Mau Travel Guide
City City in Uttar Pradesh, India
A small UP town famed for powerloom saree production, Mau attracts visitors to its textile markets, workshop tours, and night bazaars where cotton and silk yards are stacked. Expect spicy kebabs, municipal ghats, and the hum of looms late into the evening.
Why Visit Mau? #
Mau is known across eastern Uttar Pradesh for its weaving traditions and bustling textile trade, where handloom workshops produce saris and other woven goods. Local bazaars pulse with color and skillful craft demonstrations, and festival seasons like Holi bring energetic processions and sweets to the streets. Travelers interested in textiles, market culture and craft entrepreneurship will find a working-loom atmosphere and direct access to artisans.
Who's Mau For?
Mau is a textile and garment production center in eastern Uttar Pradesh, with many small factories and wholesale markets. It’s useful for sourcing textiles and samples; business travelers should expect modest hotels and a busy market atmosphere.
Local Awadhi and eastern-UP flavors dominate: spicy kebabs, chaat and affordable street thalis. Market-side eateries serve hearty meals on a budget, and local sweet shops offer traditional mithai worth trying between factory visits.
Mau’s community-focused neighborhoods and local parks provide simple family outings; schools and clinics serve the town. Families visiting relatives will find basic services and a strong local food culture, though entertainment options are limited.
Budget travelers can navigate Mau by local buses and inexpensive lodgings, finding offbeat market scenes and textile workshops to explore. It’s best for culturally curious backpackers rather than those seeking tourist infrastructure.
Top Things to Do in Mau
- Mau powerloom cluster - Concentration of powerloom units and wholesale textile trade central to Mau's economy and identity.
- Mau Railway Station area - Busy commercial spine with shops and street-food stalls reflecting everyday city life.
- Local bazaars around Civil Lines - Markets offering fabrics, garments, and snacks-good for observing Mau's textile trade rhythms.
- Maa Kali Mandir (Mau) - Popular local temple where residents gather for regular worship and festival observances.
- Station Road street-food stalls - Evening stalls serving regional snacks loved by residents, ideal for a casual food crawl.
- Khetia Park (Mau) - Small green space favored for morning walks and neighborhood gatherings away from traffic.
- Weekly haat at Chowk - Traditional weekly market offering fresh produce, household goods, and local social atmosphere.
- Railway colony lanes - Quiet lanes with colonial-era houses and informal shops showing a different urban pace.
- Varanasi - Ancient sacred city on the Ganges with ghats, temples, and lively evening aarti ceremonies.
- Azamgarh - District headquarters with bustling bazaars and regional cultural flavor, reachable by regular trains.
- Ghazipur - Riverside town on the Ganges; notable for historic sites and rural trade markets.
- Ballia - Key eastern-UP town where rivers meet; known for political history and local festivals.
Plan Your Visit to Mau #
Best Time to Visit Mau #
Visit Mau between October and February when the weather is cool and dry - perfect for wandering markets, temples, and nearby countryside. Summers are brutally hot and the monsoon brings heavy humidity and occasional flooding, so avoid those months if you prefer comfortable travel.
Best Time to Visit Mau #
Mau's climate is classified as Humid Subtropical (Dry Winter) - Humid Subtropical (Dry Winter) climate with very hot summers (peaking in May) and mild winters (coldest in January). Temperatures range from 10°C to 40°C. Abundant rainfall (1131 mm/year), wettest in August with a pronounced dry season.
January
January is the coolest month with highs of 23°C and lows of 10°C. Light rainfall and mostly sunny skies.
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February
February is mild with highs of 27°C and lows of 12°C. Almost no rain and mostly sunny skies.
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March
March is warm with highs of 33°C and lows of 17°C. Light rainfall and mostly sunny skies.
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April
April is hot with highs of 39°C and lows of 22°C. Almost no rain and clear sunny skies.
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May
May is the hottest month with highs of 40°C and lows of 26°C. Light rainfall and mostly sunny skies.
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June
June is hot, feeling like 34°C. Significant rainfall (140 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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July
July is hot, feeling like 36°C due to high humidity. Heavy rain (304 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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August
August is hot, feeling like 36°C with oppressive humidity. The wettest month with heavy rain (347 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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September
September is hot, feeling like 35°C with oppressive humidity. Heavy rain (224 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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October
October is warm with highs of 32°C and lows of 21°C. Moderate rainfall (48 mm) and clear sunny skies.
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November
November is mild with highs of 29°C and lows of 14°C. Almost no rain and clear sunny skies.
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December
December is cool with highs of 25°C and lows of 10°C. The driest month with just 4 mm and mostly sunny skies.
