Why we save the Taj Mahal for last
If you have spent ten days among Rajput forts before you reach Agra, the Taj is no longer a postcard. It is the last chapter of a story you have been reading all along.
Enemies, allies, family: the Mughal emperors and the Rajput kings were all three. Akbar married a Kachwaha princess from Amer, and Rajput generals led Mughal armies.
Rajasthan in the Taj: the marble Shah Jahan used came from Makrana, in what is now Rajasthan.
- Taj closed
- Every Friday
- Winter fog
- December and January mornings
- Agra nights
- Two, to choose the better morning
- Taj marble
- From Makrana, Rajasthan
- The one flight
- Delhi to Udaipur
- Shared styles: Jaipur's City Palace mixes Mughal gardens with Rajput towers, and you can see Rajput brackets and balconies in Akbar's palaces at Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
- The Friday closure: the Taj Mahal is closed to visitors every Friday.
- The fog: December and January can bring thick fog to the plains around Agra in the mornings.
- Why last is safer: at the start of a journey, with a fixed flight to catch, one Agra night is a gamble on both. At the end, with two nights, you can choose the better morning.
- Delhi airport is close: only a few hours' drive, and international flights tend to leave late at night, so your last day can still hold Agra Fort or a quiet hour at Sikandra.
- Udaipur: lakes and marble, the city of the Sisodias of Mewar.
- Jodhpur: the blue city below Mehrangarh, at the eastern edge of the Thar.
- Jaipur: our home, the pink grid of an astronomer-king.
- Easy drives: each city gets two or three nights, and the drives are broken by the Jain temple of Ranakpur and the stepwell of Abhaneri.
- One flight: Delhi to Udaipur saves you the longest and dullest road in the north.
- Prefer the Taj first: our Golden Triangle and Udaipur journey does that in nine nights and finishes by the water.
- This one is for: travellers who want a little more Rajasthan and are happy to let the most famous building in India wait.
Day by day, from the lakes to the Taj
- Nights
- Eleven
- Pace
- Two or three nights everywhere after Delhi
- Best months
- October to March
- Good for
- First-timers who want the Taj and real Rajasthan
- Starts
- Delhi, flying to Udaipur on day two
- Ends
- Delhi, by road or fast train from Agra
Day 1: Arrive in Delhi
Met inside arrivals: at Indira Gandhi International Airport, and driven to your hotel.
- If you land bright: go to Humayun's Tomb in the late afternoon, when the red sandstone glows and the gardens are calm.
- A fine overture: it is the Mughal tomb that the Taj grew from.
- Otherwise: sleep. Our guide to Delhi has more if you add a second night.
Days 2 to 4: Udaipur, the city of lakes
Day two in Delhi: an early walk through the lanes of Chandni Chowk with a guide before the shops open, or a slow breakfast, then the flight to Udaipur.
First evening on the water: a private boat on Lake Pichola as the City Palace turns gold, the right introduction to Mewar.
- Day three, the palace first: the City Palace in its first hour, before the groups, with a guide who tells you how Maharana Udai Singh II founded the city in 1559 after the fall of Chittorgarh.
- Lunch in the lanes: walk down to the Jagdish temple and the old lanes.
- Evening: after a rest, the dance show at Bagore ki Haveli, if you like folk performance.
- Day four, gentler: Saheliyon ki Bari, the garden of the maidens, in the cool of the morning, or the temple of Eklingji, the true king of Mewar in local belief.
- Sunset: after an afternoon by your pool, the Monsoon Palace on its hill above the lakes.
Day 5: Udaipur to Jodhpur by way of Ranakpur
North through the Aravallis: about two and a half hours after breakfast to Ranakpur, the fifteenth-century Jain temple to Adinath raised under Rana Kumbha of Mewar.
The pillars: 1,444 of marble, by tradition no two alike, with the light moving across them through the day.
- Visiting hours: the temple keeps its mornings for worship, so our guide times your visit to the hours when non-Jain visitors are welcome.
- No leather: leave it all in the car.
- On to Marwar: after a simple vegetarian lunch, about three and a half hours through the farmland of Godwar, reaching Jodhpur for the evening with Mehrangarh floodlit above.
- The road described: our route note on Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur.
Day 6: Jodhpur, the fort and the blue city
The founding: Rao Jodha of the Rathores founded his city in 1459 below a cliff of red sandstone, and Mehrangarh still rises straight out of the rock.
At opening: walk through its seven gates and palace rooms with a guide before the heat.
- Down on foot: through the blue lanes to the stepwell of Toorji ka Jhalra and a glass of makhaniya lassi.
- Late afternoon: after a rest, Jaswant Thada, the white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, when the stone turns warm.
- Evening: the clock tower and Sardar Market as the evening crowd arrives.
- Or the countryside: a drive to the Bishnoi villages south of the city, where blackbuck graze near the homes.
Day 7: Jodhpur to Jaipur
The longest drive: about five to six hours across the plains of Marwar and Dhundhar, leaving after breakfast.
- Lunch near Ajmer: or, in the Kartik month of the Pushkar Camel Fair, a detour to the fair grounds.
- Arrival: masala chai on a rooftop facing Hawa Mahal in Jaipur as the walls go from pink to rose.
- Stops we like: our Jaipur to Jodhpur route guide lists them.
