A boatman rows a wooden boat across the Ganga at Varanasi, with other boats on the river in morning light

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Boat ride in Varanasi: price per person, timings, routes and ghatsबनारस में नाव की सवारी: किराया, समय, रास्ता और कहां से बैठें

By Kashidwar · Updated 12 October 2026

Official fare₹345 per person, Assi–Namo round trip
Shared seat₹80–150 sunrise · ₹200–300 aarti (approx.)
Private boatRowboat ~₹400/hr · motorboat ₹3,500–4,500
Where to boardAssi (sunrise) · Dashashwamedh (aarti) · Namo
Night limitNo boats after 20:30
Right nowMotorboats only, 06:00–17:00 (order of 9 Oct 2026)

A boat on the Ganga is the clearest way to see Varanasi's 84 ghats, from Assi in the south to Raj Ghat and Namo Ghat in the north. This guide gives the official per-person fares, what boats charge at sunrise and at the evening aarti, where to board, and the rules on timings, life jackets and the monsoon. As of 12 October 2026, only motorboats are running, between 06:00 and 17:00.

Boat ride price in Varanasi: official fares and what boats charge

Varanasi Municipal Corporation fixed per-person boat fares in June 2023 after talks with the boatmen's associations, and repeated the main one in January 2025: ₹345 per person for an Assi–Namo Ghat round trip. Rate boards are meant to be displayed at the major ghats; complaints go to the Kashi Integrated Command and Control Centre helpline, 1533.

Official, Assi–Namo Ghat round trip: ₹345 per person
Official, Harishchandra–Manikarnika round trip: ₹125 per person
Official, Ganga Dwar (Lalita Ghat) to Assi or Namo, round trip: ₹175 per person
Official, motorboat for aarti viewing, 2 hours: ₹175 per person
Shared seat: about ₹80–150 at sunrise, ₹200–300 at the aarti (approximate)
Private rowboat: about ₹400 an hour; agencies ₹1,800 for 1.5 hours, up to 4 (approximate)
Private motorboat, up to 10: about ₹3,500 morning, ₹4,500 evening (approximate)

In practice most rides are negotiated on the ghat. Travel-site figures below are approximate. On festival nights prices jump: on New Year's Eve 2024, Amar Ujala found ₹1,000 charged for a ₹200 ride, and no rate boards on display.

Sources: [1] · [2] · [3] · [4] · [5] · [6] · [7]

Sunrise boat ride

The sunrise ride is the classic Varanasi boat trip. The river is calm, the sun rises over the far bank and lights the ghats, and the steps fill with bathers and people at prayer. A shared seat costs about half the evening price.

Most rides leave Assi Ghat and go north to Manikarnika and back in about 1.5 hours. Agree the reporting time the evening before. At Assi, the free Subah-e-Banaras programme of chanting, aarti and music starts before dawn.

Current status: under the order of 9 October 2026, only large motorboats may run, from 06:00 to 17:00 with half their rated passengers. Rowing boats remain suspended, so for now a sunrise ride means a motorboat leaving at 06:00 or later.

Sources: [5] · [6] · [27] · [9] · [10]

Ganga Aarti boat ride

In the evening, boats gather in front of Dashashwamedh and Rajendra Prasad Ghats and hold position facing the aarti platforms. One 2026 guide gives the start as about 17:45 in winter and 18:45 in summer. Shared seats cost about ₹200–300 per person, a private rowboat about ₹2,500 for up to four through an agency (approximate); the official 2023 list sets ₹175 per person for two hours on a motorboat.

Board 45 to 60 minutes early for a place near the front, and confirm that the boat stays until the aarti ends. All boats must be off the river by 20:30.

Current status: the 9 October 2026 order allows motorboats only until 17:00 and keeps rowing boats suspended, so evening aarti boats are not running until a fresh order. Watch from the ghat steps, which is free.

Sources: [5] · [7] · [2] · [8] · [9] · [10]

Route and what you see

Varanasi's 84 ghats line the west bank of the Ganga from Assi in the south to Adi Keshava, beyond Raj Ghat, in the north. The standard rowing-boat ride is Assi to Manikarnika and back, about 1.5 hours. Motorboats continue to Panchganga, Raj Ghat and Namo Ghat.

Going north from Assi you pass Tulsi, Chet Singh with its fort walls, Harishchandra, the southern cremation ghat, Kedar, Dashashwamedh, Rajendra Prasad, Man Mandir and Lalita Ghat, the Ganga Dwar of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Then come Manikarnika, Scindia with the leaning Ratneshwar Mahadev temple, and Panchganga.

Sources: [21] · [6] · [5] · [2] · [3]

Where to board

Choose the ghat by the ride you want. Fares are similar along the river; what changes is the crowd and the direction you travel.

Assi Ghat: southern end; the usual start for sunrise rides, calmer than the centre.
Dashashwamedh and Rajendra Prasad Ghats: the centre, a short walk from Godowlia; the main point for aarti boats, and the busiest for touts.
Namo Ghat: northern end, reached by road, with a jetty and the first floating CNG station. Aarti boats from here are listed at ₹500–5,000 by type (approximate).
Raj Ghat: beside Namo Ghat, near the Malviya bridge.
Ravidas Ghat: south of Assi near Lanka; Alaknanda cruise boarding and the second floating CNG station.

