Amritsar – City near to the Indo-Pak border, home to one of the holiest place for Sikhism and popular for Wagah Border ceremony and delicious Punjabi food.
Days required – It is a weekend trip for visitors from Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. 2 days are sufficient to explore the place.
Nearby places to go – Chandigarh
Best time to visit – during winter (October to February). Summer in North India is intolerable and should be avoided.
How to reach
By air – Amritsar has an airport with good connectivity and there are direct flights from Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai. Many international flights also run from here to Canada and Gulf countries.
By train – Amritsar Railway Station connects the city to all the major cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Ahmadabad.
By road – There is govt. and private run bus services connecting Amritsar to all major cities in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi.
One can also self-drive or hire a car to reach here from Chandigarh and Delhi.
How we traveled – We booked a bus from Jaipur which took 14 hours to reach Amritsar but I recommend other travelers to take the train or flight as the journey was long tiring one and not comfortable at all.
Where to stay – Book your stay near Golden temple as it will be easy to roam around the city and most of the hotels are located around this area.
How to go around – Amritsar is a small city and can be easily covered by auto-rickshaws which are available everywhere around the city.
There is a HOHO(Hop On Hop Off) Bus service for tourists which covers all tourist spots of the city including Wagah border. Book the ticket online( http://amritsardekho.com) through the website or their counter near Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue on the spot.
For Wagah border, you will find many vendors around Jallianwala Bagh shouting to book the tour. You can book the whole cab (Rs.1000) or take a shared one for Rs.150-200.
Places to visit –
Golden temple complex- One of the holiest places for Sikh people, Harmandir Sahib is visited by thousands of visitors daily. Here runs the largest free kitchen serving 80000-100000 people daily. Visit here in the evening to witness the beautiful reflection of the temple in the Sarovar. Golden Temple is open 24 hours but the best time to visit is early morning(less crowd) or late evening (illumination at Temple Complex).
Jallianwala Bagh is walking distance from Golden Temple Complex. It is memorial infamous for 1919 massacre. You can see the bullet marks and the well where people jumped to save themselves from the firing.
Durgiana mandir – Dedicated to goddess Durga, the temple is modeled on the Golden Temple.
Govindgarh fort- For almost a century it was hidden within a surrounding compound wall and concealed by trees and vegetation. Gobindgarh Fort is the symbol of the dramatic rise of Punjab, its golden days and then the collapse of the Sikh Kingdom when faced with the relentlessly expanding British Empire, till it’s independence. It is now open for public but is still under renovation. There is not much to see inside for now. Authorities are developing the museum, 7D shows, kid’s rides and other things to make it attractive.
War Memorial – This newly built Memorial/Museum consists of 45 meters high Sword and 8 galleries depicting the sacrifices and heroic deeds from the times of the Sikh Kingdom till Kargil operations.
Wagah border- A must visit place for every visitor in Amritsar. Every evening before sunset, the soldiers from India and Pakistan lower the flags at this international border in a perfectly coordinated way. The ceremony starts at evening just before the sunset (timings differ in different seasons). Entry is free. Reach here 1-2 hour early to get good seats (near to Indo-Pak Border gates).
Amritsar is not just the Golden Temple and Wagah border. There is so much more to do here. You will love the Amritsari food and local bazaar for shopping.
Where to shop – Explore the streets of Hall Bazaar, Lahori Gate Bazaar, and Guru ka Bazaar and get a variety of things like Phulkari suits and Dupattas, Punjabi Jutti(footwear) and lip-smacking Amritsari Papad. Don’t hesitate to bargain here.
Where to eat – Amritsari food is 3rd major attraction for travelers after the Golden Temple and Wagah Border.
Langar/Kara Prasad – After offering your prayers at Golden Temple have a simple meal of dal, roti, sabzi, and chawal at the largest free kitchen of the world. Don’t miss the Kara Prasad on your way out.
Amritsari Kulcha – what can be more satisfying than eating legendary Amritsari Kulcha for breakfast at All India Famous Amritsari Kulcha and Kulcha Land.
