Found on both banks of the River Gomati, this city is viewed by some as the cultural centre of northern India, and is famous for its fine architecture, monuments, impressive surroundings, fine cuisine, and traditional music and dance.
Many of the places of interest that you'll discover here are structures and monuments dating back to different periods in the city's history. The British Residency building built in 1800, remains as it was after the great Indian Mutiny. Not far from here and you'll find the magnificent mosque built by Asaf ud Daula, Bara Imambara both illustrating the diversity of the historical sights this city has to offer.
Lucknow's cuisine is definitely one of its highlights, and there's good quality restaurants where you can sample some of this tasty food for yourself. Dum Biryani is one of city's specialities, and if you're looking for a tasty kebab you certainly won't be disappointed, it's not hard to see why the city's famous for them.
For a traditional shopping experience, head to Lucknow's busiest market, Aminabad. Explore the narrow lanes that make up the sensory delights of the busy stalls where you can haggle for clothes, fabrics, jewellery, food, shoes, toys and much more. Hazaratganj is also a great area of the city for some more up market shopping, with plenty of restaurants where you can relax and refuel with some refreshments.
As night falls, the city is an enchanting place to take a wander. If you're looking for a city where you can party until the early hours you may be disappointed. Although there are a couple of nightclubs, evenings tend to be more low-key. But, if you visit in February, you may find yourself surrounded by the annual two week long lively and colourful, ‘Lucknow Festival'.
Often overlooked as a destination to visit, Lucknow is a city with a wealth of history, culture and diversity to discover.
Flight time from the UK to Lucknow is approximately 15 hours.
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