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LUCKNOW

Lucknow has been always a multicultural city. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian-loving Shia Nawabs. The city well known amongst Indians and students of South Asian culture and history. Lucknow popularly known as the The City of Nawabs. Its known also as the Golden City of the East, Shiraz-i-Hind and The Constantinople of India.

Lucknow (Hindi: लखनऊ, Urdu: لکھنؤ, Lakhnau) is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India. Lucknow is also the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division.

Today, Lucknow is a vibrant city that is witnessing an economic boom and is among the top ten fastest growing non-major-metropolitan cities of India. It is the second largest city in Uttar Pradesh state. The unique combination of its cultured grace and newly acquired pace is its most promising feature that augurs well for the future.

Area: 3244 sq.km
Population: 36,81,416
Literacy Rate: 57.5%
Rainfall: July – September
Phone STD Code: 0522
Languages: Hindi, English, Urdu
State: Uttar Pradesh, INDIA

How to reach Lucknow

AIR

Lucknow Amausi Airport (Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport) directly connected with Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Kolkata, and Varanasi with regular flights. The airport has some direct flight for Gulf countries & Singapore. Distance from Airport to City (Hazratganj) is about 20 Kms.

Railway

Lucknow Railway Station (Charbagh) well connected to the almost all major cities of India. Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Kolkata and others directly connected to Lucknow.

Road

Lucknow Well connected by road with most of the cities of our country. For pre-paid taxi booking you may contact Pre-paid booth at Charbagh Railway Station.

Wide network of roads connects Lucknow to most major cities in the country. Major highways like NH 24, NH 28 and NH 56 pass through Lucknow. Private buses ply regularly from major cities like Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Delhi and Dehradun.

Roads connecting Lucknow:

The high ways connecting Lucknow are (i) Kanpur Road (Unnao-Kanpur-Agra), (ii) Allahabad Road (Rae-Bareli – Allahabad-Varanasi- onwards), (iii) Faizabad Road (Barabanki-Faizabad(Ayodhya)-Basti, Gorakhpur-onwards) Sultanpur Road (Lucknow -Sultanpur -Varanasi), Sitapur Road (Lucknow -Sitapur-Bareilly-New Delhi) and Hardoi Road.  You can view all these roads maps as well as cities on Lucknow Search Map.

Road Distances

Some of the major road distances are:

Agra – 363 km, Allahabad – 210 km, Ayodhya – 134 km, Calcutta – 985 km, Kanpur – 80 km, Khajuraho – 320 km,

Varanasi – 286 km., Gorakhpur -265 Km. Delhi-500 Km, Dewa Sharif Dargah: 25 Km., Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary: 43 Kms. Neemsaar: 95 Kms. Jhansi: 297 Km. Khajuraho: 320 Km.

Transportation in Lucknow-Information about local means of transport in Lucknow city, UP, India

The readily available modes of public transport in the city are Auto Rickshaw (Three Wheeler), Tempo, Taxi, city buses, cycle rickshaws and CNG Buses. Tanga is also used in some part in the old city for visitors.

Lucknow is well linked with all parts of the country. Amausi Airport and Charbagh Railway station are the airport and main railway station.  You can use taxi, bus for visiting Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Ayodhya, Neemsaar, and Gorakhpur or other nearby places of importance in Lucknow [must-see in Lucknow.] For outstation travel from Lucknow AC buses are available for different places.  You may book them online through the following link:

Taxi/Auto at Lucknow Railway (Charbagh) Station:

Prepaid auto, taxi is available at Railway Station in Lucknow at nominal rates and the arrangement is looked by government agency, Government Railway Police.  It is safe always to hire a taxi, auto at Pre-paid Centre at Railway Station.  After reaching Lucknow, Hotel authorities also provides taxi services. Taxi from strangers should be avoided.

City Guide

Fondly known as the ‘City of Nawabs’ or the ‘City of Tehzeeb’, it has always been a city filled with varied cultures. Now days, Lucknow is a vibrant city that is witnessing an economic boom and is among the top ten fastest growing non-major-metropolitan cities of India. It is the second largest city in Uttar Pradesh state. The unique combination of its cultured grace and newly acquired pace is its most promising feature that augurs well for the future.

Guidance for Tourists:

Lucknow is a city famous worldwide for its manners and etiquette, culture and crafts, for its splendid historical buildings and for the beautiful gardens. But like all other places, some kind of care is required in view of changed environment and place.

