sarnath is almost in varanasi, taking less than an hour even by cycle rikshaw to arrive. you can stay at the tibetan temple, or one of the paying guesthouses. one day there should be sufficient. however, if you are planning on going to see bodh gaya as well, try to meet up with some pilgrims in sarnath, who will most likely go to kushinagar, where lord buddha passed away, and to places like ratnagiri and vaishali on the way to bodh gaya. of course, just outside bodh gaya is rajgir, where lord buddha gave many teachings, and the ruins of nalanda monastery. to complete the pilgrimage of the 4 great sites, you should also try to visit lumbini, which might be easier to do before you leave nepal, as it is on the nepal side of the border. all this can be done in less than one week, if you plan well, but anyway you have time, and these are the most important places in the buddhist world, even if they are rather small, dusty towns.
Josh
non-member comment
sarnath is almost in varanasi, taking less than an hour even by cycle rikshaw to arrive. you can stay at the tibetan temple, or one of the paying guesthouses. one day there should be sufficient. however, if you are planning on going to see bodh gaya as well, try to meet up with some pilgrims in sarnath, who will most likely go to kushinagar, where lord buddha passed away, and to places like ratnagiri and vaishali on the way to bodh gaya. of course, just outside bodh gaya is rajgir, where lord buddha gave many teachings, and the ruins of nalanda monastery. to complete the pilgrimage of the 4 great sites, you should also try to visit lumbini, which might be easier to do before you leave nepal, as it is on the nepal side of the border. all this can be done in less than one week, if you plan well, but anyway you have time, and these are the most important places in the buddhist world, even if they are rather small, dusty towns.