The oldest and most famous ghats in the area are Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, and Harishchandra. Others include Assi Ghat, Scindia Ghat, Lalita Ghat, and Kedar Ghat. There are all sorts of ways to explore the ghats here, and most visitors to Varanasi make a point of taking a sunrise boat ride along the river. It's not a bad idea to book in advance to avoid having to bargain first thing in the morning.
If you’re staying in the Old City of Varanasi, you won’t be far from at least one of the ghats. While you can walk along the ghats, the best way to see them is to take a sunrise boat trip along the river. Trips from Dashashwamedh Ghat to Manikarnika Ghat are popular, although some boat operators begin at the most southerly ghat, Assi, and head north.
While you definitely shouldn’t miss the chance to take a sunrise boat tour along the ghats, it’s worth coming back around sunset, specifically to Dashashwamedh Ghat, where you can witness evening aarti ceremonies in which local priests ceremonially offer fire to the river. Special services are held on Tuesdays and Hindu holidays.
Devout Hindus aim to travel to the Banaras Ghats at least once in their lifetimes, and many hope to die and be cremated within the city in order that their ashes be swept away by the Ganges. The cremation fires here burn all day every day; Manikarnika is the main cremation ghat. Some ghats are simply used for prayers and bathing.
