The Best Hotels to Book in Lucknow, India

National Highway 27 and National Highway 30 meet at the Hilton Garden Inn, meaning no-fuss check-ins and an easy escape at the end of your trip. The hotel is north of the Gomti River, in the quieter, modern part of town, but still close enough to the centre for exploring the old heart of Lucknow. Rather than stuffy Mughal themes, this bright, modern block is chock-full of airy rooms with designer furniture and wooden floors or swirling carpets in warm, summery colours.

The Lucknow Lemon Tree swaps the noise of the centre for a calm location south of the old town, close to Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. It’s great for a flying visit to the city of Nawabs, with smart, up-to-date rooms in a pleasing palette of browns and greys and good facilities, including a globe-trotting cafe and bar and a stress-relieving pool and spa.

You can’t fault the location of the Taj Mahal Lucknow, surrounded by parks and city landmarks on the edge of the Gomti River. Expect top-notch service, exquisite dining and rooms that feel like stepping into the home of an Independence-era tycoon. The striking, dome-topped colonial-style mansion is actually a modern facsimile, built in 1995; the rooms behind the gleaming white façcade blend period touches with chic contemporary design. Another wow is the pool in the Mughal-style gardens.

Facing riverside parks beside the Gomti, the Renaissance Lucknow has a highly desirable downtown location and huge expanses of glass offering splendid views over the city centre. Behind the modern art-adorned façade, you’ll find sleek, airy rooms with giant windows that make pictures of the views – it’s an oasis of calm just moments from Ambedkar Memorial Park, the grand precinct devoted to Lucknow’s most famous son, the author of the Indian constitution.

In the new part of Lucknow – away from the centre but handy for the highways running east to Faizabad and north towards the Himalaya – the Hyatt Regency is part of the new breed of Indian hotels, skipping fusty tradition for sharp modernity. Service is as excellent as in the heritage hotels, though, and the cavernous rooms have big windows, soft carpets and calm, uncluttered lines. Views go from good to stupendous as you climb up the room classes.

Snug between Begum Hazrat Mahal Park, the KD Singh Babu Stadium and the river, Clarks Avadh is right in the thick of things. The thought-provoking ruins of the British Residency are just down the road, but the rooms hidden behind the gleaming white frontage are set firmly in the modern age. Expect calm colours, wooden floors and lavish suites that create a little of the glamour of the Raj, with moulded plaster and chaise longues.

East of downtown in Gomti Nagar, the Lucknow Novotel is a reminder of why new hotels in Lucknow have the edge. Rooms are so fresh from the decorators that they sparkle, all have bonus sofa beds that are great for families, and some are fully wheelchair-accessible. The crowning glories are the rooftop pool and terrace restaurant – airy spaces that lift you high above the city into the evening breeze.