Ganesh Chaturthi — group & family transport — Book Ganesh cabs
Diwali 2026 is on Sunday 8 November, which gives a three-day long weekend of 7–9 November without taking leave. From Delhi by car the Diwali trips that work are: Ayodhya for Deepotsav on the 7th and Diwali in the temple town, three days; Amritsar for the Golden Temple’s Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas lighting, three days; Jaipur for the Pink City’s market illuminations, three days; Mathura and Vrindavan for Govardhan Puja and the Annakut, two days; Varanasi with Dev Deepawali two weeks later, five days; and Shimla or Rishikesh for a quiet Diwali away from the smoke. Every package is a round trip at the rate card, ₹11/km for a sedan on a 300 km per day minimum: ₹6,600 for two days, ₹9,900 for three.
Updated · Fares from the published rate card, Sedan ₹11/km to Tempo ₹23/km
A Diwali package by car is a round trip with the driver staying on, and the reason to build it around the car rather than a train is the dates: Diwali weekend is one of the heaviest on the railways, and the roads out of Delhi are empty on Diwali morning itself. The packages below are the seven we run most, each with the days it needs, the distance and the rate-card fare. None has a festival surcharge.
Fares: Sedan ₹11/km, Ertiga or SUV ₹15/km, Innova Crysta ₹18/km, 12-seater Tempo Traveller ₹23/km, on a 300 km per day minimum, tolls and parking at actual. Hotels are yours to book, and for Ayodhya and Varanasi they need booking now.
The packages
Three are festival trips into the light; two are temple-town Diwalis; two are the escape from the smoke.
7–9 Nov · 3 days · 630 kmThe biggest Diwali in the country. Deepotsav on the Saryu ghats on the evening of the 7th, Ram Mandir darshan and the town’s own Diwali on the 8th, Hanuman Garhi and the drive home on the 9th. Sedan ₹13,860 for the three days; Ayodhya and Faizabad hotels sell out for Deepotsav, so fix the stay first.
7–9 Nov · 3 days · 450 kmDiwali and Bandi Chhor Divas fall together, and the Golden Temple is illuminated with lamps and fireworks over the sarovar on the night of the 8th. Wagah on the 7th, the temple on the 8th, the food on the 9th. Sedan ₹9,900.
7–9 Nov · 3 days · 280 kmJaipur’s bazaars compete for the best Diwali illumination and the whole old city is lit for the week; Johari and Bapu bazaars after dark on the 8th are the point. Amber and Nahargarh by day. Sedan ₹9,900.
8–9 Nov · 2 days · 160 kmGovardhan Puja follows Diwali, and the temples of Braj build the Annakut mountains of food. Diwali evening in Vrindavan, the Annakut at Govardhan and the temples the next day. Sedan ₹6,600.
6–10 Nov · 5 days · 820 kmVaranasi’s family Diwali on the 8th, and, two weeks later, the Dev Deepawali lighting of every ghat on the 24th. Either a five-day trip over Diwali or a separate trip for the 24th; the Dev Deepawali guide covers it. Sedan ₹18,040 for the five days.
7–9 Nov · 3 days · 350 kmThe Ridge and Mall Road lit for the festival, clean air, and the first cold nights of the season. The escape package for families who want the lamps without the city. Sedan ₹9,900.
7–9 Nov · 3 days · 250 kmLamps on the river at Triveni Ghat, the aarti on Diwali night, rafting in the morning. Quiet, clean and four hours from Delhi. Sedan ₹9,900.
Round-trip sedan fares at ₹11/km on a 300 km per day minimum; the trip bills the greater of the actual distance or the day minimum. Tolls, parking and hotels are extra.
| Package | Dates | Days | One-way | Sedan, round trip | Innova Crysta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayodhya Deepotsav and Diwali | 7–9 Nov | 3 | 630 km | ₹13,860 | ₹22,680 |
| Amritsar Golden Temple Diwali | 7–9 Nov | 3 | 450 km | ₹9,900 | ₹16,200 |
| Jaipur market lights | 7–9 Nov | 3 | 280 km | ₹9,900 | ₹16,200 |
| Mathura–Vrindavan Govardhan Puja | 8–9 Nov | 2 | 160 km | ₹6,600 | ₹10,800 |
| Varanasi Diwali (with Lucknow halt) | 6–10 Nov | 5 | 820 km | ₹18,040 | ₹29,520 |
| Shimla, the escape | 7–9 Nov | 3 | 350 km | ₹9,900 | ₹16,200 |
| Rishikesh, the quiet one | 7–9 Nov | 3 | 250 km | ₹9,900 | ₹16,200 |
Ertiga ₹15/km and 12-seater Tempo Traveller ₹23/km on the same rules. Ayodhya and Varanasi bill their actual distance because it exceeds the day minimum. Fares include fuel and driver; no Diwali surcharge.
