Vrindavan: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
For most of the world, Vrindavan arrived through one man: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who lived here as a poor monk and founded the Hare Krishna movement in New York. Today the area around his temple, Raman Reti, is full of foreigners, new ashrams and some of the biggest temples in India. This route follows his story backwards from the new giants to the two rooms where it began. By auto-rickshaw between the stops; about half a day, ending in the evening for the lights and the kirtan.
A short history of Vrindavan
According to Hindu tradition, the god Krishna spent his childhood and youth as a cowherd at Vrindavan, on the bank of the River Yamuna, and so the town is sacred to his devotees. For centuries it was mostly forest with scattered holy places. In 1515 the monk Chaitanya arrived from Bengal, and his disciples re-identified the places mentioned in the scriptures and built temples at them. In 1590 Raja Man Singh of Amber built the Govind Dev temple of red sandstone, one of the largest in northern India at the time. In 1975 a temple of the Hare Krishna movement was opened in the town, and since then pilgrims from the West have also come.
The ten best sights in Vrindavan
1Krishna-Balaram MandirISKCON's temple; the evening kirtan is the time to come
2Shrila Prabhupada's museumBeside the temple: the rooms and belongings of ISKCON's founder
3Prem MandirWhite marble temple, lit in changing colours after dark; go in the evening
4Banke Bihari TempleThe most loved temple in town and the most crowded; leave bags and phones behind
5Sri Radha Raman MandirA small, old temple with an intimate courtyard and quiet worship
6Govind Dev TempleA giant red sandstone shell from 1590; empty, cool and impressive
7Madan Mohan TempleA tall sandstone spire on a mound above the old riverbank
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8Shri Rangnath Mandir
A South Indian temple with tall gateways in a North Indian town
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9Sri Radha Damodara Mandir
Where Prabhupada lived before he went to America; ask to see his rooms
10Jaipur MandirCarved Rajasthani sandstone, usually quiet; a good break from the crowds
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Vrindavan →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Vrindavan:
Free walking tours in Vrindavan
The town that went to America
For most of the world, Vrindavan arrived through one man: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who lived here as a poor monk and founded the Hare Krishna movement in New York. Today the area around his temple, Raman Reti, is full of foreigners, new ashrams and some of the biggest temples in India. This route follows his story backwards from the new giants to the two rooms where it began. By auto-rickshaw between the stops; about half a day, ending in the evening for the lights and the kirtan.
- Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir · The project, begun in 2014 by ISKCON's Bangalore branch, plans a tower of about 210 metres, which would make it the tallest religious building in the world. It is still far from finished, and the grounds are mostly a construction site.
- Prem Mandir · The temple was built by the followers of the guru Kripalu Maharaj and opened in 2012, after more than a decade of work in Italian marble. Its walls are carved with scenes from Krishna's life, and after dark the whole building changes colour.
- Krishna-Balaram Mandir · Prabhupada opened this temple in 1975, ten years after leaving India, so that his Western followers would have a home in Krishna's town. His white marble memorial stands at the entrance, and the temple kirtan goes on for hours each evening.
- Shrila Prabhupada's museum · In 1965, aged 69, Prabhupada sailed from Calcutta to New York as the only passenger on a cargo ship, the Jaladuta, with a few dollars and a trunk of his books. He suffered two heart attacks at sea, and within a decade his movement had temples on every continent.
- Jaipur Mandir · The temple was paid for by the Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Madho Singh II, and completed in 1917 after about thirty years of carving in Rajasthani sandstone. It shows how the princely houses of Rajasthan kept their link with Vrindavan into the 20th century.
- Sri Radha Damodara Mandir · Prabhupada lived in two small rooms in this temple's courtyard from 1959 to 1965. Here he began translating the Srimad Bhagavatam into English, and he printed the first volumes himself in Delhi to take with him to America.
Old Vrindavan on foot
The old town is a tangle of lanes between the temples and the Yamuna, where Krishna is believed to have spent his youth with Radha and the cowherd girls. In the 16th century saints from Bengal rediscovered the sacred spots, and kings built temples over them. This walk goes from the old riverbank to the ghats, about 3 km in crowded lanes. Start early, wear sandals that come off easily, keep glasses and phones out of reach of the monkeys, and check temple hours: most close from noon to late afternoon.
- Madan Mohan Temple · This is one of the oldest temples in Vrindavan, raised on a mound that once stood over the Yamuna. During Aurangzeb's reign the original image was carried off to Rajasthan for safety, and it is still worshipped today at Karauli.
- Banke Bihari Temple · The image here was revealed, the story goes, to the singer-saint Swami Haridas, remembered as the music teacher of Tansen at Akbar's court. A curtain is drawn across it every few minutes, because the god is said to follow anyone who gazes at him too long.
- Seva Kunj · Inside the grove is a small shrine where a bed, sweets and water are laid out every night. Believers say Krishna and Radha come to rest there, and in the morning the bed is found used — which is why no one is allowed to stay after dark.
- Nidhivan · The low trees grow twisted together in pairs, and believers say they become the cowherd girls at night to dance with Krishna. Swami Haridas's tomb is inside, and the gates are locked at dusk; even the monkeys are said to leave.
- Sri Radha Raman Mandir · In 1542 the saint Gopal Bhatta Goswami found that one of the sacred shaligram stones he worshipped had become a small image of Krishna. That image is worshipped here still, and the temple kitchen fire is said to have been kept alight ever since, without matches.
