Vrindavan is small enough to walk and dense enough to fill two days without repeating a street. It is also the most affectionate town in India. Strangers will greet you with Radhe Radhe and mean it.
When to go
October to March is comfortable. Holi in Vrindavan is famous and overwhelming, worth it once, not for a first visit. Janmashtami and Radhashtami are beautiful and crowded. For a first trip, pick a normal weekday in winter.
Day one
Start at Banke Bihari in the morning. The darshan is brief and the curtain is drawn and opened repeatedly, which is the point: you get glimpses, not a stare. Walk to Radha Raman and Radha Vallabh nearby. In the evening, Prem Mandir lights up after dark and the grounds are spacious enough to breathe.
Day two
ISKCON Vrindavan for the morning kirtan, then the walk along the Yamuna to Keshi Ghat for the evening aarti, which is smaller and quieter than Varanasi and very lovely for it. If you have the energy, Govardhan is a day trip, and the parikrama is twenty-one kilometres of the most peaceful walking in the region.
Nidhivan
Go in the afternoon. It closes at dusk and no one stays after dark, by tradition and by rule. Respect it.
Eat
Pedas from the old shops near Banke Bihari, kachori and jalebi in the morning, and the prasadam thali at ISKCON. Vrindavan is vegetarian and largely without onion and garlic, and the food is better for it.
What to wear
Cotton, modest, easy to slip footwear off. Many pilgrims wear yellow or saffron for Krishna and Radha. A stole is useful for the temples and for the monkeys, who take sunglasses and phones with real skill. Keep both in a closed bag.