Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state brandishes 6 UNESCO world heritage sites. This state in northern India houses over 200 million people and some of the most prestigious sites in the world.

Let’s take a look at the UNESCO world heritage sites in Uttar Pradesh, one at a time.

Given below is a list of Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites one must visit in Uttar Pradesh.

1. Taj Mahal (1983)

Taj Mahal is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites in Uttar Pradesh that is also one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built this astounding monument between 1632 and 1653 as a tomb for his dearest wife, Mumtaz, who died due to childbirth in 1631. The Taj Mahal complex includes a mosque, a guest house and formal gardens with the main tomb at the centre.

• Location: Dharmapuri, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
• Best Time to Visit: October to March
• Hours of Operation: Its opening time is 30 minutes before sunrise, and its closing time is 30 minutes before sunset. It stays closed each Friday.
• Entry Fee: A ticket costs ₹ 50 for an Indian, for citizens of BIMSTEC and SAARC countries, it costs ₹ 540 and ₹ 1100 for other foreigners. However, one, regardless of nationality, has to pay an extra of ₹ 200 to visit the mausoleum itself.

2. Agra Fort (1983)

Agra Fort is an archaeological masterpiece, and one cannot miss this heritage site in Uttar Pradesh. Akbar was also the man behind this magnificent work of art which he built beside the river Yamuna between 1556 and 1573. He had built this fort as a royal residence and has a serious lack of military installations as a “fort” would otherwise suggest.

• Location: Rakabganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
• Best Time to Visit: October to March
• Hours of Operation: It stays open from sunrise to sunset. One can visit Agra Fort any day of the week.
• Entry Fee: Tickets cost ₹ 50 for Indians and ₹ 650 for foreigners. However, one can get a discount on Fridays.

3. Fatehpur Sikri (1986)

Fatehpur Sikri is one of the most bewildering world heritage sites in Uttar Pradesh, built by Mughal emperor Akbar the Great in 1571. Akbar had built this 30 kilometres outside of Agra intended as a capital.  The construction of Fatehpur Sikri continued till 1985 when Akbar had to go to war with Punjab. After the war, he lost interest in the project, and it stayed unfinished and slowly got abandoned.

• Location: Agra, Uttar Pradesh
• Best Time to Visit: October to March
• Hours of Operation: It stays open from 6 am to 6 pm. One can visit Fatehpur Sikri any day, as it stays open seven days a week.
• Entry Fee: It costs ₹ 50 for every Indian. For people from South Asian countries, the ticket price is the same as for Indian citizens. However, other foreigners have to pay ₹ 610.

Listed below are the tentative UNESCO World Heritage Sites that one must explore in Uttar Pradesh.

4. Sarnath (1988)

Situated at the confluence of two rivers in Uttar Pradesh, Sarnath is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. This world-renowned archaeological site houses the deer park where Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon after achieving enlightenment. Additionally, it also consists of Chaukhandi Stupa and several other monasteries and temples.

• Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Best Time to Visit: October to March
• Hours of Operation: It stays open from 8 am to 6 pm. One can visit this site any day of the week.
• Entry Fee: The entry fee for Indians costs ₹ 20. However, foreigners have to pay ₹ 100 to visit this archaeological site.

5. Iconic Saree Weaving Cluster of India (2014)

Added to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Iconic Saree Weaving Cluster of India consists of 8 clusters, two of which are located in Uttar Pradesh. Banaras and Mubarakpur are commonly known for having some of the iconic settlements of saree weavers in India. While the settlements of Banaras are acclaimed for their Indo-Islamic art lore, Mubarakpur settlements are notable for pure silk and zari handlooms.

• Location: 
  • Banaras: Middle-Ganges Valley, Uttar Pradesh
  • Mubarakpur: Azamgarh District, Uttar Pradesh
  • Best Time to Visit:
  • Banaras: November to February
  • Mubarakpur: November to March
• Hours of Operation: 
  • Banaras: Throughout the day
  • Mubarakpur: Throughout the day
• Entry Fee: 
  • Banaras: Free
  • Mubarakpur: Free

6. Varanasi Riverfront (2021)

Commonly famous for embodying Indian culture and spirituality, Varanasi Riverfront is one of the iconic historical sites of Uttar Pradesh. This site stretches over a vast area in front of the River Ganga and is an active spot for activities such as religious festivities and rituals. It consists of a symbolic chain of 84 ghats along with several temples and buildings of spectacular architecture.

• Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Best Time to Visit: November to February
• Hours of Operation: This site remains open 24 hours all days in week.
• Entry Fee: No entry fee

Note: Prices are updated as of April 2023 and may vary.

Sites only get the UNESCO world heritage status if it has marvellous universal value and at least 1 out of these ten selection criteria mentioned below:

• It should be a masterpiece that represents a human creative genius.
• A site that exhibits exceptional development in technology or architecture, coalescence of human values over a spread of time, town planning, monumental arts, or landscape design.
• It should be an exceptional technological or architectural ensemble, a special type of building that represents remarkable stages in human history.
• A site that carries an exceptional history of a cultural tradition or of a civilisation that has disappeared or is currently continuing its journey.
• It should be related to excellent literary and artistic works with enormous universal significance, ideas, beliefs, living traditions, and events.
• A site that is a magnificent example of a tremendously significant human settlement that is related to the environment, especially when it has faced irreversible natural changes.
• It should represent extraordinary phases of the earth's history that includes important geographical changes related to the development of lands and significant physiographic or geomorphic changes.
• A site that is out of the ordinary natural beauty and it should contain exceptional natural phenomena.
• It must contain a very significant and exceptional natural habitat that contains a very rich natural diversity, and houses threatened species that can help enrich the scientific point of view.
• A site that is carrying ongoing biological and ecological processes of development. Also, it should show the evolution of marine ecosystems and coastal or terrestrial life.

This article briefly discusses all three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Uttar Pradesh with additional information on their location, favourable times for visiting, their opening and closing hours and entry fees. So, consider it while exploring these wonders of the world.