- Keshi Ghat · The ghat is named after Keshi, a demon in the form of a horse whom Krishna killed here before bathing in the river. Each evening the priests wave lamps over the water, and boatmen take visitors out to watch from the Yamuna.
Braj, the land of Krishna
Vrindavan is one corner of Braj, the countryside around Mathura where Krishna's whole story is set, from his birth in a prison to his childhood among cowherds. Pilgrims travel it as a circuit, and every village has its episode. This full-day drive covers about 150 km by taxi or rented car with a driver. Start at Mathura in the morning, when the birthplace is least crowded, and finish at Barsana before dark.
- Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple, Mathura · Krishna is believed to have been born in a prison cell of his uncle, the tyrant Kansa, and the temple is built over the spot. It stands right beside a 17th-century mosque, which is why the security is so heavy — leave phones, bags and pens in the lockers.
- Vishram Ghat · Vishram means rest: after killing Kansa, Krishna is said to have rested here on the bank of the Yamuna. It is the most important of Mathura's ghats, and the evening aarti with floating lamps starts here.
- Gokul · On the night of his birth, the story goes, Krishna's father carried him across the flooded Yamuna to Gokul, to be raised in secret by the cowherd Nanda and his wife Yashoda. The village temples here are about his childhood and his love of stolen butter.
- Govardhan · When the god Indra sent a week of storms against the cowherds, Krishna is said to have lifted this hill on his little finger and held it up as an umbrella over them. Pilgrims walk the 21 km circuit around it, many of them barefoot, and some by prostrating themselves the whole way.
- Kusum Sarovar · The great sandstone tank and its domed pavilions were built in the 18th century by the Jat rulers of Bharatpur, whose kingdom included much of Braj. Jawahar Singh raised the main memorial here for his father, Suraj Mal.
- Shree Ji Radha Rani Mandir · Barsana is Radha's village, and at Holi it hosts Lathmar Holi: the men of Nandgaon, Krishna's village, come to tease the women, and the women drive them off with long sticks while the men shield themselves. The festival draws huge crowds every year.
Getting to Vrindavan and getting around
- Mathura Junction · The main station, 12 km south, on the Delhi–Agra line; auto-rickshaws wait outside
- Agra Airport · The nearest airport, about 1.5 hours away, with only a few domestic flights
- Vrindavan bus stand · Buses and shared jeeps to Mathura, Govardhan and Barsana leave from here
Cheap eats in Vrindavan
Vrindavan is a pilgrimage town, and selling meat and alcohol is banned; many kitchens also cook without onion and garlic, as temple food is. What you eat instead is the dairy of Braj — the land of the cowherds — in lassi, curd, peda and milk sweets, and fried breakfasts of kachori and jalebi. Food is cheap; drink only bottled water, and eat where it is cooked fresh in front of you.
- Govinda's Restaurant · ISKCON's restaurant by the temple; a thali about ₹200-350
- Brijwasi restaurant and dhaba · Kachori, sabzi and sweets, about ₹60-200
- Bikanerwala · A chain of sweets and snacks; chaat and lassi about ₹80-200
- Shri banke Bihari family dhaba · Simple thalis on Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg, about ₹120-200
- Radha Rani bhojnalaya · Pure-vegetarian thali, about ₹100-180
- Kanha food court · Snacks, dosa and chai, about ₹50-150
- Minti’s Cafe · Coffee and light meals on Mathura Road, about ₹150-350
Museums in Vrindavan
- Govind Dev Temple · The great red shell; go in the quiet afternoon
- Shri Rangnath Mandir · A South Indian temple complex; the inner shrine may be closed to non-Hindus, ask at the gate
- Shrila Prabhupada's museum · The founder's rooms and belongings beside ISKCON
- Madan Mohan Temple · An early sandstone spire over the old river
- Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple, Mathura · Mathura; lockers for phones at the gate
Nature and day trips near Vrindavan
- Keshi Ghat · A boat on the Yamuna at sunset
- Govardhan · The holy hill and its 21 km circuit
- Kusum Sarovar · Sandstone pavilions over a still tank
- Nidhivan · A walled grove of twisted tulsi trees
- Seva Kunj · Shade and stillness in the old town
Things to do in Vrindavan with kids
- Prem Mandir · Evening lights and the fountain show
- Krishna-Balaram Mandir · Singing and dancing in the temple hall
- Keshi Ghat · A short boat ride on the river
- Loi Bazar · Tiny clothes for deities and bright bangles
- Gokul · The village of baby Krishna and his stolen butter
Where to eat in Vrindavan
- Govinda's Restaurant · Dinner after the evening kirtan
- Manuhaar · A sit-down North Indian dinner on Mathura Road
- Vrindavan darbar · Thalis near the ISKCON temple
- Bikanerwala · Snacks and sweets into the evening
- 11flowers · A quieter restaurant away from the temple road
- Thakur ji food plaza · Indian and Chinese-style vegetarian plates
Frequently asked questions about Vrindavan
What is there to see in Vrindavan?
The top sights in Vrindavan are Krishna-Balaram Mandir, Shrila Prabhupada's museum and Prem Mandir. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Vrindavan?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Vrindavan without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Vrindavan?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Vrindavan, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The town that went to America.
How do you get to Vrindavan and get around?
The main ways are Mathura Junction, Agra Airport and Vrindavan bus stand. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Vrindavan, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Vrindavan that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Vrindavan for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.