Ram Jhula, Rishikesh
The Ram Jhula, an iron suspension bridge of 1986 joining Sivananda Nagar to Swargashram, with the access changes reported since 2023 and what to check first.
Uttarakhand⛰ 340 m2 itineraries
Rishikesh
Rishikesh on the Ganges at about 340 m: the Beatles Ashram, the Lakshman and Ram Jhula bridges and Parmarth Niketan, with drive times and access notes.
Itineraries you can copy
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Day plan · First visitTemples & heritage
One day in Rishikesh — Beatles Ashram, Lakshman Jhula and the evening aarti
A one-day Rishikesh plan: the ruined Beatles Ashram in the morning, the Lakshman Jhula bank after lunch and the sunset aarti at Parmarth Niketan. Free to copy.
Best Jan–Mar · Oct–Dec
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1 night · 2 days · First visitTemples & heritage
Two days in Rishikesh — the bridges, the ghats and Neelkanth Mahadev
A two-day Rishikesh plan: the Beatles Ashram, both bridges and the Parmarth Niketan aarti on day one, then the Neelkanth Mahadev temple. Free to copy.
Best Jan–Mar · Oct–Dec
See the plan →Rishikesh is a Ganges town at about 340 m in Dehradun district, where the river leaves the hills for the plain. Wikipedia calls it the gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas and the starting point for the Char Dham pilgrimage, and the International Yoga Festival has been held here each March since 1999. From Delhi it is about 241 km by road on our routing, where free-flow routing says 3.5 hours and traffic usually adds more.
The river splits the town. Two suspension bridges, the Lakshman Jhula and the Ram Jhula, have joined the banks, and both have changed their access in recent years, so check before you plan a crossing. On the east bank, Parmarth Niketan holds the sunset aarti at Swargashram, and the ruined Beatles Ashram, 25 minutes from the centre by road, is where the Beatles studied meditation in 1968.
A day covers the ashram, the bridge and the evening aarti; a second day adds the walk across both bridges and the temple at Neelkanth Mahadev, 51 minutes out. See the one-day plan, the two-day plan, things to do in Rishikesh, when to visit and how to reach Rishikesh.
Photos: SnehaShrivastava (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Snehrashmi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Billjones94 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Places worth the drive
Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh
Parmarth Niketan, the riverside ashram at Swargashram founded in 1942, open to all visitors and known for its sunset Ganga aarti and a Shiva statue.
Lakshman Jhula, Rishikesh
The Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge over the Ganges 5.6 km from Rishikesh: its legend, its history since 1889, and why its status needs checking before you go.
Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh
The Chaurasi Kutia ashram above the Ganges where the Beatles studied meditation in 1968: ruined halls, stone domes and murals, 25 minutes from Rishikesh.
On the map
Open the Rishikesh map →The places a Rishikesh day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
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Things to do in Rishikesh — 5 stops, and which need a car
Five things to do in Rishikesh, from the Beatles Ashram and the two Jhula bridges to the Parmarth Niketan aarti and Neelkanth Mahadev, with drive times.
How to reach Rishikesh — distances and drive times
How to reach Rishikesh from Delhi, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Haridwar and Mussoorie by road, with measured distances and times, and the nearest airport and station.
Best time to visit Rishikesh — month by month
When to go to Rishikesh: the cool, dry months from October to March, the 40 °C heat of the late spring, July's 444 mm of rain and the March yoga festival.
Questions people ask
What is Rishikesh known for?
It is a Ganges town at about 340 m where the river leaves the hills, called the gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas and the start of the Char Dham pilgrimage. It is known for ashrams and yoga, the Beatles Ashram, the Lakshman and Ram Jhula bridges, and the evening Ganga aarti on the river steps.
How many days do you need in Rishikesh?
One day covers the Beatles Ashram, the Lakshman Jhula and the sunset aarti at Parmarth Niketan. A second adds the Ram Jhula and the Neelkanth Mahadev temple, which is 51 minutes out. From Delhi it is about 241 km, 3.5 hours free-flow, so many visitors also come for a long weekend.
Are the Lakshman and Ram Jhula bridges open?
Check locally. Wikipedia says the Lakshman Jhula became pedestrian-only in November 2020 and was due to close for good once a replacement is built. It reports the Ram Jhula as pedestrian-only in 2023 and closed completely by 2025. We have no current word, so ask at your hotel before you plan a crossing.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.