Amritsar travel guide

2 daysHow long to stay

Budget to luxuryRough cost

Who it suits

PunjabNorth India

Is this for you?

Amritsar is easy and warm-hearted, and it works for you solo, as a couple, with friends or with family. It centres on the Golden Temple, where a free community kitchen called a langar feeds you round the clock. The Partition Museum covers the 1947 split of British India into India and Pakistan and is worth an hour or two. If you can't take heat, skip May and June, when it's very hot.

When to go

Go in the coloured months. The black ones are best avoided.

What to do

Golden Temple

Entry is free. Cover your head (scarves are usually available), take your shoes off, wash your feet and dress modestly. Tobacco and alcohol are banned, including in bags, and photography is restricted.

Free langar meal

A langar is a free communal meal served to everyone. At the Golden Temple it runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and serves about 100,000 meals a day.

Partition Museum

In the old Town Hall, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. It's closed on Mondays and public holidays.

Old city and the temple after dark

Walk the old city and Heritage Street by day. Then go back to the Golden Temple after dark.

What to eat

Amritsar eats big: stuffed kulcha, thick lassi and fried river fish. Start with the free langar at the Golden Temple. Since late 2025 the walled city has had a ban on selling meat, alcohol and tobacco, which is being challenged in court, so go outside the old walls for meat.

Amritsari fish

River fish in a spiced gram flour batter, fried hot. Winter is the season, and you'll need to eat it outside the walled city.

Amritsari kulcha

Crisp, buttery flatbread stuffed with potato, paneer or mixed vegetables, baked in a tandoor. This is the one to fly for.

Vegetarian

Langar

A free vegetarian meal of dal, roti and more, served to anyone at the Golden Temple. Sit on the floor with everyone else, at any hour.

Vegetarian

Lassi

Thick yogurt drink with a slab of cream on top, served in a tall steel glass. Treat it as a meal.

Vegetarian

Pindi chole

Dark, spiced chickpeas, slow-cooked and eaten with kulcha or paratha at the old dhabas, the local roadside eateries.

Vegetarian

Where to go

Ahuja LassiHall Bazaar area

Thick lassi in a steel glass, the drink to fill you up for the afternoon.

Cheap eats, vegetarian

Beera Chicken HouseMajitha Road

Tandoori chicken after a vegetarian day. Sources vary on the address, so check a map.

Mid-range

Kesar Da DhabaChowk Passian, old city

Pindi chole and dal with lachha paratha since 1916. Expect a wait, and save room for phirni.

Cheap eats, vegetarian

Kulcha LandRanjit Avenue

Amritsari kulcha, stuffed and buttery. Sources give two addresses, so check a map.

Cheap eats, vegetarian

Makhan Fish and Chicken CornerMajitha Road

Amritsari fish fry, at its best in the cold months.

Mid-range

Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib), Amritsar, India — Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Golden Temple is also known as Harmandir Sahib — Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0

Statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Amritsar, India — Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Entrance of Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, India — Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

darbar sahib and akal takht — Jasleen Kaur, CC BY-SA 2.0

After Lunch at the golden Temple. The the temple is mostly run by volunteers. Everyone is welcome at the temple no matter what his religion — M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0

shankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates, CC BY 2.0

Amritsari Kulcha at Monu Kulcha Hut with accompaniments - chole and pickled onions. — Sumitmalhotra, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting there

Take a day train from Delhi, about 5.5 to 6.5 hours: 22487 Vande Bharat (15:15 to 20:45, not Fridays), 12029 Swarna Shatabdi (7:20 to 13:30, not Thursdays) or daily 12013 Shatabdi (16:30 to 23:05). Back: 22488 Vande Bharat (8:20 to 13:50, not Fridays) or daily 12014 Shatabdi (4:55 to 11:02). The airport is ATQ, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International.

Where to stay

Around the Golden Temple The walking base around Golden Temple Road, Jallianwala Bagh and Heritage Street, budget to mid-range and noisy. Check where your taxi can drop you, because one Heritage Street hotel has no car access.

Ranjit Avenue Calmer and mid-range to upscale. You'll usually need transport to the temple.

Worth knowing

Safety

Check your government's advice and insurance before the optional Attari-Wagah border ceremony: the UK excepts it from its 10 km border warning, Canada doesn't, and we couldn't read the US wording. It runs 5:00 to 5:30 pm from 16 October 2026, is sometimes cancelled, and don't stay overnight in Attari town.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Rules

At the Golden Temple, cover your head, take your shoes off and dress modestly. Tobacco and alcohol are banned, including in bags, and photography is restricted.

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