Places to Visit Near Vrindavan

The Krishna Janmabhoomi complex, the Vishram Ghat on the Yamuna where the evening aarti is held, the Dwarkadhish temple, and the Government Museum which holds one of the best collections of Kushana and Gupta sculpture anywhere.

The hill circled on foot by pilgrims on the twenty-one kilometre parikrama, with Kusum Sarovar and its sandstone cenotaphs at one end and Daan Ghati at the other. The sarovar in the late afternoon is the best hour in Braj.

The hill temple of Radha Rani above the town, reached by a stepped climb, and the place the Lathmar Holi is held a few days before the main festival. Quiet and steep for most of the year, and extraordinarily crowded for that week.

The village associated with Krishna being raised, with the Raman Reti sands, the Nand Bhavan on its mound and the Chaurasi Khamba hall. Smaller and far calmer than Vrindavan or Mathura, and a better sense of what Braj looked like.

A hill village across from Barsana with the Nand Bhavan temple at the top and Pan Sarovar below it. The two villages exchange the Lathmar Holi between them. Very few visitors outside the festival.

The Dauji temple at Baldeo, dedicated to Krishna's elder brother Balarama, and the site of the Huranga Holi the day after the main festival. A working temple town with almost no tourist traffic.

Keoladeo national park, a wetland walked or cycled rather than driven and at its peak for migratory birds in January, plus Lohagarh fort in the town and the Deeg water palace half an hour on, whose monsoon fountains still run on festival days.

The Taj, Agra Fort across the river from it, Itimad-ud-Daulah which is the better building for a quiet hour, and Mehtab Bagh on the far bank for the evening view. A comfortable day from here, though the sunrise argues for a night.