The tall dark beehive-shaped dome of Kamakhya Temple above smaller red domes and a trident among trees

ArticleVerified 2026-10-26

Things to do in Guwahati — Kamakhya, the Brahmaputra, museums, ruins and silk

The best things to do in Guwahati: Kamakhya Temple, Umananda Island, the Assam State Museum, Basistha, Deepor Beel, Madan Kamdev and Sualkuchi, with times.

Guwahati is a river city of old temples and the gateway to the Northeast. Here is what the sources point to, with drive times from the centre on our routing.

Photos: Rohit Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

The temples

[Kamakhya Temple](/places/kamakhya-temple), about 14 minutes away, the Shakti pitha on Nilachal Hill, with a sanctum that is a spring-fed hollow in the rock.
[Umananda Island](/places/umananda-island), about 3 minutes to the ghat, the small island in the Brahmaputra with a Shiva temple.
Basistha Temple, about 16 minutes away, the Shiva temple at the ashram of the sage Vasistha, on the edge of the Garbhanga forest. Wikipedia says the octagonal brick temple was built by the Ahom king Rajeswar Singha between 1751 and 1769.
Wikipedia names many more among the old temples of the city, among them Ugratara, Doul Govinda, Sukreswar, Navagraha and Aswakranta.

The river and the museum

The Brahmaputra is the focus of the city. Wikivoyage says luxury boats run from Guwahati to Dibrugarh by way of Kaziranga and Tezpur.
The Assam State Museum, about 1 minute from the centre at the south end of the Dighalipukhuri tank, has sections on sculpture, epigraphy, crafts, folk art, anthropology and natural history. Wikipedia gives its hours as 10:00 to 17:00 in summer and 10:00 to 16:30 in winter, closed on Mondays; check before you go.

Out of the city

Deepor Beel, about 29 minutes away, a freshwater lake and Ramsar wetland south-west of the city.
[Madan Kamdev](/places/madan-kamdev), about 32 minutes away, the Pala-period temple ruins.
[Sualkuchi](/places/sualkuchi), about 38 minutes away, the town of muga, pat and eri silk.
Hajo, about 39 minutes away, where Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim pilgrimage sites stand on different hills.

Plans

Copy the one day in Guwahati or the two days around Guwahati. Read when to visit Guwahati and how to reach Guwahati.

Places around Guwahati

The Guwahati guide →

Umananda Island — Peacock Island and its Shiva temple in the Brahmaputra

island · 3 min from Guwahati

Kamakhya Temple — the Shakti pitha on Nilachal Hill, Guwahati

temple · 14 min from Guwahati

Madan Kamdev — the ruined Pala-period temples at Baihata Chariali

ruins · 32 min from Guwahati

Sualkuchi — the silk-weaving town on the Brahmaputra

town · 38 min from Guwahati

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A wide grey stretch of the Brahmaputra with a small wooded rocky island and low hills in the haze beyond

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The front of Guwahati railway station at Paltan Bazaar, with blue auto-rickshaws and people outside its red-roofed entrance

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Snow-dusted rocky slopes rising to the Indrahar Pass in the Dhauladhar

Indrahar Pass trek — from McLeod Ganj over Triund to the Chamba border at 4,342 m

The Indrahar Pass trek from McLeod Ganj via Triund and Lahesh Caves: the stages with the times Wikipedia gives, the 4,342 m top and the April–October season.

Kullu town on the bank of the Beas with wooded hills behind it

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Cafés and bakeries in Kullu and Bhuntar: Valentino's, Sapna Bakers, Belle Vie and Valley Brew, with menus, hours, eggless and veg options and what they cost.

Trilokinath Temple in Mandi seen in full

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A tea garden at Nagri in the Kangra Valley under a flowering tree

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Palampur is 36 km from Dharamshala and 38 km from Kangra Airport at Gaggal, with a small station at Maranda; the mainline railhead, Pathankot, is 111 km.

Nearby destinations

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69 km away · 4 itineraries · 7 places

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Kaziranga

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Questions people ask

What are the main things to do in Guwahati?

Visit Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal Hill; cross to Umananda Island in the Brahmaputra; see the Assam State Museum; and drive out to the Basistha Temple, the Deepor Beel wetland, the Madan Kamdev ruins and the silk town of Sualkuchi. Wikipedia calls Guwahati the city of temples, and many of the old ones can be reached in a few minutes.

Is Guwahati worth more than a night?

Many people use it only as a gateway to Shillong, Kaziranga or the rest of the Northeast, but one day covers the main sights and a second takes you to the ruins and the weavers. On our routing the Assam State Museum is about 1 minute from the centre, Kamakhya about 14, Madan Kamdev about 32 and Sualkuchi about 38.

What can you buy in Guwahati?

Wikipedia says the silks of Sualkuchi, muga, pat and eri, and the mekhela chadors and gamosas woven from them, are in demand across Assam and India. Wikivoyage calls Guwahati the main centre for shopping and business in the Northeast. We have no verified shop names or prices, so ask your hosts.