Dress:  Please put on normal kind of clothing. At least for ladies, short skirts, particularly in religious places and the main markets of Lucknow, are not advisable. There are now modern Malls, like Saharaganj, Fun Republic, Wave East end Mall and Hazratganj, where one can put on any type of clothing. People in the crowded places of old city are in fact not used to such type of culture or dresses.

Roads:  Be careful when you cross the roads. There are rarely zebra crossings on the road. One thing more, in Lucknow left turn is allowed for vehicles even without signals. Hence be careful while crossing the roads.

Care: During Festivals, like Moharram, Id, Bara Mangal and other Melas (बड़ा मंगल मेला -हनुमान जी की विशेष आराधना), a portion of roads may be closed. Please take guidance from the Guide or Hotel people before visiting any place during festive season.

Bara Imam Bara is one of the most amazing Monuments in Lucknow. While visiting Bara Imam Bara (Bhool Bholaiya) keep a torch with you. Remember, most stairs go upwards. So don’t be alarmed of inside Imam Bara. Go straight upwards and there you will find roof where you will get direct down stairs. You may have to remove your shoes before going inside Imam Bara or other Religious places like temples. Please keep them in trusted hands before leaving.

Beggars:  Very little numbers of beggars are in the city. They may follow politely but do not encourage them by providing money. Keep yourself in groups. If you are alone avoiding lonely places. People in Lucknow are kind and soft spoken with full of manners and courtesy but still there may be some avoidable unpleasant moments.

Toilets and Wash Rooms:  A number of toilets and wash rooms in almost all localities are available with a very nominal fee of Re.1 or 2.  These are called SULABH Shauchalaya. The facility is also available in Residency and other Imam Baras. The toilets may be little dirty but at least they are available.

Conveyance:  It is advisable to take pre-paid taxi or autos from government sponsored counters at Airport and railway station. They will provide you proper receipt. Other modes like three wheelers, Tempos, private taxi, Rickshaw wales and the old Ekka, Tanga (with horse) are also available. If you are staying in a Hotel, please ask them to provide you proper taxi.

Drinking Water: Take only packaged aqua water (available in bottles). Buy it only from reliable shops. Do not use water outside, it may be contaminated and you may fell ill.

Shopping: Lucknow is famous for most beautiful light chicken clothes, suitable especially for summers, Tunde Kabab (special dish), gazak, revari, Dushahari Mangoes (a very sweet variety of mango grown in outskirts of the city). Chikan is a delicate (craft) cloth, involving unique and artistic embroidery done by hands, mostly by women in Lucknow, on a variety of textile fabrics like muslin, silk, chiffon, organiza, doriya and organdy. There are around 59 types of stitches used in Chikan work, of which murri, tepchi, tappa, dhum, katao bakhia, jali are mainly used to develop exquisite designs and look.  In addition to kurtas, sarees, salwar suits, topis, rumal and dupattas, Chikan craft is being used on new items like table covers, tray covers, napkins and other pieces of decoration. The demand for these art pieces is increasing day-by-day in India and abroad.  In Lucknow city mainly Chikan work is to done in the chowk locality (old city) and Daliganj. Besides Chikan work the Zardozi and Kandani works of Lucknow are also appreciated far and wide.  These hand embroidery works are done on sarees, dupattas and many other clothes of day-to-day use.

While buying clothes, please note there is bargaining in some shops of chowk area and Aminabad. But there are fixed rates in Hazratganj and malls. Sewa Chikan, Sugnamal Shops are some of the trusted shops.

Photography in some religious places may not be allowed. Please ensure to avoid an awkward situation. But still remember people in Lucknow are soft spoken and seldom hurt anyone. Guests and tourists are most liked and respected.

Best time to visit Lucknow – Climate of Lucknow

Lucknow has a lovely climate in November and December. Generally, it has warm subtropical climate with cool, dry winters from December to February and dry, hot summers from April to June. The sky of Lucknow is covered with clouds in July and August. However, rainy season is from mid-June to mid-September, when Lucknow gets an average rainfall of 1010 mm (40 in) mostly from the south-west monsoon winds. In winter the maximum temperature is around 21 degrees Celsius and the minimum is in the 3 to 4 degrees’ Celsius range. Fog is quite common from late December to late January. It may be difficult to drive sometimes. Summers can be quite hot with temperatures rising to the 40 to 45-degree Celsius range.