Things to Do in Mathura: Experiences, Aartis, Parikramas and More

Key takeaways

• Take darshan at the Krishna Janmabhoomi, the birthplace of Krishna.

• Watch the evening Yamuna aarti at Vishram Ghat.

• Take a boat ride on the Yamuna from the ghats.

• Eat the famous Mathura peda and the Braj sweets.

• Greet the guardian Shiva at Bhuteshwar Mahadev.

• See Gokul and Vrindavan close by; darshan everywhere is free.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018: more than 50,000 of them. When people ask what there is to do in Mathura, they usually mean more than a list of temples; they mean the experiences, the things you do rather than merely see. Mathura is the birthplace of Krishna and its heart is devotional, so its finest experiences are the aartis, the river and the food as much as the temples themselves. Here is what I would have you do in the city, in the spirit of someone who grew up beside it. Plan it all with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message us on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

The best things to do in Mathura at a glance

The best things to do in Mathura. Darshan everywhere is free.

Take darshan at the Krishna Janmabhoomi

The first thing to do in Mathura is to stand where Krishna was born. The Krishna Janmabhoomi marks the prison cell of the tyrant Kansa where, tradition holds, Krishna came into the world at midnight to end his uncle’s reign. It is the spiritual heart of the whole city and the reason Mathura exists as a place of pilgrimage. Go at the morning opening, when the queue is shortest and the security, which is the strictest in Braj, is quickest; leave your phone and bags in the car, for they are not allowed inside.

Watch the Yamuna aarti at Vishram Ghat

If you do only one thing in the evening, let it be the aarti at Vishram Ghat. This is the chief of Mathura’s ghats, the place where Krishna is said to have rested after slaying Kansa and each evening the priests perform the aarti to the river with great lamps of fire, the flames reflected in the Yamuna as the bells ring and the crowd sings. It is the loveliest half hour of a Mathura day and it costs nothing. Arrive a little early for a place near the water.

Take a boat ride on the Yamuna

From the steps of Vishram Ghat and the ghats around it, boatmen offer rides on the Yamuna and it is a lovely thing to do, especially in the soft light of early morning or the hour before the evening aarti. From the water you see the line of ghats and temples as pilgrims have seen them for centuries. Agree the fare before you step in, as the boatmen quote high to visitors and a gentle negotiation is expected. Do not bathe carelessly, for the river, though revered, is honestly polluted; take the boat and the view rather than the plunge.

Eat the peda and the Braj food

Mathura is famous across India for its peda, the dense milk sweet and eating it fresh in the city where it is made is one of the simple joys of a visit. Beyond the peda, the Braj kitchen offers kachori with spiced potato for breakfast, thick creamy rabri, hot jalebi and lassi in an earthen cup. The whole region is pure vegetarian, much of it cooked without onion or garlic as an offering first. Eat where the local families eat, buy your peda from an established busy shop and drink bottled water. Our Vrindavan market shopping guide covers where to buy the best of it.

Take darshan at Dwarkadhish and greet the guardian Shiva

Beyond the Janmabhoomi, Mathura’s grand temple is Dwarkadhish, a rich and beloved Pushtimarg shrine near the river, alive with music and colour at its darshan times. And in the older devotional order of the city, Mathura is guarded by four Shiva temples at its four quarters; the foremost, Bhuteshwar Mahadev, is revered as the kotwal or guardian of the city and pilgrims of the older path greet the guardian Shiva along with Krishna. Doing both is to honour the whole of Mathura rather than half of it.

Explore the old bazaars

The old lanes of Mathura around the Chowk and the ghats are an experience in themselves, crowded and colourful, full of sweet shops and brassware and the small articles of worship. Wandering them is half the pleasure of the city and you can pick up your peda, a brass idol or a set of prayer beads as you go. It needs no separate time; the bazaars are on your way between the temples and the river.

See Gokul and Vrindavan close by

Some of the best things to do around Mathura are just outside it. My own Gokul, where the infant Krishna was raised in hiding, lies a short drive to the south east, quiet and tender. And Vrindavan, where he spent his youth, is twelve to fifteen kilometres north, with its thousands of temples, its evening lights at Prem Mandir and its groves. Neither should be missed if you have more than a single day; together with Mathura they tell the whole story of Krishna’s early life.

Time your visit to a festival

If you can, time your visit to one of Mathura’s great festivals, for there is no more vivid thing to do in the city. Janmashtami, the midnight birth of Krishna in his own city, is Mathura’s supreme celebration; Holi in Braj is famous the world over and lasts many days; and the autumn month of Kartik fills the ghats with devotion. They are crowded beyond belief, but they are the city at its most alive. Our festivals of Braj page has the calendar and our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide the seasons.

How many days do you need?

One day covers the essentials of Mathura city: the Janmabhoomi, Dwarkadhish, the bazaars and the Vishram Ghat aarti. Two days lets you add Gokul and Vrindavan and keep the mornings and evenings unhurried. Three brings in Govardhan and the villages. For how to shape the days, see our Mathura trip plan and for the sights in list form, our top places to visit in Mathura guide.

The honest bit

Honest words on doing Mathura well. Every temple darshan is free and there is no official VIP darshan pass at the Janmabhoomi or anywhere in Braj, whatever a tout may say; first timers are targeted most. Security at the Janmabhoomi is the strictest in the region, with phones and bags barred, so leave them in the car. The Yamuna aarti and the boat ride are lovely, but agree the boat fare first and do not bathe carelessly in the polluted river. Buy your peda from an established shop, not under pressure at a gate. And most temples close for a long midday break, so plan your rest for then rather than fighting it.

Our VIP darshan in Vrindavan guide explains the fake pass trade in full.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul Mahaban Bangar, in this district and the experiences on this page are the ones I grew up with rather than a list I compiled. Guiding since 2018, more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars across 204 Google reviews, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. What a local adds is the doing rather than the seeing: getting you to the Janmabhoomi before the queue, to Vishram Ghat in time for a place at the aarti, to the peda shop the families trust and to the guardian Shiva most groups skip. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: build your Mathura day around the two golden hours, the early morning and the evening aarti and rest in the middle when the temples close. Do the Janmabhoomi at the opening, the bazaars and a boat in the cool of the day and end at the Vishram Ghat aarti as the lamps are lit on the river. That is Mathura done as it should be, not as a checklist but as a day with a rhythm.

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Plan your Mathura experience

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build these experiences into your trip in the right order and at the right hours, for one clear price. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from Rs 1,999 per person, 4.5 stars from 204 Google reviews. Born in Gokul, Mathura.