Planning a short trip to Amritsar? Or having a long 3 day weekend ahead? Plan a short trip to The Golden City β Amritsar. Amritsar is one of the popular and must visit place during weekends. Amritsar is famous for its cultural heritage, religion, and cuisine. You must be thinking that how you spend a long weekend in Amritsar. I visited Amritsar for 3 days and 2 nights am sharing my trip guide with you. It was an awesome short trip, here is how I spent weekend in Amritsar.
Β
Here is a complete itinerary along with some useful tips for you to make best out of your trip.-
Day 1 β Visit the Golden Temple :-
I reached Amritsar at 11 AM. I booked a budgeted hotel near Golden Temple to save time on commuting. After freshen up, began our day by paying a visit to the glorious Golden Temple, also known as Harmandir Sahib. It is one of the holiest gurudwara adorned with golden work outside with meenakari work inside the gurudwara. I spent some time by sitting near the pond while listening to bhajans and shabads. After enjoying its beauty and serenity, I head to langar hall where thousands of people are served food (langar) everyday.
Tip: Do carry a dupatta or hanky to cover your head before entering the gurudwara. Remove shoes and socks too. Make sure your head remains covered while you are inside the gurudwara.
I planned to visit to Jallian wala Bagh which is just 5 minutes walk from the gurudwara. But, unfortunately some restoration work was going on, due to which public was no allowed to visit. I visited The Partition Museum in the evening as it gets closed at 6PM. It is the worldβs first partition museum showcasing refugee artifacts, art and archival materials. This museum is also known as Peopleβs Museum as it is filled with objects donated by partition families and their memories. After the visit, I was hungry and itβs almost dinner time too. I took dinner at famous Brothers Dhabba and relished stuffed kulcha with chole accompanied by matka kulfi.
Tip: Must try kulchas, phirni and matka kulfi at Brothers Dhabba.
Day 2 β Visit to Durgiana Temple, Gobindgarh Fort and Wagah Border:-
Another fun filled day started right from delicious breakfast at Kulcha Land followed by a visit to three beautiful attractions of the Amritsar – Durgiana Temple, Gobindgarh Fort and Wagah Border. I started early in the morning as I have booked Hop 01 Full Amritsar Sight Seeing package of Ho Ho bus service. Hop on hop bus is a double decker bus starting from Golden Temple near Maharaja Ranjit Singh Statue covering Durgiana Temple, Gobindgarh Fort while offering sightseeing views of Khalsa College, War Heroeβs Memorial and lastly Wagah Border. The bus route starts at 10 AM in the morning and drop around 8 PM at a very nominal cost of Rs. 400 per person. Believe me! It was a very lovely experience of enjoying the Cityβs views while sitting on top of the bus.
Tip: Make sure that you reach at starting point before 10 AM to avail Ho Ho bus service and had your breakfast.
The first stop is Durgiana Temple, which is a Hindu temple similar to the Golden Temple. It is an ancient located in the middle of a sacred lake. It has beautifully designed silver doors and a golden dome.
While having roadside snacks, bus stopped at the next destination β Gobingarh Fort. A must visit place to have an insight into history of Punjab and Punjabi culture. The fort is huge, it spread across 43 acres of land. There are various museums inside the fort featuring Punjabi traditions such as showcasing their attire, their weapons used in war, and household items. I cannot explain in words, the finishing and beauty of the statues placed in the museums. They all look so real, one can see even fine lines and hair on the body.
Another charm of visiting the fort is lights and laser shows namely whispering walls, lights and sound show and Sher E Punjab. Whispering walls depicts past of the fort and city. 7D show, Sher E Punjab highlights the life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in a very interesting manner. I didnβt watch any of the show as I have to get back to the bus for visiting Wagah Border. But, I can imagine how impressive and informative shows they must be. I enjoyed live performance of Bhangra and comedy. You will find fun rides and games as well for kids inside the fort. I had lunch and proceed for Wagah Border.
Tip: Do spend some time inside the fort and admire its beauty and glory. Must watch 7D light show. Shop for handicrafts, watch folk performances and most importantly, do not forget to click awesome pictures.
My last stop for the day was Wagah Border, a border crossing between India and Pakistan. No trip is complete without watching beating retreat ceremony at the border. Every evening, hundreds of visitors come to enjoy beating retreat and the change of guard ceremony. I must say, it was an amazing experience; whole atmosphere was full of energy. The place brings the true spirit of patriotism along with some goose bumps within me. Show by BSF jawans was awesome. I enjoyed every bit of it.
After a long day, now itβs time to enjoy dinner and relax. I had dinner at the Kesar da Dhabba and head back to the hotel.
Tip: Make sure you reach border at least 1-1.5 hours before to occupy seat as nothing will be visible if you sit far.
Day 3 β Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum
I kept my last day as relaxed one. I wake up early, went to golden temple and contributed in the kitchen by serving tea and biscuits to the devotees. After having breakfast, I head to Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum. It offers an insight into the life of great ruler β Maharaja Ranjit Singh. You will find good collection of artifacts and old records.
Shopping Spree – I end up my trip with a lavish lunch at Lawrence road and local shopping at hall bazaar. There are many shops selling different items. You will find colorful phulkari duppattas, hand work juttis, traditional punjabi suits, shawls, handicrafts, dry fruits, spices and aam papad. I bought some fridge magnets as souvenirs, some spices and textiles for my loved ones. I headed back to Delhi with unforgettable memories and beautiful moments for ever.
Tip: Must buy beautiful phulkari duppattas and Punjabi juttis for your loved ones. Do not forget to do bargaining as there is a good scope of it.
I hope this itineraryΒ will help you in planning a perfect weekend trip to Amritsar. Drop me any questions, you have. Do check out my other Amritsar blogs-
Quick Links:
