Planning a trip to Lucknow? Don't miss these places

Lucknow: Lucknow, widely known as 'The City of Nawab's', lives with its tagline 'muskuraiye, aap Lucknow mei hain'. Undoubtedly, this is one of those cities which one cannot resist visiting atleast once in a lifetime and each and every inch of this place will leave a remarkable impact on the heart of the visitor. This city offers all that a person needs to explore. Be it malls to huge ancient monuments, spicy-famous awadhi food to the famous chikan clothes, Lucknow provides all that you need. In case you're planning on a trip to this city, here are all those places which you cannot miss.

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Bara Imambara

Bara Imambara offers a feeling of bygone era as you wander in the midst of the mughal ruins. This monument that has been standing still since 1784 will amaze you by its beauty and might. It is an important place for the Muslims and it receives millions of devotees during the religious festival of Muharram. An interesting fact about Bara Imambara that will blow your mind is that, the central hall is said to be about 50 meters long, thus making it the largest arched hall in the world and an unsupported structure.

Chhota Imambara

Located about 1.5 kilometres west of Bara Imambara, another architectural masterpiece with a mosaic of green patterns is Chhota Imambara. This 19th century structure holds its allure among visitors with its colourful lamps and chandeliers that glare as the sun sets, giving an impressive appeal and look to the mausoleum. Inside the complex, you can also find the tomb of Muhammad Ali Shah and that of his family members.

Hazratganj

There is always that one favourite place to chill and relax and ‘Ganj’ as it is locally called offers just that. Hazratganj is a renowned attraction, placed in the city’s central area, similar to the casual crowd puller of Delhi’s Connaught Place and the MG Road of Bengaluru, this vibe seekers’ corner is the best place to shop, slurp, eat and simply ‘walk the talk.’ Ganj is intact with a number of coffee shops and fine dining restaurants like Royal Café, Jone Hing, and Chedilal. Here you can also find the popular Paanch Pani Ke Bataashe (Golgappas with five assorted flavoured water) that one cannot resist. And the best time to visit is during the onset of darkness when the entire place illuminates with glittering lights; it is also when Lucknow’s night crawlers meet for jaunty activities. Ganj’s vicinity also comprises a number of iconic historical monuments, for instance, the Dilkusha Kothi and Lucknow Residency.

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Marine Drive

Lucknow’s Marine Drive is popular amongst locals, who make sure their guests and friends from other cities arriving in the city visit this comparatively new attraction. The Marine Drive is a magnificent long stretch road along the Gomti River and it often attracts a number of youngster. Here, you can see sculptures of elephants aligned uniformly coloured in reddish brown and after sundown, many people come to enjoy the calming ambiance where young music fanatics play some soothing hindi songs with acoustic guitar. In fact, the beauty of the place arouses only during this time, with its long pathway lit with brilliant lights making the place even more spectacular. The Marine Drive is not just deemed as a popular place for young generations but even elderly couples to enjoy a stroll on the sidewalks of the drive, simply relishing the scenic beauty ‘away from the chaotic city life.’

Chowk

It is evident for every place to have multiple shopping destinations, and for Lucknowites, Chowk is one of the favourite places. It is a major crowd puller for both shopaholics and foodies, it is here you can see the the cultural and historical heritage of the city. A busy business point, this marketplace is popular for its divine makhan malai and Rahim’s nahari kulcha. Other major attractions of the place are the embroidered Chikan Garments, a collection of itra, traditional and modern ornaments etc. It is also the best place to buy some handicrafts and if you happen to make it to the Gol Darwaja area of the market, do check out the beautifully handcrafted products like knifes, lampshades, ivory shirt pins, nagra shoes, and chappals.

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Residency

In the vicinity of other monuments such as Bara Imambara, Tehri Kothi, and High Court Building, this picturesque British Residency is a famous attraction that must be visited. The complex houses several buildings constructed during the rule of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan II. Those were the times when it served as the residence for the British Resident General, today however, it is adorned with rustic shattered walls oozing a solitary beauty. The ruined buildings are surrounded by green carpeted lawns and alluring flowers and plants and calming ambiance. There also exist a cemetery that has the graves of Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence, a British soldier and statesman in India, who died in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion; and that of around 2000 men, women and children of that era. If you want to seek peace, or simply spend some time amidst tranquillity, British Residency is a place for you.