It all started four years ago on a winter evening over a cup of tea — the idea of an exclusive road trip from Kolkata to Lucknow. Many plans were made, many were canceled but the trip never took place due to some reason or the other. Then Corona happened.
With the dawn of 2021, we (my family) understood that it’s now or never. With social distancing norms now ingrained into our day-to-day lives, the road trip was the only way to travel safely.
And, the road trip to Lucknow finally happened and quite spontaneously if I might say. So, here is a guide, made from my personal experiences, on how to explore the city of Nawabs within three to four days max.
Exploring Lucknow in Three Days
Lucknow is a land as old as time. It can be compared to a diamond with each facet having its shine. There are chikankari markets, street foods, handmade attars (concentrated perfumes), biriyani, kebabs, and historical monuments strewn across the city. Here is what to visit and what you can give a miss, how to plan your trip, and cover as much as you can in three days.
Time is of Essence:
Given that there are too many things to see and experience in a very short amount of time, you need to utilize every moment you spend in the city. So, lazying around won’t do.
Try to enter the city by sunset to enjoy the evening roaming around the markets of Hazratganj and catch up on some shopping. You can also treat your tastebuds to the famous basket chat at Royal Chat Center.
The Hazratganj market is home to all the high-end brands. From Ada chikankari store to Sabyasachi, you will find it all while walking down this road.
Pro tip: Hazratganj is connected to the newly established metro line in Lucknow. So, if you are staying close to any of the metro stations hitch a ride. Or, you can take an auto to ToTo rickshaw to venture out. Lastly, if you wish to take the car, there is multilevel car parking built for the shoppers.
Plan Your Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, and Dinner:
Food is an integral part of any Lucknow tour and I am not only talking about biriyani. There are so many delicacies to taste and experience. Let’s start with breakfast.
There are two places I visited for breakfast on two different mornings. One is Sharmaji and the other is Net Ram. The Kulhad chai and poha at Sharma and Kachori Jalebi at Net Ram early in the morning is something I just couldn’t miss and neither should you.
Kulhad Chai and Poha from Sharmaji, Lucknow
There are too many good places to eat in Lucknow and be mentally prepared that you won’t be able to visit all. Plan where you want to do your lunch and dinner. We visited Karims, Dastarkhwan, Tunday Kababi, Prakash ki Kulfi, and Naushijaan. I won’t talk about the food because the taste and experience cannot be expressed in one paragraph. We missed out on Idris, Baba, Wahid, and Lalla biriyani.
DastarKhawn, Tunday Kababi, and Prakash, Lucknow
For snacks, hit the old markets of Lucknow like Chowk bazaar, Nakhas, and Aminabadi market and enjoy the street food there. Do not forget to indulge in Sheermal and Nihari from Ali Hussain Sheermal in the Sheermal Wali Gali.
Pro Tip: Hydrate a lot. Given that Awadhi cuisine is heavy, keep drinking lots of water. You can also carry salted ajwain. It helped us a lot with digestion and we did not fall sick even once throughout our trip.
Combine Food and Travel:
Try to visit places with a two-fold agenda. In this way, you can explore the city and enjoy the lip-smacking food. Here are some examples of how we winged food and travel on our trip.
The roads leading to the majestic Rumi Darwaza are a great place for a photo op but are immensely crowded throughout the day and night as it is a major tourist attraction and located just beside Bara Imambara. The best time to click some great photos with it is at dawn.
So, we woke up at around 5.30 am reached Rumi Darwaza at around 6, and happily clicked away in the golden light. After that, we went to Net Ram and Sharma for some hearty breakfast.
Shopping at Chowk
During our shopping outing at Hazratganj, Chowk, and Nakhas we enjoyed all kinds of street food that we could find. The Basket Chaat, Sheermal and Nihari, Kebabs, and Shahi Tukda.
Place and Time:
There are quite a handful of tourist attractions in Lucknow. The major ones that you need to visit are Bara Imambara, Chota Imambara, Rumi Darwaza, Ghanta Ghar, Museum, and the Residency. Out of these six, the first and the last are quite huge structures and would need half a day to be seen in detail.
Interiors of Bara Imambara, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Bara Imambara Interiors from the top of Bhool-Bhulaiya, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Bhool-Bhulaiya, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Step Well Inside Bara Imambara, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
So, to fully immerse yourself into the history of this ancient city, keep two full days at hand to explore Bara Imambara and Residency respectively. The others can be easily covered in a day.
Residency, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
In the evening, you can easily hail a rickshaw and take a look at the old markets of Lucknow and taste some lip-smacking delicacies. It is here you will find some of the finest wholesale markets for Chikankari clothing.
So, with that, I come to an end of the guide. I sincerely hope it helps you enjoy the place and its culture. Let me know about more tips that fellow travelers like us can take advantage of and explore the most in a minimal amount of time.