Is Vārānasi safe? India travel risk
Is Vārānasi safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Vārānasi scores 50/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates India Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 16 Jun 2025); the UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of the country (updated 7 Oct 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Vārānasi scores 50/100 (Elevated). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and India (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Vārānasi: nearest emergency and transport facilities, local climate normals, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (60/100) and natural hazards (68/100).
A score of 50 is higher than the scores of 67% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the India travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Geographic & Regional Coordinates
Charted at coordinates 25.3189° N, 83.0128° E in Uttar Pradesh, Vārānasi maintains a regional distance of 681.8 km WNW to New Delhi.
Uttar Pradesh
25.3189° N, 83.0128° E
86 m
Asia/Kolkata
1,198,491
Emergency & Aviation Access
Nearby Towns & Settlements in India
Climate by Month
Hottest: May (41 °C avg high); Wettest: August (256 mm).
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 23° | 27° | 33° | 39° | 41° | 37° | 33° | 32° | 31° | 30° | 28° | 24° |
| Low °C | 10° | 13° | 18° | 23° | 28° | 28° | 27° | 26° | 25° | 21° | 15° | 11° |
| Rain mm | 17 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 165 | 225 | 256 | 176 | 68 | 7 | 10 |
Normals: Vārānasi (0 km away).
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfires | — | — | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 |
| Droughts | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Most wildfire events within 100 km of Vārānasi happened in April (8 of 12 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the India travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the India entry requirements.
Evaluated Destinations in this Region
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