Lassi – No meal in Punjab is complete without Lassi. Try the best one at Ahuja Milk Bhandar.
Desi Punjabi khana- Eat at these 100-year-old Dhabas the delicious Punjabi thali – Bharawan Da Dhaba and Kesar Da Dhaba.
Chicken/Mutton – Non-vegetarian don’t get hopeless – Tandoori chicken at Beera and Paya of Pal Da Dhaba and mutton of Mohan Singh Dhaba is waiting for you.
Itinerary
Day 1 –
We reached Amritsar in the morning and took a cab for our hotel. We took some rest as we were tired of the bus journey. Later, we took an auto-rickshaw for Hall Bazaar for shopping. We bought some Phulkari Dupattas and reached Bharawan Da Dhaba for lunch. After eating amazing food there, we both decided to come again the next day here for lunch(though that didn’t happen). Jallianwala Bagh is 10min walk from there. Golden Temple Complex is very nearby. You don’t need any auto/cab for these places.
It was around 5 pm when we walked into Harmandir Sahib and we were awestruck and it was a different world and atmosphere there. We sat near the Lake for hours and didn’t take our eyes off the calming water of the lake with the reflection of the temple in it. Later, after offering prayer, we went to the Langar Hall. Everyone is invited here with no discrimination at all. People from all religions and culture visit this place every day. They serve a simple meal to everyone sitting the hall and you can eat as much as you want but no wastage of food is allowed.
Day 2 – HOHO bus tour
We had booked a HOHO bus tour in advance as it was covering all of Amritsar. We covered all of the major tourist destinations by noon and then after having lunch, we started our Wagah border journey.
There is a big parking facility where all the vehicles are parked. Only VIP or Army vehicles can go further than that. It is quite a distance to cover. Rickshaws were available which will drop you near the entry gate. There was a huge crowd there waiting in a long queue for the security check. There was a different queue for men and women and we had to pass through a double security check to reach the theatre area built for the ceremony.
There was construction work going on to increase the seating capacity of the area. From here, we could easily see the Pakistani people sitting at their side waving their flags and singing and shouting songs.
Just before the ceremony, an army officer with mike in hand came near the crowd and started chanting – Vande Matram, Bharat Mata ki Jai and people went mad and started dancing on the patriotic songs. It was an experience of a kind.
The ceremony starts with a parade by the soldiers from both the sides and ends up in the perfectly coordinated lowering of the two nations’ flags. It lasts for 30 minutes.
The bus dropped us near the Town Hall from where we went to visit the Durgiana Mandir to finish our Amritsar trip.
Quick tips for fellow travelers –
- Make arrangements for Wagah border tour in advance as most of the cabs/taxis are booked by 3 pm and it will cost you more for a last-minute booking. You may not get a shared taxi/cab.
- Even if you have your vehicle, don’t drive it around the main market area as it is very congested and you will not get a parking spot. Just take an auto-rickshaw to explore the market.
- During Wagah visit, keep your bags and other things safe in cab/taxi. Take the camera, water, sunglasses, umbrella, Sunscreen lotion, wallet and any valuable items with you. You can take a camera, mobile phones, wallets and water bottles but bags of any kind are not allowed.
- Govt. approved photo ID may be asked during checking at Wagah border, so better to carry one.
- Be respectful at Golden Temple Complex. Cover your head all the time. Don’t take photographs at Prayer area.
- You can volunteer yourself for any work at Golden Temple like serving or making food or cleaning the utensil or serving water to other visitors.
Ratings (it is subjective and my personal opinion)
Destination overall rating 8/10 – You get to shop, eat Punjabi delicacies and visit Golden Temple and Wagah Border in a 2-day trip.
Travel Expense 1/10 –my one of the cheapest trip.
Travel ease 8/10 – easily reachable place and easy to explore. A variety of options available according to everyone’s budget.
Food 10/10 – Food heaven for everyone.