Patna-Patna-Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Nalanda-Pawapuri-Patna

I am planning to visit these places by a cab starting from Patna. Is it possible to cover it all in a day? I would like to start around 4 AM from Patna.
Is barabar caves worth visiting?
Please suggest best routes to travel these places. If not feasible in a day, I may consider to make it 2 days.

Thanks in adv.

If wished, you may revert it: Patna - Pawapuri - Nalanda - Rajgir - Bodhgaya - Patna.
I would have preferred morning start from Bodhgaya after darshan & taking blessing at Bodhgaya temples.

I seriously doubt you can do it in a day. Even the second itinerary proposed by Prakaant, i.e. starting at Bodhgaya after spending the night there and then visiting Rajgir, Nalanda and Pawapuri before heading for Patna is only feasible if you just want to "tick off" each of these places and not really see anything there. If you want to visit the Barabar Caves too and get the authentic Adela Quested experience then I should recommend something like this:

1st day: Patna - Pawapuri - Nalanda - Rajgir

2nd day: Rajgir - Bodhgaya - Barabar Caves - Patna

Thanks Golghar! for correcting me. But I did not want him to travel on Patna - Gaya Road so early as it could be risky for him on the route. hence suggested Via Nalanda and Rajgir.
I would have preferred morning start from Bodhgaya after darshan & taking blessing at Bodhgaya temples and returning directly to Patna via Jehanabad and Masaurhi.
Yes, it is a wonderful option of night staying at Rajgir But I do not know what are options there for night stay.
He could take train also on the route.
Please guide accordingly!

Thanks a lot for quick response.
Which is a good place to stay in night bodhgaya or rajgir? It seems difficult to make it in a day so I am thinking of two day trip now. Should I book a cab for two days or use train? I think in any case I will have to book a cab for rajgir-nalanda-bodhgaya. Please suggest what should be best option for a two day trip.
Thanks again. You guys are awesome

There are train services on the Patna-Rajgir-Patna and Patna-Gaya-Patna routes. There are stations "Pawapuri Road" and "Nalanda" on the Patna-Rajgir route but neither is really close to the place each is named after. The Barabar Caves are closest to Bela railway station on the Patna-Gaya line. Unless you are a train-buff you will be better off with a car and driver.

@Prakaant
What do you mean by "risky"? Please be more specific.

Sorry, if hurt feeling! But I used to see in the media that one should avoid night journey by road on Patna - Gaya Road due to road condition, if possible.
Since long I have not travel on the road, hence I have no idea what is the condition at present. Please enlighten us!
Regards PraKaant

Thanks guys.

I am planing to take following route:

Sunday: (Leaving early morning)Patna - Nalanda - Pawapuri - Rajgir
Night stay at Rajgir in one of BSTDC tourist bungalows.
Monday: (Leave early morning) Rajgir - Bodhgaya - Barabar Caves - Patna.

All travels by a cab.

I am a bit confused if I should go to Nalanda first or Pawapuri. I didn't get a very clear picture from Google maps.

Please let me know if there is still a scope of improvement in here.

You may first visit Pawapuri while going from Patna, then visit Nalanda.
If you like local cuisines, you may ask your cabwala to stop at Silao on the way and taste Khaaja. I had liked it.
Again tilkut at Gaya is very famous. It melts in mouth. You may carry for the road also.
Have a nice journey and share your experience with us!!
Regards, PraKaant

Go to Pawapuri before going to Nalanda. To reach Pawapuri you don't turn off towards Rajgir after Bihar Sharif but carry on towards Nawada on (what used to be or still is) National Highway 31. A little distance further you turn off to the left to get to Pawapuri. After visitng Pawapuri you retrace your path to the fork and head towards Nalanda. (Is there a more direct route from Pawapuri now?) As Prakaant suggested, stopping at Silao (between Nalanda and Rajgir) for khaja is a good idea. Silao ke khaja is the soft square kind, quite unlike the Patna ke khaja which is somewhat harder and shaped like a Gandhi cap. The Gandhi cap is in fact called a khajva topi in Magahi as spoken in Patna.

PS: When in Patna don't miss visiting my avatar!

Thanks Guys, leaving tomorrow morning ! ...will update after trip.

I will definitely try Khaaja and Tilkut - after reading description I can't resist

@Golghar: I recently visited your avatar. Ganges looks awesome from top I think monsoon made it much better.

In Patna, I have seen Golghar, Museum, Ganga ghaat (Arti & Cruise), Patna Sahib, Agam Kuan, Kumhrar !

Is there anything worth visiting which I am missing from Bihar? I know Vaishali may be worth visiting but one of my friends suggested that that there is nothing much to see thr.

Wish you all the best for your journey!
On your return from journey, the dussehra festival will be on full bloom!
Visits to the Puja Pandals during evening till late nights and enjoying decorations would be a memorable experience!! You may take the help of local newspapers also.
Golghar might further suggest you if anything is left as I have visited only twice to the place
Regards, PraKaant

Sher Shah's mausoleum at Sahasram (Sasaram in the conventional misspelling) is impressive, though a little off the track unless you are going on to Varanasi (or Banaras - it would still be spelt that way if it was in Bihar and not in UP).

If you are interested in the more recent history of Bihar you can make a Mir Kasim tour - Munger (conventionally misspelt Monghyr) - Patna (Massacre Memorial) - Baksar (spelt Buxar).

If you are interested in 1857 and all that, Ara (Arrah) lies between Patna and Baksar. Guide books invariably ignore the last thousand years of Bihar history so you will need a guide or very intensive research beforehand if you want to visit these places.

I Visited with my family for a religious trip to Allahabad-Varanasi-Gaya during the first week of November 2011. We took opportunity to visit some of the tourist spots to the extent possible due to the paucity of time. Here is my photoblog :

http://sadanandsafar.blogspot.com/20...aya-patna.html