Lucknow Travel Guide: Imambaras, Awadhi Food, Seasons and Flights
Lucknow is a city in Uttar Pradesh. Incredible India, the Ministry of Tourism's website, describes its architecture and culture under the Nawabs of Awadh, especially Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, who it says reigned from 1775 to 1797. The Ministry calls the city's monuments a fusion of Mughal, Persian and British influences.
The Ministry's Uttar Pradesh page names the Imambara, the Rumi Darwaza, the Residency and Dilkusha among Lucknow's heritage sites. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has listed Lucknow in its Creative Cities Network for gastronomy since 2025, and its page describes the city's Awadhi cuisine.
Flights land at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (LKO), at Amausi, and the main direct routes recorded from there are named below. The India travel guide covers the rest of the country, and Varanasi, also in Uttar Pradesh, has its own guide.
What to see in Lucknow
Bara Imambara
Incredible India says Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula built the Bara Imambara during a famine, as an employment scheme, and that its central hall has "the largest arched roof in the world without any wooden or metal support". The same page describes the Bhul Bhulaiya, a labyrinth, and names the Asafi Masjid and the Shahi Baoli, a stepwell, within the complex.
The city's metro operator, the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC), says on its page of sights that the building "is now used by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari".
Rumi Darwaza
Incredible India dates the Rumi Darwaza to 1784, describes it as a famine relief project and compares it with the ancient gate in Constantinople. UPMRC says Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula built the gateway to generate employment during the famine of 1784, that it once marked the entrance to the old city of Lucknow, and that it is also called the Turkish Gate and is now a symbol of the city.
Chhota Imambara
Also known as the Hussainabad Imambara, the Chhota Imambara stands to the west of the Bara Imambara and was built by Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah, according to UPMRC. Incredible India notes its white domes and stucco work.
Lucknow Residency
Incredible India describes the Lucknow Residency, also called the British Residency or the Residency Complex, as a complex of a mansion, a mosque and outbuildings. It says the site has been turned into a museum, which covers what the Ministry's page calls "the Indian Rebellion of 1857".
The same page says the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) declared the buildings protected monuments.
Other places in the city
UPMRC's list of sights near its stations includes the Vidhan Bhawan, 0.9 km from Hazratganj station. It also lists Charbagh Railway Station, which UPMRC dates to 1914 and describes as Rajasthani and Mughal architecture, 0.4 km from Charbagh metro station. Incredible India lists Lucknow Charbagh Railway Station as the nearest railway station to Lucknow.
Awadhi food, crafts and festivals
UNESCO's page on Lucknow names tunday kebabs, dum biryani and sheermal, and gives Hazratganj, Chowk and Aminabad as heritage markets. Incredible India also mentions the Tunday Kabab and Lucknowi or Awadhi biryani, and points to the Chowk area for food.
The Ministry's Uttar Pradesh page says Chikankari embroidery is mainly practised in Lucknow. Its Lucknow page also mentions Zardozi work and the classical dance form Kathak.
The festivals on UNESCO's page include the Lucknow Mahotsav, the Awadh Mahotsav and the Sanatkada Festival. Check each festival's dates for the year you travel.
Heat, rain and fog in Lucknow
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) publishes climate normals for 1991 to 2020 for its Lucknow airport station. In that table, May has the highest mean maximum temperature, 39.9 degrees Celsius, with April at 38.2 and June at 38.3. January has the lowest mean minimum, 7.8 degrees Celsius.
Rainfall is heaviest in the monsoon months in the same table: August 241.6 mm on average, July 238.5 mm, September 162.1 mm and June 107.4 mm. IMD counts June to September as the south-west monsoon season.
The table records fog on the most days in January, 18.4 days on average, and in December, 17.4 days, with fewer in November and February. These are 30-year averages, not a forecast for any one winter.
Flying to Lucknow
Lucknow's airport is Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, at Amausi, run by the Adani Group. The airport page covers the airport itself and the ways into the city.
The site's schedule data records direct domestic flights from Lucknow to Delhi, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Hyderabad, and also to Chennai (Madras), Pune, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Goa (Dabolim). Each name links to its route page, and the airport page lists the other routes recorded from Lucknow.
The airlines recorded on these routes include IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air.
The Lucknow Metro
UPMRC runs the Lucknow Metro, whose services began on 5 September 2017. Its project overview, which dates from about 2023, describes metro train services on the North-South Corridor from the Chaudhary Charan Singh (CCS) Airport station to Munshipulia.
UPMRC names single journey tokens, group tickets, the Go Smart card and one-day and three-day tourist cards. It says tokens are bought at the ticketing counter windows and ticket vending machines at all metro stations, and that a token remains valid for the whole day from the station of purchase.
UPMRC's list of sights near its stations pairs the Bara Imambara, the Rumi Darwaza and the Chhota Imambara with KD Singh Babu Stadium station, at 3.1 km, 3.5 km and 4.1 km.
Side trip: Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary
Incredible India places Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary on the plains of Unnao, near Lucknow, and says it is also known as the Shahid Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary and was declared a sanctuary in 1984. It describes a 2.6 km lakeside trail for cycling and walking.
According to the same page, migratory birds arrive as winter sets in, and resident species live there year-round. It names Lucknow Charbagh Railway Station and Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport as the nearest station and airport.
Questions about visiting Lucknow
Is Lucknow a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy?
Yes. UNESCO lists Lucknow in its Creative Cities Network under gastronomy, as a member since 2025. This is a Creative Cities Network membership, not a World Heritage listing.
Which months are hottest, wettest and foggiest in Lucknow?
In IMD's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Lucknow airport station, May has the highest mean maximum temperature and, of the monsoon months, August has the most rain. January has the most days with fog, followed by December.
Which metro station does UPMRC pair with the Bara Imambara in Lucknow?
UPMRC's list of sights pairs the Bara Imambara with KD Singh Babu Stadium station, 3.1 km from the station. It gives the same station for the Rumi Darwaza and the Chhota Imambara.
Does the Lucknow Metro go to the airport?
Yes. UPMRC's project overview, which dates from about 2023, describes its North-South Corridor as running from CCS Airport station to Munshipulia, and the airport operator lists the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCS) metro station among its nearest metro stations. The airport page covers the ways into the city.