Photo via Wikimedia CommonsDashashwamedh Ghat
The main ghat, and almost certainly the image you already have in your head when you picture Varanasi. Its name — "ten horse sacrifice" — refers to a Vedic ritual legend of Brahma performing ten horse sacrifices here. Today it's the stage for the nightly Ganga Aarti, a fire ritual performed by a row of priests in near-perfect unison as thousands watch from the steps and from boats on the water.
It's also the most commercially busy ghat — boat touts, flower sellers, photographers — so it rewards a bit of local guidance more than most.
Photo via Wikimedia CommonsManikarnika Ghat
Varanasi's principal cremation ghat, and by Hindu belief, one of the most auspicious places in India to end the cycle of rebirth — the funeral pyres here are said to have burned continuously for centuries. It is a working, sacred site, not a tourist attraction, and it should be approached with real respect: no photography of cremations, and be wary of "guides" who appear unprompted asking for donations.
You can view it respectfully from a distance, including from a boat on the river, which is how we usually include it.
Photo via Wikimedia CommonsAssi Ghat
The southernmost of the major ghats, at the confluence of the Assi and Ganga rivers, and today the most youthful and easygoing stretch of the riverfront — university students, morning yoga groups, cafés a short walk up the lane. It's also where the Subah-e-Banaras ("Morning of Banaras") ceremony happens at sunrise: a quieter, less crowded counterpart to the evening aarti at Dashashwamedh.
A good base if you want a calmer first taste of ghat life before diving into the denser old-city stretch further north.
Photo via Wikimedia CommonsHarishchandra Ghat
Varanasi's second cremation ghat, smaller and older in local legend than Manikarnika — named for King Harishchandra, said to have worked here as a lowly cremation-ground attendant to keep a promise, a story still told across the city as a lesson in truthfulness. It's quieter and less visited than Manikarnika, which for some visitors makes it feel more contemplative.
The same etiquette applies here as at Manikarnika: no photography, and quiet, respectful observation only.
Photo via Wikimedia CommonsPanchganga Ghat
Named for the belief that five rivers converge here — though only the Ganga is visible today, the others said to flow in unseen. The ghat is dominated by the Alamgir Mosque, built by Aurangzeb on the site of an earlier Vishnu temple, making it one of the more visibly layered spots on the riverfront in terms of the city's long, complicated history.
It's a working, residential stretch of ghat rather than a polished tourist spot — worth it if you want to see Varanasi's river life away from the main circuit.
Photo via Wikimedia CommonsTulsi Ghat
Named after Tulsidas, who is believed to have lived here while composing parts of the Ramcharitmanas. It's one of the older ghats along the river and has a distinctly literary, unhurried feel — a good stretch to slow down and simply watch the river, away from the noise near Dashashwamedh.
Close to Assi Ghat, so the two are easy to combine on a southern-stretch morning walk.
Photo via Wikimedia CommonsScindia Ghat
Built in the 19th century by the Scindia rulers of Gwalior, and instantly recognisable for its half-submerged Shiva temple, which tilts into the river after the ghat's original construction proved too heavy for the riverbank and partially collapsed. It's one of the most photographed spots on the riverfront for exactly that reason.
It sits right next to Manikarnika, so the two are usually seen together on a boat ride along this stretch.
Photo via Wikimedia CommonsKedar Ghat
Marked by its distinctive red-and-white striped steps, Kedar Ghat is named after the Kedareshwar Temple that sits above it, dedicated to Shiva and popular with South Indian pilgrims in particular — some consider a visit here to carry merit similar to a trip to Kedarnath in the Himalayas. It has a smaller, more residential character than the ghats further north.
Worth a stop for the temple as much as the ghat itself, especially if your route already runs through the southern stretch of the riverfront.