Lakhnow Travel Guide

Site Name: Lakhnow.

Site Type: Historically important city.

Location:  Lakhnow, Uttar Pradesh state, India.

Lucknow is a historically important city and for many centuries was at the heart of North Indian culture. In particular, the city was famous for its Adab and Tehzeeb (manners and hospitality), intricate embroidery, beautiful gardens and dance forms such as Kathak. It was also one of the sites of the 1857 Indian Mutiny (or First War of Indian Independence). The Hindi spoken in Lucknow is considered the most beautiful and gentle in the country. Currently the city has a population of around 2.5 million.

Lakhnow RS

Lucknow is the heart of the art, cuisine, dance, culture and music of Northern India. It was the cradle of the Hindu-Muslim-Sikh symbioses that made India great. it brought in the best of various cultures and accepted Western institutions like La Martiniere in her womb. It was made famous by the soft-spoken, and sweet tongued, Awadh-Lucknowai culture that was based on civilized behaviour toward fellow human beings. Lucknow is the home of Urdu, Hindustani and Hindi languages. The city became known as a centre for Urdu poetry and courtly presence and diction, being the birthplace and city of residence for many poets. The Mushaira, an event of poetry recitation forms the heart of Lucknow's nightlife where Mushairas go on into

the wee hours of the night. Lucknow's only rival in Northern India was Delhi, though Lucknowies were always embroiled in a healthy rivalry with Delhi, home of the famous poet Ghalib and others. Lucknow is also famous for its sweetmeat, the sweet shops in the old city dates to 1850s. Awadhi and mughlai food is the delight of the visitors to Lucknow.

Another thing that may surprise visitors are the ubiquitous posters, billboards and signs boasting of great progress and bearing the picture of Mayawati. She was the previous chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state and been quite controversial. Labeled by some as the "Dalit Queen," she has come under fire for misuse of public funds and abuse of power. She has spent millions upon millions of rupees on massive public works projects such as the Ambedkar Memorial (see below) which opposition leaders see as a waste. No matter who you speak to in Lucknow, everyone will have an opinion about her! It's a great conversation starter.

How to go:

Best way to reach Allahabad, if you are coming from outside India, is to take a direct flight to Delhi and then take one of the numerous connecting trains from Delhi to Allahabad. The Kolkata Rajdhani express, though a better train, lands at a very odd hour in Allahabad (2343 hrs IST) from Delhi which can be inconvenient for Allahabad being a really quiet place at night. Best train from Delhi to Allahabad is the PrayagRaj Express (Train No. 2418) which leaves from New Delhi Railway Station at 2130 hrs IST and arrives in Allahabad at 0630 hrs IST next day.

Train: Lucknow is on the Delhi-Gorakhpur railway route. Connections can be made from Agra and Allahabad. A major railway junction, Lucknow is conveniently connected to many cities. Some of the important trains are : 12003/12004 Shatabadi Ex. : 15063/15064; Nainital Ex; : 19165/19166; Sabarmati Exp : 12553/12554; Vaishali Exp : 15609/15610; Awadh-Assam Exp : 12875/12876; Neelanchal Exp : 14283/14284; Ganga-Yamuna Exp : 12229/12230 Lucknow Mail : 12419/12420; Gomti Exp : 14257/14258; Kashi-Vishwanath Exp : 14011/14012; Nauchandi Exp : 11015/11016; Bombay-Gorakhpur Exp : 12511/12512; Cochin-Gorakhpur Exp.

The important contact for Lucknow Railways are: Railways Manual Enquiry 139, 2636132; resservation 0522-2635841; Badshahnagar 0522-2385182. 0522 is Lucknow's STD code. Train Time click here.

Bus: The Bus Stations are situated at Alambagh, and Kaisar Bagh.

The telephone number for Roadways Inter State Bus Terminal Alambagh is: 0522-2458096

Buses from Sunauli-Bhairawa on the India/Nepal border stop on their way to Varanasi.

From Lucknow to New Delhi: There is a luxury air-conditioned sleeper bus from Quaiser Bagh Bus station. Route for this bus is Lucknow - Sitapur - Bareilly - Muradabad - Gaziabad - Delhi [Anand Vihar ISBT].

Lucknow has excellent connectivity of AC Deluxe bus service operated by UPSRTC to cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Agra and Ballia. These are safe and comfortable for tourists and women even during night journeys. These buses can be recognized by their distinctive colour Blue or Red with Platinum line written on it.

You can book tickets for these buses via internet and also from counter at Alambagh Central bus station. Bus seat to book click here.

Aeroplane: There are daily flights from Delhi, Mumbai,Banglore, Kolkata Indore, andPatna. Amausi Airport, Lucknow is directly connected with Delhi, Patna, Kolkata, Mumbai, Banglore , Indore and Varanasi by direct flights.

Indian Airlines, (0522)220927, (0522)435401, 436188 (pre recorded, 142). 

Air India-Janata Travels,  (0522)226171. (General Sale Agent) Hotel Clarks Awadh, 8, M.g. Road  

Sahara India Airlines, Sahara India Tower, 7, Kapoorthala Complex, (0522)377675, 372742. 

Lucknow International Airport ( Code IATA LKO ) has Direct flights to Dubai, Sharjah , Jeddah and Muscat.

By road: Lucknow is connected by road with all the major cities of the country. Some of the major road distances are: Agra 363 km, Allahabad 210 km, Ayodhya 135 km, Kolkata 985 km, Corbett National Park 400 km, Delhi 497 km, Dudhwa National Park 238 km, Kanpur 79 km, Khajuraho 320 km, Varanasi 280 km.

Where to Stay:

1. Hotel Buddha Residency Hotel Buddha Residency situated only Approx. distance from all prime locations from Charbag 1.5 KM, Hazratganj 1KM, Vidhan Sabha 0.5 KM, Kaisarbagh 2.5 KM, Airport 11 KM , guests are well located to enjoy the town's attractions and activities. PH.05222235555,Mo.+91-8948199993,9670556644.
2. Hotel APSARA
3. New Sharma Hotel Opposite charbagh railway station. There are two Sharma Hotels there, One is 30 years old. ph 0522-2635901,2630544,4045586
4. Sharma Hotel Opposite charbagh railway station. Contact person Shujat Hashmi, Mob:9369266335
5. Hotel D D International
6. Hotel Ganpati
7. Hotel Asha
8. Hotel Basant Vihar
9. Hotel Park Avadh
10. Hotel Raj
11. Hotel Mera Mann
12. Hotel Ganga Maiya
13. Hotel Sunrise
14. Deep Hotel
15. Hotel Diamond
16. Hotel Naznin Palace
17. Hotel Dileep
18. Hotel Ankit Yadav from NIEC
19. Hotel Ashirwad
20. Hotel Mansi Ganga near charbagh railway station ph 0522-2630513,2637841

For more hotels click here.

What you will see:

Places of interest are spread out over a large distance, therefore will require the use of taxis or rickshaws. Cycle rickshaws contribute less polution to this historic city than their motorised cousins, and provide work to some who need it most.

