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Lucknow

Lucknow

city · Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow is a food city that happens to have beautiful ruins, and treating it the other way round is how visitors leave underwhelmed.

State
Uttar Pradesh
Type
City
Best season
Winter
Things to do
3+

Lucknow is a food city that happens to have beautiful ruins, and treating it the other way round is how visitors leave underwhelmed. Eat first. The galouti kebab was supposedly made for a Nawab who had lost his teeth, and the good places in Chowk have been doing one thing for four or five generations. Sheermal, nihari with kulcha in the early morning, and the Awadhi biryani which is milder and more perfumed than Hyderabad's — that is the argument between the two cities and you should form your own view. The Bara Imambara's bhulbhulaiya is a genuine labyrinth in the walls of the building and you do need the official guide, not because of the ticket but because people get properly lost. The Residency, shelled during the 1857 siege and left exactly as it was, is the most atmospheric place in the city and usually empty. Chikan embroidery is from here. Buy it in Chowk, not at the airport. October to March. May and June are brutally hot.

When to go

Best visited October to March when the weather is pleasant; summers can be hot and the monsoon wet.

Why visit

The city of Nawabs — Awadhi monuments, the Bara Imambara's maze, chikankari craft and India's most refined kebab-and-biryani cuisine.

Cultural notes

Lucknow flourished under the Nawabs of Awadh, who cultivated a courtly culture of poetry, music, dance, etiquette (tehzeeb) and cuisine that still defines the city's identity.

How to reach

Lucknow has a well-connected airport and the historic Charbagh railway station, with fast trains and expressways to Delhi, Agra and Varanasi.

2 days in Lucknow

Take the whole plan, or add any single stop.

Bara ImambaraDay 1

Day 1

Bara Imambara

A grand 18th-century monument famous for its central hall and the Bhulbhulaiya maze.

Rumi Darwaza

Day 1

Rumi Darwaza

An ornate 60-foot Awadhi gateway, a symbol of the city.

Day 1

Chota Imambara

Chota Imambara

Day 1

Tunday kebab dinner in Chowk

Tunday kebab dinner in Chowk

Day 2

Day 2

British Residency

British Residency

Hazratganj

Day 2

Hazratganj

Lucknow's elegant heritage shopping district.

Day 2

Chikankari & chaat crawl

Chikankari & chaat crawl

Food & cuisine

Signature dishes and local flavours to look for in Lucknow.

8 dishes

Tunday Kebab

Tunday Kebab

Melt-in-the-mouth galawati kebabs, a Lucknow legend

Nihari

Nihari

Fragrant dum biryani and slow-cooked nihari

Awadhi Biryani

Fragrant dum biryani and slow-cooked nihari

Kakori Kebab

Refined minced-meat kebab

Makhan Malai

Iconic Lucknow chaat and winter milk-foam sweet

Basket Chaat

Iconic Lucknow chaat and winter milk-foam sweet

Sheermal

Saffron bread with rich curries

Kulcha-Nihari

Saffron bread with rich curries

Lucknow guide & itineraries

Lucknow is perfect for

heritagefoodfamilycouples

Nearby getaways

Kanpur

~1.5 hrs

Dudhwa NP

~4 hrs

Frequently asked questions

What is Lucknow famous for?
Nawabi heritage - the Imambaras and Rumi Darwaza - plus legendary Awadhi food (Tunday kebab, biryani) and chikankari embroidery.
How many days for Lucknow?
2 days for the monuments, markets and an Awadhi food trail.

Hidden gems

Hazratganj & Chowk

Markets for chikankari and street food

Popular attractions

The places in Lucknow most people come for.

Bara Imambara

Bara Imambara

Attraction

Hazratganj

Hazratganj

Market

See all attractions

Festivals around Uttar Pradesh

Time your trip around something unforgettable.

Dev Diwali, VaranasiNovember

Dev Diwali, Varanasi

religious

Over 5 million pilgrims and tourists

Explore festival →

Reviews & ratings

What travellers say about Lucknow

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