6 days, 5 nights ยท Varanasi, Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda
Six-day Buddhist circuit tour: Sarnath, Bodhgaya and the ruins of Nalanda
Four of the places central to Buddhism sit within about 350 kilometres of Varanasi, and the six-day circuit links them: Sarnath, where the first sermon was given; Bodhgaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree; Rajgir, where he spent several rainy seasons; and Nalanda, the great monastic university that taught for seven hundred years before it was burned. This is a pilgrimage route that also happens to be one of the more interesting archaeological drives in India.
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The route
Why Varanasi is the door to this circuit
Varanasi has the air connections and Sarnath is 10 kilometres outside it, which makes the city the practical start whatever your religion. It is also a useful contrast: the ghats and the cremation grounds on the Ganga are Hindu Varanasi at its most intense, and Sarnath, half an hour away, is quiet lawns and a fifth-century stupa. Doing both in a day is one of the sharper juxtapositions available in India.
From there the circuit runs south-east into Bihar. Bodhgaya is about 250 kilometres and five and a half hours, and it is the single most important site in the Buddhist world — the Mahabodhi temple, a UNESCO site, stands beside a descendant of the tree under which the Buddha sat. Rajgir and Nalanda are a further 70 and 85 kilometres on, close enough to share a day.
The roads in this part of Bihar have improved considerably but are not fast, and the towns are small with limited accommodation. Bodhgaya has the best of it, largely because monasteries from a dozen Buddhist countries have built guesthouses and temples there. The city guides cover the Varanasi end.
The four sites
What is actually at each one
Two of the four great pilgrimage places, plus the university and the hill where much of the teaching happened.
Sarnath
Where the first sermon was given. The Dhamek stupa, the Ashoka pillar's remains, the ruins of the monastery complex, and a museum holding the Lion Capital that became India's state emblem. Half a day.
Bodhgaya
The Mahabodhi temple and the Bodhi tree, with the Vajrasana marking the seat of enlightenment. Around it, monasteries built by Thailand, Japan, Bhutan, Tibet and others, each in its own national style. Two nights.
Rajgir
Where the Buddha spent several rainy seasons: the Griddhakuta or Vulture's Peak reached by a ropeway, the hot springs, and the site of the first Buddhist council at Saptaparni cave.
Nalanda
The monastic university, founded in the fifth century and destroyed around 1200. What remains is a very large brick excavation of monasteries and temples, and a museum. It takes half a day and it is quietly extraordinary.
The driving
Three legs and a local day
About 700 kilometres in total, with one long transfer at each end.
- Varanasi to Bodhgaya — about 250 km, 5.5 hours South-east through Sasaram into Bihar. The road is adequate rather than fast; an early start is worthwhile.
- Bodhgaya to Rajgir and Nalanda — about 70 and 85 km, 2 and 2.5 hours North-east, with the two sites 15 kilometres apart so both fit in one day out and back.
- Bodhgaya to Varanasi — about 250 km, 5.5 hours The same road back, or on to Patna about 115 km north if you are flying out from there.
Practicalities
What this circuit asks of a traveller
This is not a luxury route and it is better to say so. Outside Bodhgaya and Varanasi, hotel standards in Bihar are modest, roadside facilities are basic, and English is less widely spoken than in the tourist states. What compensates is that the sites themselves are uncrowded, the monastery guesthouses at Bodhgaya are clean and welcoming, and a chauffeured car removes almost all of the friction.
Timing matters. October to March is comfortable; April to June is genuinely hot on the Gangetic plain, regularly above forty degrees, and the monsoon brings both heat and humidity. December and January can be foggy in the mornings, which delays departures — the desk builds a buffer rather than driving into it.
Bodhgaya fills for the Dalai Lama's teachings when they are held there, usually in December or January, and for Buddha Purnima in April or May. Both are worth timing for if you want the place at its most alive, and both need accommodation booked far in advance. The events page carries what is confirmed.
