass: VNS1D, Take Off Bar and Lounge
Check before you go: spend condition, visits left, and whether the app needs a benefit chosen first

Most Indian cards now attach conditions: a minimum spend in the previous month or quarter, a set number of visits, or a benefit you choose in the bank's app before you swipe. RuPay lounges take a small authorisation (₹2 in the programme terms) on the card at the counter. If your card is declined at the desk, you can still order and pay like any restaurant guest.

Sources: [3] · [4] · [5] · [1] · [6] · [15]

Lounge price without a card

Not officially confirmed — check before you travel

We found no walk-in price published by the airport or the lounge. Online pass resellers sell a 3-hour pass for about US$9 (roughly ₹750), and since the lounge works as a restaurant you can also simply order and pay. Ask at the counter for the day's buffet price before you sit down.

Sources: [7] · [1]

Food at Varanasi airport

Besides the lounge, the Airports Authority of India lists about ten food counters, most of them snack bars. Prices are airport prices, so if you have time, eat in the city first. After security there are more choices than in the check-in hall.

Outside the terminal: two snack bars, one of them Banaraswala Snacks Bar
Check-in area: a sweet shop and a convenience store
Past security, ground floor: a food and beverage outlet with a beer bar, a branded food outlet and branded fast food
Past security, first floor: a snack bar and branded fast food
International security hold: a snack bar
Arrival hall: a snack bar and a convenience store

Sources: [2] · [8]

Varanasi airport to the ghats, Cantt station and Sarnath

The airport is at Babatpur, about 26 km north-west of the city on the Lucknow road. A prepaid taxi counter works at the airport round the clock, and app cabs pick up too; fix the fare before you set off. Cars stop at Godowlia Chowk, because the road to Dashashwamedh Ghat is a pedestrian zone for most of the day, so ask for Godowlia, not for the ghat.

Airport → Godowlia (for Dashashwamedh and the Vishwanath Dham): 25–26 km, prepaid taxi or app cab about ₹600–1,000, 45–75 minutes; auto ₹400–600 and slower
Airport → Varanasi Junction (Cantt): about 22 km, 40–60 minutes by taxi
Airport → Sarnath: 25–30 km, auto ₹300–500, 45–75 minutes
Godowlia → Dashashwamedh Ghat: about 500 m on foot

Sources: [13] · [14]

Flights and the new terminal

About 4.3 million passengers used the airport in 2025–26. Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet fly to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and other cities; Delhi is about 1 hour 25 minutes away. International flights are few: Air India Express to Sharjah and Bangkok, and Buddha Air to Kathmandu.

A new terminal of about 75,600 sq m, with 72 check-in counters and eight aerobridges, is under construction. On 24 June 2026 the civil aviation minister asked for it to be finished within six months, but no opening date has been announced. In December and January, fog delays flights: on 6 January 2026, 26 flights at Babatpur were affected, so check your flight status before leaving for the airport.

Sources: [10] · [11] · [12]

Practical tips

Leave the city two to two and a half hours before a domestic flight: the drive alone can take more than an hour at peak times or during festivals. Carry some cash and use UPI: the airport authority's list of conveniences shows only two convenience stores, not ATMs or exchange counters, so withdraw or change money in the city if you need it.

Airport contact (AAI): apdvns@aai.aero · +91-542-2622155
Lounge: one buffet visit per card per 24 hours; keep your boarding pass ready
Festivals (Dev Deepawali, New Year, Maha Shivratri): allow extra time for the road to Babatpur

Sources: [8] · [9]

Frequently asked questions

Is there a lounge at Varanasi airport?

Yes, one: Take Off Bar and Lounge (listed by the airport authority as the Executive Lounge), past security in domestic departures near Gate 2, open 05:00–21:00 daily.

Which cards are accepted at the Varanasi airport lounge?

It is on SBI Card's Tata Neu domestic lounge list (April 2026), IndusInd Bank's lounge programme, DBS Bank's Spark card list, Priority Pass and the RuPay lounge programme. Conditions such as a minimum monthly or quarterly spend vary by card, so check your card's own list before you fly.

Is the Varanasi airport lounge free?

Free for an eligible card: one buffet visit per 24 hours, with à la carte food and soft drinks charged extra. Without a card you pay; resellers sell a 3-hour pass for about US$9, but no official walk-in price is published.

What is the name of Varanasi airport?

Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, code VNS, at Babatpur, about 26 km north-west of the city. Locally it is often called Babatpur airport.

What food is available at Varanasi airport?

About ten counters, mostly snack bars, plus a sweet shop in the check-in area and, past security, branded fast food, a food outlet with a beer bar and the lounge's buffet.

How far is Varanasi airport from Dashashwamedh Ghat?

About 25–26 km to Godowlia Chowk, where cars stop, then about 500 m on foot. A prepaid taxi or app cab costs about ₹600–1,000 and takes 45–75 minutes.