Punjab
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Punjab

Golden domes and big-hearted food

Photo: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0
Capital

Chandigarh

Best time to visit

October to March

Getting there

Amritsar has an international airport and is well connected by train from Delhi.

Ideal trip

6 to 8 days to cover the highlights

About Punjab

Punjab is a land of fertile fields, the holiest shrine of Sikhism and some of the most generous hospitality and food anywhere.

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Popular cities in Punjab

Been to any? Mark them on your India travel map.

AmritsarAnandpur SahibBathinda (Bhatinda)Jalandhar (Jullundur)LudhianaMohali (SAS Nagar)Patiala

Top places in Punjab

Golden TemplePhoto: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0

Golden Temple

Sri Harmandir Sahib glows on its sacred pool. The langar serves free meals to tens of thousands every day.

Best time: October to MarchBase: Amritsar1 daySpiritualHeritageFood
Directions
From Wikipedia

The Golden Temple is a gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism and its holiest site. The gurdwara complex is a collection of buildings around the sanctum sanctorum and the sarovar, known as the Amrit Sarovar. One of these is Akal Takht, part of the Panj Takht and the chief centre of religious authority of Sikhism.

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Video by Gabriel Traveler on YouTube

Jallianwala BaghPhoto: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Jallianwala Bagh

The memorial garden to the 1919 massacre, a short walk from the Golden Temple.

Best time: October to MarchBase: Amritsar1 dayHeritage
Directions
From Wikipedia

Jallianwala Bagh is a historic garden and memorial of national importance close to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India, preserved in the memory of those wounded and killed in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre that took place on the site on the festival of Baisakhi Day, 13 April 1919. The 7-acre site houses a museum, gallery and several memorial structures. It is managed by the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, and will be renovated between 2025 and 2027.

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Video by Sansad TV on YouTube

Attari-Wagah border ceremonyPhoto: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0

Attari-Wagah border ceremony

The daily flag-lowering ceremony at the border, held every evening.

Best time: October to MarchBase: Amritsar1 dayCulture
Directions
From Wikipedia

Wagah, also spelled Wagha or Wahga, is a village and union council located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan. The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and a railway station between Pakistan and India. Wagah is situated 600 m west of the India-Pakistan border and lies on the historic Grand Trunk Road between Lahore and Amritsar in India. The border is located 24 km from Lahore and 32 km from Amritsar.

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Video by Frugal Travellers on YouTube

Anandpur SahibPhoto: Ms Sarah Welch, CC BY-SA 4.0

Anandpur Sahib

The holy city where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa, best during the Hola Mohalla festival.

Best time: October to MarchBase: Anandpur Sahib1 daySpiritualHeritage
Directions
From Wikipedia

Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur, is a city in Rupnagar district, on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Sikhism, being the place where the last two Sikh Gurus, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, lived. It is also the place where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. The city is home to Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the third of the five Takhts in Sikhism.

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PatialaPhoto: Journojp, CC BY-SA 4.0

Patiala

A royal city of Qila Mubarak, Sheesh Mahal, Patiala pegs and phulkari embroidery.

Best time: October to MarchBase: Patiala1 dayHeritageFood
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From Wikipedia

Patiala is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the Qila Mubarak constructed by a chieftain Ala Singh, who founded the royal dynasty of Patiala State in 1763, and after whom the city is named. In popular culture, the city remains famous for its traditional Patiala shahi turban, paranda, Patiala salwar, jutti and Patiala peg.

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Virasat-e-KhalsaPhoto: Sanyambahga, CC BY-SA 3.0

Virasat-e-Khalsa

A striking museum of Sikh history and Punjabi culture, designed by Moshe Safdie.

Best time: October to MarchBase: Anandpur Sahib1 dayHeritageCulture
Directions
From Wikipedia

Virasat-e-Khalsa, also known as the Khalsa Heritage Complex, is a mega-museum complex of Sikhism, located in the town of Anandpur Sahib, and is close to the Takht Kesgarh Sahib, located in the state of Punjab, India. The museum celebrates 500 years of Sikh history and the 300th anniversary of the birth of Khalsa, based on the scriptures written by the tenth and last of Sikhism's gurus, Guru Gobind Singh. Tourists and pilgrims visit. It is the most visited Sikh museum.

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KapurthalaHidden gemPhoto: MSharma at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Kapurthala

The Paris of Punjab, with the French-style Jagatjit Palace and a Moorish mosque.

Best time: October to MarchBase: Jalandhar1 dayHeritage
Directions
From Wikipedia

Kapurthala is a city in the Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. It is an immediate neighbour of Jalandhar city proper, and a part of the Jalandhar Metropolitan Region. The aesthetic mix of the city, with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic architecture self-narrate its princely past.

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Harike WetlandHidden gemPhoto: Jaypee, CC BY-SA 4.0

Harike Wetland

Where the Beas and Sutlej meet, a winter home for huge flocks of migratory birds.

Best time: November to MarchBase: Amritsar1 dayNatureWildlife
Directions
From Wikipedia

Harike Wetland, with the Harike Lake in the deeper part of it, east of the Harike village also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan", is a Ramsar site and the largest wetland in northern India on the border of Tarn Taran Sahib district and Ferozepur district of the Punjab state in India created by the Harike Barrage headworks immediate downstream of the confluence of Beas and Sutlej rivers. Harike village is accessible by the NH-54, NH-703A, and NH-703B. Harike Barrage has created the man-made Harike Wetland.

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Food to try

Sarson da saag with makki di roti, Amritsari kulcha, chole bhature, lassi, pinni

Where to stay

Amritsar near the Golden Temple, Chandigarh as a base for Anandpur Sahib and Patiala

Getting around

Excellent roads and trains; Amritsar airport has good connections

Good to know

Cover your head and remove shoes in gurudwaras. Reach Attari-Wagah at least 2 hours before the ceremony.

Punjab: quick answers

What is the best time to visit Punjab?

October to March

How do I reach Punjab?

Amritsar has an international airport and is well connected by train from Delhi.

How many days do I need for Punjab?

Plan 6 to 8 days to see the highlights, such as Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Attari-Wagah border ceremony.

What food should I try in Punjab?

Sarson da saag with makki di roti, Amritsari kulcha, chole bhature, lassi, pinni

Where should I stay in Punjab?

Amritsar near the Golden Temple, Chandigarh as a base for Anandpur Sahib and Patiala

Neighbouring states

Timings, fees, permits and road conditions change. Please check official sources before you travel.