• Amritsar Must-Sees

Amritsar Must-Sees

Duration: 6 hours including lunch break

Introduction: If you have only one day in Amritsar, this is the tour we recommend. The must-sees tour of Amritsar covers the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, and an exploration of the Old City's bazaars and heritage architecture. And of course, Amritsar’s famous cuisine!

Tour coverage:

  • The Golden Temple: The Golden Temple is the serene heart of Amritsar. It is the world's holiest Sikh shrine, and absolutely stunning. It stands in the middle of a sacred water tank, where pilgrims come to take a short dip. It is extremely tranquil and clean despite the large numbers of visitors. In this tour we will visit the temple, and gain a deeper understanding of Sikhism. We will see the temple's sacred sites and objects, and visit the langar (community kitchen). Volunteers, mostly Sikhs but also people from other faiths, help run many of the temple's activities, from taking care of visitors' shoes to cooking and cleaning. If you like, you can have a meal in the langar and also volunteer to help in the cooking.
  • Jallianwala Bagh: Jallianwala Bagh is a memorial site of great historic significance in India's struggle for independence from British colonial rule. In 1919, at this site, British soldiers massacred around 300 Indian civilians (including women and children) and left many more wounded. The event sparked anguished protests all across the country and gave increased momentum to the freedom struggle. Even today, the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh remains etched in the collective memory of all Indians.
  • Old City Heritage and Bazaars: We will explore the bustling bazaars and heritage sites of the Old City on foot and by battery-operated rickshaw. The Old City dates back to the 1500s when Guru Ramdas invited 52 trader families to settle in Amritsar. Coverage includes:
    • Qila Ahluwalia, which contains homes and shops of wealthy merchants in Indian and colonial styles
    • Jalebiwala Chowk, famous for its mouth-watering jalebi stall
    • Udasin Ashram Akhara Sangawala and Chitta Akhara, resting places for spiritual ascetics
    • Darshan Deori, from which spot the Gurus Arjun and Hargobind would view the Golden Temple
    • Baba Bohar, an old sacred banyan tree
    • Old mansions of wealthy landlords such as Thakurdwara Dariana Mal
    • Gurudwara Saragarhi
    • The Town Hall

During the walk we'll also see various specialty markets for fabrics, jewellery, utensils and bangles.

The tour includes a lunch stop at a popular dhaba (restaurant) to taste Amritsar’s famous kulcha-chhole and other specialties.

Start point: Your hotel

End point: Your hotel

When: All days of the week, mornings 9:00 AM and afternoons 2:00 PM.

Cost:

  • Rs 2550 per person for 7-8 persons
  • Rs 3050 per person for 5-6 persons
  • Rs 3750 per person for 3-4 persons
  • Rs 4250 per person for 2 persons
  • Rs 7500 for a solo traveller

Includes: Pickup/drop from/to your hotel, AC transport, driver with cell phone, fuel, parking charges, tolls, knowledgeable English-speaking guide, rickshaw ride, bottled water and all taxes. There are no monuments with entrance tickets in this tour.

Excludes: Meals and tips

Optional Extension: If you do the morning tour, you can combine this tour with the Wagah border ceremony tour if you wish. Please ask us for the combo-tour price.

How to book a tour: Please write to deepa@magictoursofindia.com / magictours@live.com or call Deepa at +91 9867707414 for costs and other details.

Tour notes: Since we are visiting bazaars and religious sites, please dress conservatively and follow the guide’s advice regarding dos and don'ts. Sikh temples require people of all genders to cover their heads. Please bring a scarf or stole. Head covers can also be purchased from street vendors or borrowed at the gurudwara. Shoes are not permitted in the gurudwara. Visitors are expected to wash their hands and feet before entering. It is not permitted to sit at the edge of the sacred tank, dangling one's feet in it, but one can sit with folded legs. It is permitted to bathe in the tank and/or drink its water. Please bring a change of clothes if you wish to bathe. There are screened areas offering women privacy to bathe. Photography is permitted except in the main shrine - ask your guide for details. There are clean toilets (Indian and Western) at the Golden Temple. If you wish to eat at the free community kitchen (langar) please let the guide know. Please avoid wasting langar food after accepting it on your plate. Alternatively you can taste the famous Amritsari kulcha-chole (vegetarian) at a restaurant. In Jallianwala Bagh, photography is not allowed in the museum.