The ghats are Varanasi's heart. More than 80 stone stairways descend to the Ganges along a five-kilometre stretch, and the best way to see them is from a rowing boat at dawn. The nightly Ganga Aarti ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat and the constant activity at Manikarnika cremation ghat are the two unmissable experiences.
Away from the river, the old city's lanes lead to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and a dense network of smaller shrines. Sarnath, 10 km north, offers a complete change of register — quiet, Buddhist, and pastoral. Allow at least two full days for the city; three is better.