1. Bara Imambara and Bhool Bhulaiya: A large and impressive tomb complex built in 1783. There is an interesting labyrinth too. You could easily spend half a day wandering around these beautiful but crumbling examples of Mughal architecture. If you hire a guide, do not expect him to know the way around. Guides are known to get lost in the labyrinth! The ticket you buy lets you enter here, the Chhota Imambara, the Husainabad clock tower and picture gallery too, so do not lose your ticket. Please note that lone couples are not allowed to enter with out a guide. This prohibition is not brought to notice while buying the entry ticket. You will also have to pay a man 1 rupee to mind your shoes while exploring the complex (shoes are not allowed inside Bara Imambara). 350 INR for foreigners. 
2. Rumi Darwaza (Rumi Gate): Hussainabad Lucknow.
3. Chhota Imambara: An imposing mausoleum built by the third Nawab of Avadh in 1837. The ticket for Bara Imambara is also good for admission to Chhota Imambara.
4. La Martiniere College: Boys college. Building also known as Constantia, La Martiniere College is one of the oldest schools in the country. It was built in 1840 and started as a school in 1845. The school building is still well mantained. The best time to visit is either in the morning at around 8AM, when one can see the assembly, or after the school finishes at 1:30PM. This landmark building has also featured in several Bollywood movies.
5. Husainabad Clock Tower (Ghanta Ghar): Hussainabad Lucknow. A British landmark, set in a park with the somewhat poorly curated picture gallery, and a lake. A great place for sunset. The ticket for Bara Imambara also grants admission here.
6. Ruins of the Lucknow Residency and Museum: The bloody history of the demise of this Raj era compound is immortalised in the Museum in the Basement. This was the scene of the 1857 First Battle for Independence, referred to by the British as `The Indian Mutiny.´ Although you can still clearly see numerous canon ball marks in the ruined buildings, thankfully it is a peaceful place today. So much so in fact, that you are likely to stumble across couples taking a little private time in the leafy shady groves. The Residency is clearly recognised by the locals and tourists alike as a breezy haven to escape from the bustle and dust of a busy Indian city. The Residency will try to sell you a photo pass for an additional 25 INR. The guard will also ask you if you have a camera. However once you are inside, no one will say anything if you take photos. 100 INR for foreigners, 5 INR for Indian citizens.
7. Dilkusha ruins:
8. Qaiserbagh complex:
9. Crocodile sanctuary at Kukrail: near munshi pulia. it is very good & nice place 15 km from railway station. entry free.
10. The Ram Krishna Math, Nirala Nagar:
11. The Zoo/Museum, closed on Monday:
12. Botanical Gardens. 6AM-8:30AM.
13. Indira Gandhi Planetarium: 2629176. Tu-Su Shows 1PM-6PM (45 min shows 1PM-1:40PM English, 2:30PM-4:00PM, 5:00PM Hindi). 25.00.  edit
14. Buddha Park: A small park on the side of a noisy congested road in Lucknow. A statue of the Buddha gives the park it's name. Often filled with homeless people and boys playing sports.
15. Shaheed Smarak. 
16. Cathedral School: Hazaratganj.
17. Farangi Mahal: The Oxford and Cambridge of India author/poet Shibli Naumani. For more details see book by Dr. Francis Robinson on the Ul Farangi Mahal.  edit
18. Colvin Taluqdars College: A must see place it has great architecture built in 1896 named after Sir Auckland Colvin.  edit
19. Deva Shariff: around 30 km from the city, is a place of worship and faith where people from all the religions gather, a symbol of unity and love.
20. Amrapali water park:  08400334954,08960194570.
21. Ambedkar Memorial: A massive new 107 acre development to honor Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar who was the architect of the Indian constitution. Impressive stone work, dozens of statues and fountains intermix with carefully sculpted gardens. There are statues of dalit icons as well as incredibly self-indulgent statues of Mayawati, the Ex-chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. A police force exists to prevent vandalism and may search you before entering some areas. free.

Eat

Everyone in Lucknow knows about the famous tikkas and kebabs. They are Mughal delicacies. Lalbagh, many roadside hotels near Aminabad and old Chowk offer cheap and unique types of dishes. Also, try out the street next to Tulsi thatre in Hazratganj for some exotic non-vegetarian delicacies.

The Food Court at Sahara Ganj, near Hazrat Ganj is the recent hot favourite with a number of fast food joints. If coffee and tea is something you like, you will find a huge variety at Capuccino Blast at Mall Avenue. At Akbari Gate, during winters one can also enjoy Kashmiri Tea (a red coloured hot tea) with cream and Makhan Malai (a local variant of ice cream, saffron flavoured, made by hanging unsalted butter overnight in dew and then aerating it by beating it).

  

Useful Phone Numbers: (STD Code: 0522): Sahuji Chhatrapati Maharaj Medical College 2265614, 2266175, 2268701, syamaprasada Mukherjee Civil Hospital 22246362229568, 26381052308916 apisa tourist.

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