Booking
How to book the six-day circuit
Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. Tell the desk whether you would rather fly out of Patna than return to Varanasi — it saves a five-and-a-half hour leg. For hotels and monastery guesthouses, ask through the contact page. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100% inside 72, 48 and 24 hours.
Day by day
The six-day itinerary, leg by leg
Two long transfers bracket three days of sites; the Bihar roads are adequate rather than fast and the times below reflect that.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Varanasi | Met at Varanasi airport. The ghats in the late afternoon and the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh in the evening. | Airport to the ghats ~25 km, 1 hr |
| Day 2 | Varanasi and Sarnath | A dawn boat on the Ganga, then Sarnath for the Dhamek stupa, the excavations and the museum with the Lion Capital. | Sarnath ~10 km from the city |
| Day 3 | Varanasi to Bodhgaya | South-east into Bihar. Into Bodhgaya by afternoon for the Mahabodhi temple and the Bodhi tree in the evening light. | Varanasi-Bodhgaya ~250 km, 5.5 hrs |
| Day 4 | Bodhgaya | The Mahabodhi temple at dawn when the chanting starts, then the national monasteries, the Great Buddha statue and the Sujata village across the river. | Under 20 km all day |
| Day 5 | Rajgir and Nalanda | North-east to Rajgir for Vulture's Peak by ropeway and the hot springs, then Nalanda's excavations and museum, and back to Bodhgaya. | Bodhgaya-Rajgir ~70 km; Nalanda ~15 km further; ~180 km round trip |
| Day 6 | Bodhgaya to Varanasi or Patna | A last morning at the Mahabodhi, then back to Varanasi for the flight, or north to Patna if you are leaving from there. | To Varanasi ~250 km, 5.5 hrs; to Patna ~115 km, 3 hrs |
What it costs
The 6-day Buddhist circuit: two ways to buy it
Six charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Finishing at Patna rather than returning to Varanasi carries no repositioning surcharge.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 6-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 6 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $11,700 - $14,040 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Premium MPV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 6-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $11,700 - $14,040 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $10,200 - $12,240 |
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $13,500 - $16,200 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $19,200 - $23,040 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 6-day Buddhist circuit: frequently asked
Do you need to be Buddhist to do this circuit?
Not at all. Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Rajgir and Nalanda are among the most significant archaeological sites in India, and Nalanda in particular is remarkable regardless of belief.
Is Bihar difficult to travel in?
Less than its reputation suggests, but hotel standards outside Bodhgaya are modest and roadside facilities are basic. A chauffeured car removes most of the friction; we would rather say this plainly than oversell it.
Where should we stay in Bodhgaya?
The monastery guesthouses built by Thailand, Japan, Bhutan and others are clean, inexpensive and welcoming, and there are conventional hotels as well. The desk names properties in the all-inclusive quote.
Can we fly out of Patna?
Yes, and it saves a five-and-a-half hour return leg. Patna is about 115 km north of Bodhgaya. Tell the desk at booking so the last day is timed on that flight.
When is the best time to go?
October to March. April to June is above forty degrees on the plain and the monsoon adds humidity. December and January mornings can be foggy, which delays departures.
Can the circuit be extended to Kushinagar and Sravasti?
Yes — that is the eight-day version, which adds the place of the Buddha's death and the monastery where he spent most of his later rainy seasons.
Same circuit, other lengths
The The Buddhist circuit in a different number of days
On the route
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Book
Book the six-day Buddhist circuit direct
Six charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Say if you would rather fly out of Patna.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
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Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
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Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
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Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
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Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
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Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
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Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
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For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 8-day Buddhist circuit tour · Cities · City to City · Charter · Rates · Tourists.
Official references used on this page:
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.
- National Highways Authority of India Expressway and toll information for the intercity routes we drive.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Motor Vehicles Act rules for commercial permits, licences and passenger carriage.
- India Meteorological Department Forecasts and monsoon warnings we check before hill and coastal journeys.