Sources: [21] · [5] · [6] · [23] · [17] · [18] · [20]

Rules: the 20:30 limit, monsoon suspension and life jackets

Night limit. Since May 2024 the Varanasi Water Police, with the boatmen's agreement, have prohibited boating after 20:30. A boat found later can be seized, its licence cancelled and an FIR filed. We found no order lifting the limit.

No boating after 20:30 (Water Police, May 2024)
From 9 October 2026: motorboats only, 06:00–17:00, half capacity
Life jacket on before the boat leaves; no overloaded boats
Emergency 112; helpline 1533

Monsoon. From about July to September the Ganga rises over the lower steps; at the Rajghat gauge the warning level is 70.262 m and the danger level 71.262 m. In 2026 all boats were stopped on 30 July for high wind, restarted on 14 August and halted again on 16 and 22 August; on 3 September the river was above the warning level. On 9 October the ACP Dashashwamedh allowed large motorboats from 06:00 to 17:00 at half capacity, with two trained swimmers aboard. Rowing boats stay suspended until a further order.

Life jackets. Every passenger must wear one, and a boat may carry only as many people as its licensed capacity and life jackets allow. In May 2026 police said more than 60 boats had been seized for safety violations; in June the administration began issuing jackets to registered boats by approved capacity, and boats now need a ready-to-move fitness certificate.

Sources: [8] · [14] · [16] · [25] · [26] · [15] · [9] · [10] · [11] · [12] · [13] · [24] · [3]

Dev Deepawali boats and Ganga cruises

Not officially confirmed — check before you travel

Dev Deepawali falls on 24 November 2026. On 10 October Amar Ujala reported the large cruises already sold out for the night: the 60-seat Alaknanda went to a foreign group for ₹5 lakh, and the 100-seat Sam Manekshaw at ₹15,000 per passenger. Bajras, the large traditional boats, were quoted at ₹15,000 to ₹2 lakh, shared boat tours at ₹5,000 per person and whole boats up to ₹1 lakh. There is no official fare for the night.

Book weeks ahead through your hotel or a registered boatman, and get the boat type, boarding ghat, times and route in writing. The reported cruise slot that night is 17:30 to 21:30, past the usual 20:30 limit, so ask what is permitted.

On ordinary days the Alaknanda, run by Nordic Cruise Line, is listed with 09:00 and 17:30 sailings of about 1.5 hours from Ravidas Ghat, from ₹1,000 per person. This is from a February 2025 listing and not confirmed for this season; check with the operator.

Sources: [19] · [20] · [8] · [9]

Cremation ghats, etiquette and touts

Manikarnika and Harishchandra are cremation ghats, where cremations continue day and night. From a boat you see them at a respectful distance. Do not photograph or film the pyres or mourners; it hurts families and leads to confrontation. Keep your voice low and do not eat or smoke as you pass. Requests for a donation for wood come from self-appointed guides and are optional.

Touts work Dashashwamedh and the lanes to it. Speak to a boatman at the water's edge and agree the price, per person or for the whole boat, the duration, the route and, in the evening, whether the boat stays through the aarti. Check the life jackets, pay at the end, and call 1533 if you are overcharged.

Sources: [22] · [4] · [3]

Frequently asked questions

How much is a boat ride in Varanasi per person?

The municipal fare for a round trip between Assi and Namo Ghat is ₹345 per person. On the ghats, a shared seat costs about ₹80–150 at sunrise and ₹200–300 at the evening aarti, and a private rowboat about ₹400 an hour (approximate). Agree the price before you board.

What is the best time for a boat ride in Varanasi?

Sunrise, from October to March. The river is calm, the ghats are busy with morning rituals, and fares are lower than in the evening. From July to September boats are often suspended for high water.

Can I watch the Ganga Aarti from a boat?

Usually yes: boats moor in front of Dashashwamedh before the aarti. As of 12 October 2026, motorboats may run only until 17:00 and rowing boats are suspended, so evening aarti boats are not running until a new order is issued.

Motor boat or rowing boat: which should I take?

A rowing boat is quieter and slower, and covers Assi to Manikarnika and back in about 1.5 hours. A motorboat covers the full Assi–Namo crescent and suits groups of up to about 10. Most motorboats in Varanasi now run on CNG.

Can boats go out after dark?

Only until 20:30. Since May 2024 the Water Police have prohibited boating after 20:30; a boat found on the river later can be seized and its licence cancelled.

Do boats run in the monsoon?

Often not. The administration suspends all boats when the Ganga rises or winds are high, as it did several times between late July and September 2026. Rides restart in stages after a fresh order.

How do I book a boat for Dev Deepawali?

Book weeks ahead through your hotel or a registered boatman. For 24 November 2026, the large cruises were sold out by 10 October, bajras were quoted at ₹15,000 to ₹2 lakh and shared boat tours at about ₹5,000 per person.