Varanasi

Sabri

Hallo from Germany, we are 2 middle-aged women, travelling all over
the world and often to India. The last time we have been to Varanasi
has been 15 years ago, so it changed. We go there in december and
booked in Hotel Ganges View, Asi Ghat. Can somebody tell me a little
bit more about this hotel, good restaurants nearby etc.etc.
Is it possible to get a glass of wine somewhere or stricty prohibited
in this area? Thanks for your answer.

shailesh_vns

sabri a very good day to u
their is a lot more hotel here arround assi ghat, but as per fooding concern u must try at least once 'Keshari' Resturant Dashaswamedh road, and their is no problem for wine but u may find a little bit problem near Golden Tample[ Vishwanath Tample]
by and take care
wishing for pleasur journy

Sabri

Hallo shailesh, thanks for your replay concerning Varanasi. It's helpful.
Sunny greetings from Germany, Sabri

freemanx

hi Sabri,

after one and a half years, you`re the first other IM´er from cologne

welcome to indiamike!

martin

Sabri

Thanks Martin.
Sabri

freemanx

how long are you going to stay in varanasi and where else are you planning to go?

Sabri

I think we go for 2 weeks to varanasi, after visiting varanasi we go to darjeeling and
after that we go for relaxing to goa and after goa back to germany.
greetings Sabri

hfot2

We stayed at the Palace on the Ganges, a hotel just a few doors away from the Ganges View. We found it difficult to find acceptable restaurants within walking distance.

There is a pasta and pizza place, Vaatika Cafe, next to the Ganges View, and it has a good reputation. It also has a terrace with a good view of Assi Ghat. But we didn't eat there, as it seems odd to go all the way to India to eat Italian food.

If you walk south from Assi Ghat, past the Palace on the Ganges, and around the corner, you will find Haifa (sic!) Restaurant. This is a fairly simple restaurant in a quaint little bamboo shed at the back of a small garden. It is popular with backpackers and adventurous travelers in the 35-year-old age range. It has a certain Gemütlichkeit (although we mostly heard French and English and possibly Italian). It also has remarkably indifferent food (Indian, "Chinese", and international); and when it is busy it has very slow service. Alcohol is not an option.

If you go looking for Haifa Restaurant, you might chance to find signs directing you to the Shiva Restaurant. This is a tiny and grotty little place on the wonderfully crowded main street that runs parallel to the river. A few Indians eat here, a great many aging hippies. But the food is quite passable and cheap and the staff are very pleasant. Again, no wine or beer.

Along the street near the Shiva (is this Pandit Madanmohan Malviya Road?) are several sweets shops. You probably remember great sweets shops in India. The shops here look great, but we found most of their trays of sweets covered with ants. As we are somewhat past middle age and perhaps therefore a little less adventurous, we didn't try the sweets nor the ants.

A bit further afield from the Ganges View, there is a restaurant, Ganga Fuji, D. 5/8, Kalika Gali. It is not too far from the Vishvanath Temple, somewhere between Manikarnika Ghat and Manmandir Ghat. We cannot possibly direct you to it through the confusion of lanes along the Ganges. We had been told to look for the restaurant by Lonely Planet but found it only by following signs to it from the ghats along the river. Again, no wine. But it does have meat, which is something of a find in Varanasi. The owner tells us he also presents small concerts of classical Indian music in the evening. It would probably be a little difficult to find this restaurant in the evening. But eating supper there and enjoying the concert should be pleasant. And afterward you could go to see the evening Aarti ceremony of moving flame at Manmandir (?) Ghat. (We, on the other hand, were quite content with the very much smaller Aarti ceremony at Assi Ghat. This is said to be a Johnny-come-lately copy of the ceremony at Manmandir Ghat. It has only three celebrants, not the dozen or so seen downriver. On the other hand it has all the motion and flame and chanting and bells – and it's right outside your door at Ganges View.)

The restaurants we've mentioned are just simple places. A number of posh places were pointed out to us as we drove around Varanasi. All would have required an autorickshaw or taxi ride, though, and in congested Varanasi in the evening that seemed like too much trouble. The best food we got, curiously, was from room service in the Palace on the Ganges. We'd suggest trying their restaurant, except that it's a rooftop restaurant, and in December it's chilly and dark and unpleasant.

Along the road leading south from Assi Ghat and curving up toward the main road, you will find several small shops and stalls selling packaged snacks, biscuits, and cookies. You can also buy bottled water there. Although we were able to buy litres of water last winter for 10 rupees elsewhere, even Rs 8 with hard bargaining, in Varanasi we had to pay Rs 12. There are also several peanut vendors along the road and even one at Assi Ghat (you can watch the proprietor and his wife get help to lug their cart up the steps from the ghat at dusk). The peanuts are small but quite good and quite addictive.

shailesh_vns

Very good morning sabari
u both r making a plan to stay in varanasi for 2 weeks so keep 1 or 2 full day
for surrounding varanasi like RAMNAGAR FORT, CHUNAR FORT MIRZAPUR (FOR CAPET WEAVING sites), SOME VILLAGES OF VARANASI (IF U WANT TO FEEL REAL VARANASI PEOPLE) saree waeving centre etc etc

Drink Thandai,Lassi,
Eat Bati-Chokha
forget liqer for few days enjoy total in 'Banarasi Andaj'
feel varanasi in varanasi style

happy journy
thanks
shailesh

dzibead

The Ganges View Hotel at Assi Ghat also serves an excellent buffet-style dinner if you let them know you would like to eat your evening meal at the hotel. The hotel does not actually have a restaurant as such - they serve only guests who are staying at the hotel, not people who just want to come in for a meal. But the food and the atmosphere are first rate. I happily ate all my evening meals there, and then enjoyed the evening aarti, which hfot2 mentioned.

Sabri

Thank you all for your helpful informations. We are sure we'll have a good time
in India, spec. in Varanasi.
Greetings from Germany, Sabri