The third Nawab of Avadh, (Husainabad Imambada), Uttar Pradesh, India.

©Rajeev Gupta/500px

Lucknow

Sprinkled with Islamic and British Raj–era architecture, stuffed with fascinating bazaars and famed throughout India for its food, the capital of Uttar Pradesh is something of a sleeper: plenty worth seeing, but often overlooked by travelers. Central Lucknow features wide boulevards, epic monuments and several parks and gardens that contribute to an atmosphere of faded grandiosity.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Lucknow , Bada Imambara

    Bara Imambara

    Lucknow

    This colossal imambara (Shiite tomb complex) is worth seeing in its own right, but the highly unusual labyrinth of corridors inside its upper floors make…

  • Archways at Residency, Lucknow

    Residency

    Lucknow

    The large collection of gardens and ruins that makes up the Residency offers a fascinating historical glimpse of the beginning of the end for the British…

  • La Martinière School

    La Martinière School

    Lucknow

    This prestigious boarding school – where British pop legend Sir Cliff Richard studied – was designed and built by influential Frenchman Major General…

  • Rumi Darwaza

    Rumi Darwaza

    Lucknow

    Just beyond the Bara Imambara, the striking Rumi Darwaza was built in the 1780s by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula. It's unusual but imposing, and said to be a copy…

  • Indo Islamic Architecture

    Chota Imambara

    Lucknow

    This elaborate black-and-white tomb was constructed in 1832 by the third king of Oudh, Mohammed Ali Shah (who is buried here, alongside his mother)…

  • Tomb of Saadat Ali Khan

    Tomb of Saadat Ali Khan

    Lucknow

    The former Kaiserbagh garden holds the tomb of Saadat Ali Khan, the fifth nawab of Oudh (ruled 1798–1814), whose body is buried in the crypt below. A ₹50 …

  • State Museum

    State Museum

    Lucknow

    This overlooked museum houses sculptural masterpieces dating back to the 3rd century AD, including intricately carved Mathura sculptures ranging from…

  • Clock Tower

    Clock Tower

    Lucknow

    The 67m red-brick clock tower, said to be the tallest in India, was built in the 1880s in memory of Sir George Couper, a reform-minded Governor of UP …

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