Lucknow to Varanasi
by Car

300 km by road, and 5-6 hours behind the wheel. The route divides into 3 stages, the longest being Lucknow to Sultanpur at 140 km. The longest stage is not the slowest one: Jaunpur to Varanasi covers 65 km in 1.5 hrs, which is where the hours actually go.

No — and that is the useful answer here rather than a dodge. All 3 stages of this route are graded good: Lucknow to Sultanpur (140 km), Sultanpur to Jaunpur (80 km) and Jaunpur to Varanasi (65 km). There is no stretch that needs a different kind of driving from the rest, which is why 300 km takes 5-6 hours and not longer. The one place the clock slows is Jaunpur to Varanasi, and that is traffic rather than road.

Jaunpur to Varanasi — 65 km in 1.5 hrs, which is the slowest average on the route. Approaching the ancient city, temple spires visible. Lucknow to Sultanpur is the longest stage at 140 km and takes 2.5 hrs, so distance and time are not in proportion on this corridor. Knowing which stage is slow is what lets a departure time be chosen properly rather than guessed at.

Purvanchal Expressway or NH-56, flat UP plains, Historic Jaunpur, Atala Mosque and Shahi Bridge, among others. These are on the route rather than detours from it, which is the practical distinction — a stop that costs you ten minutes is a different proposition from one that costs an hour each way. Tell the driver in advance which of them you want to stop at and the day gets planned around it instead of around the clock.

Varanasi is India's oldest living city — walk the ghats at dawn for the most profound experience. Then: sarnath (10 km from Varanasi) is where Buddha gave his first sermon — unmissable for history lovers. Then: try Kashi Chat and Banarasi Paan near Dashashwamedh Ghat — iconic street food. Then: purvanchal Expressway is the fastest option — 6-lane highway cuts travel time significantly. None of that is generic road-trip advice — it is what the drivers who run this corridor pass on, and the position-specific items are the ones worth reading twice.

Sultanpur at 140 km, Jaunpur at 220 km and Varanasi outskirts at 280 km. Those figures are measured from Lucknow, not from Varanasi — the same stops on the return journey sit at different numbers, and a list copied from the other direction puts every one of them in the wrong place. The useful halfway mark on this route is around 150 km.

Sedan (Swift Dzire) for this corridor. On a highway route of 300 km the choice is mostly luggage and legroom — the road itself does not punish a smaller car. Fares for each are on this page, computed from the published per-km rate rather than quoted separately.