6 heritage walks in Indian cities that aren’t just for tourists

India is enriched with deep culture and heritage, and there has been a surge to experience India through heritage walks, which are led by local historians, volunteers, urban storytellers, and creative collectives. These heritage walks give you a glimpse into the India you didn’t know existed; they reveal hidden corners of the city, folklore, and calligraphy to highlight lesser-known stories or facts about their city.
The perfect way to really know about the city you are visiting or live in is to go on heritage walks there, and today, we have curated the list of heritage walks you shouldn’t miss out on for the best experience:

One must definitely go on a historical walk in Mumbai. A lot of organizations organize walks to explore Mumbai, which take you through the everyday heart of the place: barber shops, photo studios, shops in Kalbadevi and around Ballard Estate. These heritage walks do not focus on monuments but on urban culture and the city’s lived memory. You can even join poetry walks here in which you describe architectural marvels and the streets through local verses—like in some walks, they read poems of Eunice D’Souza about Mumbai’s Catholic uncles and aunties, while walking through the Christian neighbourhoods helps bring the words to life.

A lot of walks are organised to explore the streets of Old Delhi by volunteers, local historians, or people just passionate about culture. A walk through Old Delhi takes you through the lanes of Chandni Chowk, experience the delicious street food here, and these walks also take you to the historical sites like Jama Masjid and the Red Fort. One can experience the soul of Delhi by walking through the streets of Old Delhi, where the focus is not on just grand monuments but on neighbourhood shops, their backstories, food traditions, and rituals.

Some communities organize heritage walks in Jaipur to explore the ‘Pink City’—more than what meets the eye. These organizations don’t just take you for a walk to the historical monuments, they tell the mysteries that lie beneath each destination here. In certain heritage walks here, you also attend workshops, go for trips to villages, and book a private dinner with families that live there. One will definitely become awe-struck with the beauty of the architectural marvels here. In these walks, you will go from the City Palace to Hawa Mahal; each monument has a different story of Rajput grandeur and culture.

A heritage walk through Kolkata will take you back in time. One can explore the city’s rich culture and heritage through their buildings and sites. In these walks, you can visit the well-known sites such as Victoria Memorial and St. Paul's Cathedral and also delve deep into the Victorian-style architecture of buildings here and the local culture through colourful markets and streets. The heritage walks here will also enable travellers to know more about the history of the city and its colonial past. This land is also rich in literary heritage, so one might fall in love with reading books here.

Everyone is familiar with Goa which has a party vibe attached to it. But heritage walks through Old Goa, which was the former capital of Portuguese India and now a UNESCO site, will help you know more about the culture of the city. A heritage walk through Old Goa takes you through the iconic monuments such as Basilica of Bom Jesus, St. Catherine Chapel, and more. One can also see the ruins from the Kadamba temple here with stories that will definitely keep you captivated. These heritage walks here would reveal the Portuguese legacy of the land along with folklife, forested villages and culture.

This city has the most stories to tell; it’s like there is a world within the world. This is the oldest living city in the world, and a heritage walk here takes you through the holy River Ganga, the Kashi Vishwanath temple, aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, and on the streets during the walk, you can interact with astrologers, Sadhus, Tantrics, and gain a lot of information. Walking in the lanes of Varanasi feels like walking in a maze. Visitors will explore the bustling streets, the unique places that are lesser-known, some stories about the deities that they’ve never heard of during a heritage walk here.