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How to Get to Mau
Mau is most easily reached by rail - Mau Junction (MAU) sits on regional routes from Varanasi and Gorakhpur - while Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) is the nearest major airport for air travellers. Road connections by car or state/private buses are frequent for nearby cities; plan arrivals around train timings for the smoothest onward transfer.
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS): The closest major airport serving Mau is Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS). From the airport you can take a pre-paid taxi or app taxi to Varanasi Junction/City (≈₹250-400, 30-40 min) and then a train to Mau Junction; direct road taxis from VNS to Mau typically cost around ₹1,200-2,200 and take about 1.5-2.5 hours depending on traffic.
Gorakhpur Airport (GOP): Gorakhpur is the next nearest airport with regional connections. From GOP you can take a taxi to Mau (approx ₹1,800-3,000, 2.5-3.5 hours) or travel into Gorakhpur Junction and catch a train to Mau (travel time by train commonly 2-4 hours, fares vary by class).
Train: Mau is served by Mau Junction (MAU). Regular trains connect Mau with Varanasi (Varanasi Junction/BSB) and Gorakhpur (GKP) as well as regional towns; typical intercity train travel times are ~1.5-3 hours from Varanasi and ~2-4 hours from Gorakhpur, with fares ranging from roughly ₹50 (second sitting) to ₹300-400 (sleeper/3A) depending on class and train.
Bus: State-run Uttar Pradesh buses and private operators run services to and from Mau’s main bus stand (the town bus terminal). Buses connect Mau with nearby cities such as Varanasi, Azamgarh and Ghazipur; travel times are comparable to trains on many routes (1-3 hours) and fares are typically economical (roughly ₹50-₹250 depending on distance and coach type).
How to Get Around Mau
Navigating Mau is straightforward: intercity trains and regional buses bring you into Mau Junction or the town bus stand, while local travel is dominated by auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. For most visitors a combination of train arrival and short local auto or taxi rides works best; walking covers the central neighbourhoods.
- Train (intercity) (₹50-₹400) - Mau Junction (MAU) is the town's rail hub with regular services to Varanasi, Gorakhpur and other regional centres. Trains are often the fastest, most reliable way to reach Mau from neighbouring cities - second sitting and sleeper classes make travel affordable. Book reserved tickets for busy periods; local onward transport from the station (autos, cycle-rickshaws) is easy to find.
- State & Private Buses (₹50-₹300) - Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport and private operators serve Mau from surrounding towns; buses run frequently to Varanasi, Azamgarh, Ghazipur and Gorakhpur. Buses are cheap and convenient for regional travel but can be slower than the fastest trains and vary in comfort by operator. For longer daytime trips choose an express or deluxe service when available.
- Taxis / Private car (₹150-₹3,000) - Pre-paid taxis and app taxis (available from nearby larger cities) are the most convenient door-to-door option, especially if you have luggage or arrive outside train hours. Short local taxi rides across town are affordable; longer intercity hires (e.g., Varanasi-Mau) cost more but save time and transfers. Negotiate or confirm fares in advance for private hires.
- Auto-rickshaw (₹10-₹80) - Auto-rickshaws are the everyday local transport for short trips inside Mau - cheap, plentiful and often the fastest option for moving through congested streets. Expect to pay small fixed fares for short distances; insist on the meter where available or agree a price before starting. They're ideal for reaching markets, the station or bus stand from central areas.
- Cycle-rickshaw (₹10-₹40) - Cycle-rickshaws are common for very short hops and narrow lanes where motor vehicles can't easily go. They're slow but inexpensive and convenient for short shopping runs or when luggage is light. Use them for distances under 1-2 km and carry small change for fares.
- Walking - Mau's central areas are compact and easily explored on foot - markets, small temples and neighbourhood shops are often best reached by walking. Pavements can be uneven and streets busy, so wear comfortable shoes and be ready for crowded lanes during peak times.
Where to Stay in Mau #
Where to Eat in Mau #
Nightlife in Mau #
Shopping in Mau #
Mau is best known for its woven saree industry - the city supplies fabrics and embroidered sarees across India. Shopping here is less about polished malls and more about wholesale bazaars, local weaving workshops and roadside textile stalls. If you want handloom sarees or zari work, come ready to bargain at wholesale lanes and ask local vendors for tailoring and finishing services.
Best Bets
- Sadar Bazaar (Mau) - Central bazaar for sarees, textiles and wholesale fabric traders.
- Local handloom workshops - Visit workshops to see weaving and buy directly from producers.
- Saree wholesale lanes - Wholesale outlets offering bulk pricing for retailers and buyers.
- Old city market streets - Narrow lanes packed with fabric shops and tailoring services.
- Zari and embroidery shops - Specialist stalls for zari thread, embroidery and saree finishing.
- Accessory and trimmings shops - Beads, borders and stitching accessories for customising garments.
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