The Golden Temple is open twenty-four hours and free to everyone, and it feeds tens of thousands of people a day in the world's largest free kitchen. Whatever your religion, it is one of the more moving places in India, and it is best seen twice — once at night when it is lit and reflected, and once before dawn.
Delhi to Amritsar is around eight hours on good highway. Having your own car means you can be at the temple at 4 am for the opening ceremony without arguing with anyone about it.
We drive the route and bring you back through Chandigarh, which is worth a stop for the Rock Garden if nothing else.
Our other north India routes — Punjab, Himachal and the Uttarakhand hills — are on the India tours page, and what a car and driver actually costs is set out on private car and driver in India.
Amritsar and the Golden Temple at a glance
Dauer: 4 Tage mit Privatauto, durchgehend mit demselben Englisch sprechenden Fahrer.
Price: the Amritsar and the Golden Temple tour starts from $356 for the whole car, not per person.
Route: Day 1 of the Amritsar and the Golden Temple: Delhi to Amritsar · the Golden Temple at night. Last day: Chandigarh to Delhi.
Flexible: every day of the Amritsar and the Golden Temple itinerary can be changed, shortened or extended.
Amritsar and the Golden Temple: trip highlights
The Golden Temple before dawn, and again at night
The langar kitchen, which serves free meals to everyone who comes
The Wagah border ceremony at sunset on the Pakistan frontier
Jallianwala Bagh, where the bullet marks are still in the walls
Amritsar and the Golden Temple itinerary, day by day
TAG01Tag 1
Delhi to Amritsar · the Golden Temple at night
North across the Punjab plains to Amritsar, arriving in time to see the Golden Temple lit up and reflected in its holy tank.
Morning: Pick-up in Delhi at 7 a.m.
Drive: Delhi to Amritsar is about 460 km, 7½–8 hours on the NH44, with stops at the famous dhabas of Murthal for parathas and at Ambala.
Evening: Check in, then walk to the Golden Temple. Night is magical: the gold glows on the water and the kirtan (sacred music) plays until late.
Eat: Breakfast of stuffed parathas with white butter at a Murthal dhaba; dinner at the temple langar or in the old city.
Tip: Hotels near the temple let you walk there at any hour; the old city lanes are pedestrian-only near the complex.
Overnight: Amritsar
TAG02Tag 2
Amritsar · Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Wagah border
A full day in the spiritual home of the Sikhs, ending with the most theatrical border ceremony in the world.
Early morning: The Golden Temple before dawn (optional, about 4:30 a.m.) for the Palki Sahib ceremony, when the holy book is carried in procession to the inner sanctum, and the sound of the kirtan over the water.
Morning: The langar, the free community kitchen that feeds up to 100,000 people a day. Sit on the floor with everyone else and eat, or help roll chapatis in the kitchen.
Late morning: Jallianwala Bagh, two minutes' walk away, the garden where British troops fired on a peaceful crowd in 1919. Then the Partition Museum in the old Town Hall (closed Mondays).
3:00 p.m.: Drive 30 km (45 minutes) to the Wagah–Attari border for the Beating Retreat flag ceremony, about an hour before sunset. Back by 7 p.m.
Tickets: Golden Temple, langar, Jallianwala Bagh and the Wagah ceremony are all free. The Partition Museum has a small ticket.
Eat: Amritsari kulcha at Kulcha Land or Bhai Kulwant Singh, lassi at Gian Di Lassi, and a vegetarian thali at Kesar Da Dhaba (since 1916) in the old city.
Tip: At the temple, cover your head (scarves are given free), leave shoes at the free shoe store and wash your feet before entering. At Wagah, carry your passport and leave all bags in the car: none are allowed in.
Overnight: Amritsar
TAG03Tag 3
Amritsar to Chandigarh · Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake
South-east to India's first planned city, designed by Le Corbusier.
Morning: A last visit to the Golden Temple, or Gobindgarh Fort. Check-out at about 10 a.m.
Drive: Amritsar to Chandigarh is about 230 km, 4–4½ hours.
Afternoon: Nek Chand's Rock Garden: 40 acres of sculptures made secretly from broken tiles, bangles and industrial waste over 18 years. About 1½ hours.
Sunset: A walk along Sukhna Lake below the Shivalik hills.
Tickets: Rock Garden about ₹50.
Eat: Dinner in Sector 17 or Sector 26.
Overnight: Chandigarh
TAG04Tag 4
Chandigarh to Delhi
An easy last drive back to the capital.
Morning: Optional: the Capitol Complex, Le Corbusier's UNESCO-listed government buildings (guided tours only, carry your passport).
Drive: Chandigarh to Delhi is about 250 km, 4½–5 hours.
Drop: Your Delhi hotel or the airport (flights after about 7 p.m.).
Übernachtung: Delhi oder Ihr Heimflug
What's included: Amritsar and the Golden Temple
Was enthalten ist
Privates klimatisiertes Fahrzeug für die gesamte Route, nur für Ihre Gruppe Professioneller, Englisch sprechender Fahrer an jedem Tag der Reise Sämtlicher Kraftstoff Alle Mautgebühren, zwischenstaatlichen und staatlichen Steuern Parkgebühren an jedem Halt Genehmigungen, wo die Route sie erfordert Verpflegung und Unterkunft des Fahrers — unterwegs nie Ihre Sache Abholung und Transfer vom Flughafen oder Hotel in der Start- und Endstadt
Was nicht enthalten ist
Hotels und Unterkünfte jeder Art Alle Mahlzeiten und Getränke für die Reisenden Eintrittsgelder für Monumente, Forts, Paläste und Nationalparks Lizenzierte lokale Guides in den Monumenten Kamera- und Videogebühren, wo erhoben Indisches Visum und eventuelle Grenzgebühren Internationale und Inlandsflüge Reiseversicherung Trinkgeld für den Fahrer, das willkommen, aber nie erwartet ist Alles Persönliche — Wäsche, Telefon, Einkäufe, Medizinisches Gerne organisieren wir Hotels, Guides, Eintrittskarten und Flüge für Sie zum Selbstkostenpreis. Wir nehmen darauf keine Provision, deshalb sind sie nicht im Preis enthalten.
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June 9, 2026
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January 20, 2026
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April 22, 2025
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March 2, 2025
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March 2, 2025
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Amritsar and the Golden Temple: frequently asked questions
Echte Fragen, die unsere Reisenden vor der Buchung stellen, beantwortet von der Familie, die diese Strecken fährt.
Yes — everyone does, all genders. Scarves are handed out free at the entrance, and shoes are left at the shoe stand, also free. Legs and shoulders should be covered. Nobody will be unfriendly about it.
Yes. Around 50,000 to 100,000 people are fed daily and no one is asked for money or religion. You sit on the floor in rows and are served. Volunteering in the kitchen for half an hour is welcomed and is something many travellers remember more than the temple itself.
It is a long-running daily ceremony with big managed crowds and heavy security, and it has run for decades. It is loud and very patriotic and most people enjoy it. Go early for a seat. Passports are useful ID. It is closed occasionally at short notice for political reasons — we will check before we drive you out.
You can — there are daily flights from Delhi and it saves the best part of two days. If you fly both ways this becomes a two-day trip and we will meet you at Amritsar airport. The drive is easy highway, though, and it lets us include Chandigarh.
No. It is free and open to all, twenty-four hours a day. Jallianwala Bagh is also free. The Partition Museum in Amritsar charges a small fee and is worth the hour.
Punjab in May and June regularly passes 42 degrees. The temple is at its best October to March. That said, the marble is washed constantly and the complex is more bearable than the streets outside.