Which one
If you want the festival at its largest, Ayodhya: nothing else in the country matches Deepotsav on the 7th, and the Diwali guide for it explains where to stand and when to leave. If you want a Diwali that is beautiful and calm at the same time, Amritsar: the Golden Temple on the night of the 8th, lit over the water, is the most peaceful Diwali crowd you will ever stand in. If you want colour and shopping, Jaipur. If the family observes Govardhan Puja, Mathura and Vrindavan is the trip. If you want to be out of Delhi’s air, Shimla or Rishikesh.
Varanasi is the odd one out: its own Diwali is a household festival, and the night the ghats are lit is Dev Deepawali on the 24th. Most Varanasi visitors go for that instead.
Ayodhya · 630 kmLeaving Delhi
Leave on Saturday the 7th before six, or on Friday evening. Diwali eve traffic out of the city builds through Saturday morning and the expressways are slow by nine. Come back on Monday the 9th, when the roads into Delhi are clear; Bhai Dooj follows within days and the roads are busy again. For Ayodhya the 7th is fixed by Deepotsav; leave at four.
For a two-day Mathura–Vrindavan trip, leave on Diwali morning itself, when the Yamuna Expressway is empty, be in Vrindavan for the evening lamps, and do Govardhan and the Annakut the next day.
Cost
The rate card, and nothing else. A three-day trip to anything up to 450 km from Delhi, so that the 900 km round trip sits inside the three-day minimum, which covers Jaipur, Amritsar, Shimla and Rishikesh, bills ₹9,900 for a sedan, ₹13,500 for an Ertiga, ₹16,200 for an Innova Crysta and ₹20,700 for a 12-seater Tempo Traveller: three days at the 300 km minimum, fuel and driver included. Ayodhya and Varanasi are further than the minimum covers and bill their actual round trip, ₹13,860 and ₹18,040 for a sedan. Tolls and parking are paid at actual; the driver carries FASTag.
There is no Diwali surcharge and no advance for most bookings. The one thing that changes at Diwali is availability: book by the end of October, because Diwali weekend fills early.
Amritsar
Diwali at Harmandir Sahib coincides with Bandi Chhor Divas, the day Guru Hargobind was released from Gwalior fort, and the temple marks both with lamps along the parikrama, on the causeway and around the sarovar, and fireworks over the water after the evening prayers. The complex is open all night and the crowd is enormous but orderly; go in after nine when the first rush has eaten at the langar. Wagah on the 7th, the temple on the 8th, the kulcha lanes and Jallianwala Bagh on the 9th before the drive home. Six-lane GT Road all the way; seven and a half hours.
Amritsar · 7 NovGroups
Yes, and it is the cheapest way to do it. A 12-seater Tempo Traveller at ₹23/km bills ₹20,700 for a three-day trip within 300 km, which for ten people is under ₹2,100 a head for three days of transport; a 17-seater is available for larger families. Tempo Travellers are charged the same for one-way and round trip, so book the whole trip and keep the vehicle for the days you are there.
Fare box
The three-day figure covers Amritsar, Jaipur, Shimla or Rishikesh; Ayodhya and Varanasi are in the table above. Fuel and driver included, tolls at actual, no Diwali surcharge.
| Vehicle | Seats | Rate | Three-day trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan (Swift Dzire, Etios) | 4 | ₹11/km | ₹9,900 |
| Ertiga / SUV | 6 | ₹15/km | ₹13,500 |
| Innova Crysta | 6–7 | ₹18/km | ₹16,200 |
| Tempo Traveller (12-seater) | 12 | ₹23/km | ₹20,700 |
900 km billed over three days. Longer distances bill the actual round trip. A two-day Mathura–Vrindavan trip bills 600 km.
In pictures
AmritsarLamps over the sarovar on the 8th.
AyodhyaDeepotsav on the 7th.
JaipurThe lit bazaars beneath it.
BrajDiwali evening in Vrindavan.
EscapeThe clean-air Diwali.
Diwali weekend fills early. The rate does not change; the availability does.
Ayodhya and Faizabad hotels sell out for Deepotsav. Fix the stay in Ayodhya or Faizabad, then give us the dates.
The Yamuna Expressway is empty on the morning of the 8th. Mathura by ten, Vrindavan for the evening lamps.
Questions people ask
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Where to go next
Diwali Ayodhya cabDeepotsav packagesDelhi to Amritsar cab450 km · 7.5 hrs
Delhi to Jaipur cab280 km · NH-48
Delhi to Mathura cab160 km · Yamuna ExpresswayDelhi to Shimla cab350 kmDelhi to Rishikesh cab250 km
Long weekend packages 2026Every long weekend left
Where to go in NovemberThe month, by destination