Lucknow

Is Lucknow worth a look? I am heading from Delhi through Rishikesh, Varanasi, and hopefully on to Calcutta. Is it worth it to break up my trip a little and stop in Lucknow, or any where else along the way? Any tips appreciated. Thanks!

Lucknow is definitely worth a look ! There's the Martyr's Memorial, clock tower, Jami Masjid, the Rumi Darwaza and of course the great Bara Imambara. There used to be a combined ticket, allowing one to visit the Picture Gallery, Clock Tower Garden, the Shahi Hammam in the Hussainabad Imambara's grounds and Rumi Darwaza. I don't know if that's still the case; it's been a while since I was there.
Many people visit Lucknow especially for the Residency, a place which helped decide the course of Indian history, so to speak. It's a great place to check out - history is still very much alive there !

Consult a guide book for more information on the sights themselves. I can only say they're really worth a look. :-)

Cheers,

Patrick.

I'll be in Lucknow sometime in November or December and wondering where to stay and what to do in addition to the well-publicized attractions (Imambaras and the Residency, etc) and the cloth bazaar.

I was there for a short time in the early 70s and really liked the town; have any of our travelling friends been there since then?

Try Muglai food....
Kakori Kebabs, Biryani, .......

While on food...Once I had Keema Masala Dosa in Lucknow.

VV ... I'm looking forward to the food, of course!

Do you know any of the hotels in Lucknow? Shall I stay at Hazratganj? Or Aminabad?

some good hotels in lucknow are hotel clarks avadh, hotel taj mahal. u can see their sites

http://travelhub.com
http://indtravel.com
http://india-chainhotels.com

budget hotels are on http://onetime.com

regarding lucknow, have u read my blog 'up and down?' - http://peekayjee117.blogspot.com

>>Sometime earlier there was a report stating that access to places like imambara ( proeprties controlled by muslim waqf board ) has been banned to americans/foreigners. Kindly check for your safety.<<

Thanks for the warning. I was there last winter (the message you replied to was more than a year old) and had no problems getting into the Bara Imambara; perhaps things have changed since then.

Hi all,


Theres a vast amount of information and opinion's on Varanasi, but no one seems to mention Lucknow, (or maybe I am looking in the wrong place!!! )

Have any of you been there, what do you think of it, anything to do/see, how long would be a nice time to spend there...?

just wanted to get a real opinion on it rather then base my trip on what the guide book says...

any comments on the subject would be appricated.

thanks
Umbreen

p.s hopefully it will be a stop over on the way to/from Varansi.

Been there, didn't like it much. The highlights include the Imambara which we didn't visit because of the high entrance fee for foreigners (we had just paid 750 for the Taj in Agra), The British Residency and the Jammi Masjid which you won't be allowed to enter unless you're a muslim (quite a hostile atmosphere over there btw).

The rest of the town doesn't differ much from any other Indian city of the same size. My advice would be to skip Lucknow.

"Lucknow - the city of Nawabs"

If you have interest in history /architect / culture ( specially Indian/nawabi ) then you will love this city. Otherwise it is like any normal city of India. I myself like the city for its great cultural value . The awadhi cuisine - , the sweets ( the best in India ) , Chikan Works . Oh!!!!!! Fabullous .

It’s a pretty crowded typical Indian city. But like mentioned earlier, Lucknow has a high value if your are into history, culture,…etc. Also this place has been famous for its curtsey and mannerism.

(Though now Mayavathi &Co is on an all out campaign to snatch that prestigious ‘Bad State’ crown from Lalu &Co ! )

Pahale Aap (you first...) gesture is the ‘invention’ of the Nawabi culture of this state.Ther rest can be assumed...

On a lighter side, rumors have it that both the Nawabi friends missed the train as they kept of extending the curtsey at each other when the train was at the platform!

Also the Guinness Book record school 'City Montessori School' is in Lucknow with a whooping 30000 students in the roll

>Have any of you been there, what do you think of it, anything to do/see, how long would be a nice time to spend there...?<

I was in Lucknow a couple of years ago, for three or four days; I'd also been there in the early 70s.

I found the people quite gracious and pleasant, food was good. I love the bazaar and had a good time finding just the right chikkan embroidery. The British Residency is well-kept and very moving. I wandered around the grounds of the Bara Imambara, but didn't go in.

One thing about Lucknow is that you will be very "off the beaten path" there -- I did not see one other foreigner while I was there (travelling alone). And unlike many other parts of India, nobody was terribly interested in the foreigner in their midst!

Not many beggars, clean streets, and while I was there, a big campaign to stop using plastic bags!

lucknow is the capital of uttar pradesh, one of the largest states of india.

i have visited lucknow on and off for nearly three years between 1996 and 2000. it is a reasonably old palace, lots of historical relics. plenty of information available on this link:

http://www.tourism-of-india.com/lucknow.html

lucknow is famous for its chikan (a type of cotton cloth) and its kababs - they literally melt in your mouth.

you can also read a very old thread of mine on indiamike.com:

24 hours in charbagh

I am leaving for Lucknow today evening on some urgent business and will stay there for two days. What are the best places in the city for

1. spending Wednesday evening,
2. staying for Wednesday night,
3. spending Thursday morning, and
4. eating?

I don't want to spend more than Rs 1,000 a day on the hotels? Any suggestions for Awadhi food?

Ask any rickshaw wallah to take you to Tundey Kebab...

Thursday morning can be spent at Imambara (Chhota and bara)..make sure you hire a guide ..