Visiting the Taj Mahal
Discussion
I have got the travel bug big time. I have not long come back from a great trip to Japan with my Dad.
We are planning a trip to see the taj mahal next year. At the moment it is very early days in putting this together , but I would welcome any hints, tips, comments snippets of info etc from people who have been there, and which will improve the experience.
edited to explain that I am that I am only really interested in seeing the Taj Mahal, and have limited time I can take off work - which means I would probably only want to go for 4/5 days, views on whether that is realistic would also be welcome!
TIA.
We are planning a trip to see the taj mahal next year. At the moment it is very early days in putting this together , but I would welcome any hints, tips, comments snippets of info etc from people who have been there, and which will improve the experience.
edited to explain that I am that I am only really interested in seeing the Taj Mahal, and have limited time I can take off work - which means I would probably only want to go for 4/5 days, views on whether that is realistic would also be welcome!
TIA.
Edited by 996nick on Sunday 13th November 09:00
The Taj and the Red Fort are probably the only real attractions in Agra, so you'd probably want to combine the trip there with somewhere else - perhaps fly into Delhi, have a couple of days there, then on to Agra and back again? I did an organised tour a few years back, and in most places we wished we had more time there, however in Agra a morning to see the Taj, with an afternoon at the Red Fort was pretty much enough. It's worth trying to do the Taj at sunrise, but bear in mind it's closed on a Friday, so arrange your timings accordingly!
I took the missus to see the Taj Mahal in April 2010 for her B'day.
The TM itself was fascinating, really enjoyed it, get a guide, cheap as chips and it is worth their input into the walk round.
We stayed at the hotel below, really nice, although it wasn't called the Gateway then but was still a Taj hotel.
http://www.thegatewayhotels.com/thegatewayhotelagr...
Was advised to get the train from Delhi to Agra, we landed early afternoon iirc and there was no train for hours, Delhi is a s
thole so we opted to take a taxi from Delhi to Agra, took about 7 hours and i was suicidal by the time arrived!
Advice would be to find out when the trains are and based flight around that.
Didn't like Delhi at all although because we were only there for a short time we were in old Delhi, went for dinner in the Intercontinental in New Delhi which is a much nicer part of town (with hotel prices to match)
The TM itself was fascinating, really enjoyed it, get a guide, cheap as chips and it is worth their input into the walk round.
We stayed at the hotel below, really nice, although it wasn't called the Gateway then but was still a Taj hotel.
http://www.thegatewayhotels.com/thegatewayhotelagr...
Was advised to get the train from Delhi to Agra, we landed early afternoon iirc and there was no train for hours, Delhi is a s
thole so we opted to take a taxi from Delhi to Agra, took about 7 hours and i was suicidal by the time arrived! Advice would be to find out when the trains are and based flight around that.
Didn't like Delhi at all although because we were only there for a short time we were in old Delhi, went for dinner in the Intercontinental in New Delhi which is a much nicer part of town (with hotel prices to match)
The "golden triangle" is the typical tourist trail - Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and that may be do-able in 5 days if you don't mind a fair bit of travel. Else you'll be flying in to Delhi anyway, go and see the Red Fort and some of the other sights there, then down to Agra for Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, etc.
Trains are fine but you need to book (everything is very much reservations based). The Shatabdi Express trains run from Delhi to Agra and are clean, comfortable, air conditioned and still really cheap by UK standards. Seat61 has a great survival guide for indian trains, but the handiest thing we found was that you can book stuff via cleartrip.com in advance and print out e-tickets. Just ignore the scammer "ticket inspectors" in the stations who'll tell you it's not valid - trains all have reservations with passenger names printed out and stuck to the carriages.
As for the Taj Mahal itself, it's spectacular. Once inside, it's a haven of peace and quiet but you have to fight your way through all the hawkers, guides, photographers and the like outside. Since there are air pollution controls around the Taj, motorised transport isn't allowed near so taxis will drop you quite a way off and you either get an electric rickshaw (which will try to stop at various shops to get you to buy tat), or get harrassed on the walk all the way there. Worth it, but go with a limitless supply of patience.
Trains are fine but you need to book (everything is very much reservations based). The Shatabdi Express trains run from Delhi to Agra and are clean, comfortable, air conditioned and still really cheap by UK standards. Seat61 has a great survival guide for indian trains, but the handiest thing we found was that you can book stuff via cleartrip.com in advance and print out e-tickets. Just ignore the scammer "ticket inspectors" in the stations who'll tell you it's not valid - trains all have reservations with passenger names printed out and stuck to the carriages.
As for the Taj Mahal itself, it's spectacular. Once inside, it's a haven of peace and quiet but you have to fight your way through all the hawkers, guides, photographers and the like outside. Since there are air pollution controls around the Taj, motorised transport isn't allowed near so taxis will drop you quite a way off and you either get an electric rickshaw (which will try to stop at various shops to get you to buy tat), or get harrassed on the walk all the way there. Worth it, but go with a limitless supply of patience.
As above the Bhopal Shatabdi from Delhi gets in at a reasonable time in reasonable comfort, so you can do Agra in a day if you must.
But if you stay locally it is open at 6am and you will miss most of the crowds. Hotels are fairly good value, but there is nothing to do in Agra in the evening that most people would want to do.
A car and driver is a good option and pretty cheap, plus they will help you get a decent rickshaw. With a car you could do the main sites in Agra and also Fatehpur Sikri as well (worth doing IMHO, better than the tombs).
Then onto Jaipur in the evening, you could easily spend a couple of days there, plenty to see. Various forts, temples and the astronomical buildings of the Jantar Mantar (fun if you are a photographer). Hotels and food are pretty good too.
Shame to rush India, but Delhi/Agra/Jaipur doable in 4 nights just about doable I would have thought, but it isn't a country to get stressed in about times
But if you stay locally it is open at 6am and you will miss most of the crowds. Hotels are fairly good value, but there is nothing to do in Agra in the evening that most people would want to do.
A car and driver is a good option and pretty cheap, plus they will help you get a decent rickshaw. With a car you could do the main sites in Agra and also Fatehpur Sikri as well (worth doing IMHO, better than the tombs).
Then onto Jaipur in the evening, you could easily spend a couple of days there, plenty to see. Various forts, temples and the astronomical buildings of the Jantar Mantar (fun if you are a photographer). Hotels and food are pretty good too.
Shame to rush India, but Delhi/Agra/Jaipur doable in 4 nights just about doable I would have thought, but it isn't a country to get stressed in about times
Echo the comments above - I know you really only want to she the Taj, but there's so much more to see in Northern India if you can cope with the crowds and touts. Personally the Taj is a highlight, but only a few hours in itself, if that. Go for sunrise as said. If possible time it for the end of one of the monsoon seasons, so more of the water is in the water features, it's SO much more photogenic with water in the gardens.
Don't wear expensive shoes, you'll be leaving them outside.
Is it possible to get across the other side of the river? Every bollywood film seems to show the Taj from across the river, where it is so much better. I'd find this out if it's possible, and maybe do it a second morning.
Highlight of india for me was the rural villages and castles off the beaten track in Rajestan. Rural india away from the big cities is a million times more intriguing and beautiful than the usual tourist trail.
Don't wear expensive shoes, you'll be leaving them outside.
Is it possible to get across the other side of the river? Every bollywood film seems to show the Taj from across the river, where it is so much better. I'd find this out if it's possible, and maybe do it a second morning.
Highlight of india for me was the rural villages and castles off the beaten track in Rajestan. Rural india away from the big cities is a million times more intriguing and beautiful than the usual tourist trail.
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