Patna

A capital with a very long memory

Patna runs for miles along the south bank of the Ganga, and it has been a city for well over two thousand years. As Pataliputra it was the seat of the Mauryan emperors, Chandragupta and Ashoka among them, and later of the Guptas. Very little of that stands above ground now. What you see instead is a crowded, working state capital with layers from every century since: a British famine granary, a Mughal-era mosque by the river, the gurdwara where Guru Gobind Singh was born, and one of the best new museums in the country.

How the city is laid out

Think of Patna as a long strip rather than a centre. The west holds Bailey Road, the Bihar Museum and the newer neighbourhoods. The middle is built around Gandhi Maidan, with Golghar on its west side and the shopping streets of Fraser Road, Exhibition Road and Boring Road close by. Patna Junction and Mahavir Mandir sit just to the south. The old town, Patna City, lies about 10 km east along Ashok Rajpath, and that is where the Takht, Patan Devi and the narrow bazaars are. Traffic between the two ends can be slow, so group your sights by side of town.

A sensible two days

Spend the first morning at the Bihar Museum, which needs at least three hours, then walk Gandhi Maidan and climb to the Golghar viewpoint if the stairs are open. Evening at Gandhi Ghat, on a weekend if you want the Ganga aarti. On day two, head east early to Takht Sri Patna Sahib, eat at the langar, and stop at Kumhrar on the way back. Nalanda, Rajgir and Vaishali are all day trips from here.

Things that surprise first-time visitors

Bihar has banned alcohol since 2016, and the ban covers visitors, hotels and bars alike, so do not bring any in. Summers are very hot, and the monsoon can flood low-lying roads and the riverfront; the Ganga rose past its highest recorded level at Patna in September 2026. Autumn and winter are the easy months, and Chhath Puja in October or November is when the city is most itself. Dress modestly for the gurdwara and temples, and carry a scarf to cover your head at the Takht.

Eating well

Litti chokha is the dish to try first, and it is cheap and filling. Add a glass of sattu sharbat on a hot day, and a Silao khaja or a malpua for something sweet. The food page lists where each one is done well.