Days 8 and 9: At home in Jaipur
Amber at opening: drive the 11 kilometres to Amber Fort, when the Sheesh Mahal is almost empty. We walk or drive you up, and we don't book elephant rides.
Back via the lake: past Jal Mahal, then rest through the afternoon.
- Evening bazaars: walk the walled city with a guide, ending at Badi Chaupar at dusk.
- Day nine at sunrise: the facade of Hawa Mahal, when the light falls full on its 953 small windows, then climb inside.
- Before the midday glare: the City Palace, where the royal family still lives, and the Jantar Mantar, Sawai Jai Singh II's observatory.
- The afternoon is yours: a block-printing visit, a jeweller our family has known for decades, or a long sleep. Our Jaipur itinerary guide has more.
Day 10: Jaipur to Agra, by Abhaneri and Fatehpur Sikri
Leave early: about two hours east to the Abhaneri stepwell, Chand Baori, cut thirteen storeys deep in the eighth or ninth century. Go while the shadows on its 3,500 steps are still long.
Fatehpur Sikri: Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's red sandstone capital, built from 1571 and abandoned about fourteen years later, for the palaces and the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti.
- On to Agra: about an hour further. Check in.
- First sight of the Taj: from Mehtab Bagh, the moonlight garden on the Taj's axis across the Yamuna, at sunset, with the domes reflected in the water. Our favourite way to meet it.
- The road the other way: our note on driving Agra to Jaipur via Abhaneri.
Day 11: The Taj Mahal at dawn
Before sunrise: your chauffeur leaves you at the parking area, and an electric buggy takes you the last stretch, because only electric vehicles are allowed close to the monument.
Through the great gate: as the dome changes from grey to pink to white.
- Two unhurried hours: with a guide who explains the inlay, the calligraphy and the geometry of the garden. Our Taj Mahal guide goes room by room.
- Late morning: Agra Fort, where Shah Jahan spent his last years looking at the tomb he built.
- After lunch: Itimad-ud-Daulah, the small marble tomb finished around 1628 that people call the Baby Taj.
- Evening: free for a long dinner.
Day 12: Agra to Delhi and home
A second chance: if the Taj was closed or fogbound on day eleven, go again at dawn.
- Or Sikandra: sleep in, or visit Akbar's tomb on the road towards Mathura, where deer graze on the lawns and you may be almost alone.
- To Delhi: about three to four hours on the Yamuna Expressway, or the fast train, then the airport or a day room before your flight.
Where you'll stay
Delhi, for one night
The Imperial: The Imperial on Janpath opened in the 1930s and keeps its colonial calm, close to Old Delhi.
- The Oberoi: The Oberoi, New Delhi looks over the golf course and is famous for precise service.
- The Leela Palace: The Leela Palace, New Delhi in the diplomatic quarter is the most palatial and convenient for the airport.
- A very late arrival: we may suggest a hotel at Aerocity beside the terminal.
Udaipur, by the water
The romantic choice: Taj Lake Palace on its island, reached only by the hotel's boats.
- Space and gardens: The Oberoi Udaivilas on the western shore, some rooms with semi-private pools along the water.
- Grand lake views: The Leela Palace Udaipur.
- Inside the City Palace: Fateh Prakash Palace. Our guide to luxury hotels in Udaipur compares them.
Jodhpur, under the fort
Umaid Bhawan Palace: Umaid Bhawan Palace, built between 1929 and 1943 on Chittar Hill, one of the great Art Deco palaces of the world. Part of it is still the royal family's home.
- RAAS Jodhpur: RAAS Jodhpur sits right under the walls of Mehrangarh in the old city, with the floodlit fort in your window.
- Ajit Bhawan: Ajit Bhawan is a family-run palace with the warmth of an old Jodhpur household.
Jaipur, in a palace or a haveli
Rambagh Palace: Rambagh Palace, the former home of the Maharaja of Jaipur, with gardens, peacocks and long verandas.
- The Oberoi Rajvilas: The Oberoi Rajvilas is a calm, low-rise retreat on the edge of the city.
- Grandeur: The Leela Palace Jaipur.
- Into the lanes: Samode Haveli is a painted family mansion inside the walled city.
Agra, facing the Taj
The Oberoi Amarvilas: The Oberoi Amarvilas stands about 600 metres from the Taj, and every room looks towards it, which is why we choose it for most guests on this journey.
- ITC Mughal: ITC Mughal has no view of the monument but large gardens, a fine spa and the tandoor restaurant Peshawri. It suits families staying two nights.
- The full list: our guide to luxury hotels in Agra.
What you'll eat along the way
- Udaipur
- Dal baati churma, maize rotis, ghevar
- Jodhpur
- Mirchi bada, makhaniya lassi, laal maas
- Jaipur
- Kachori, clay-cup lassi, Rajasthani thali
- Agra
- Petha, bedai with jalebi
- Delhi and Agra
- Mughlai cooking from the tandoor
Udaipur: the Mewari kitchen
Gentler than the desert's: dal baati churma for celebrations, maize rotis in winter and the Rajput meat dishes of the old hunting camps.
- One lunchtime: ask your hotel for a Rajasthani thali.
- In the monsoon months: look for ghevar, the honeycomb sweet of the Teej season. Our food of Udaipur guide has more.
Jodhpur: a city of snacks
Mirchi bada: a green chilli stuffed with spiced potato and fried in gram-flour batter, eaten standing up in the old city with pyaaz kachori.
- Makhaniya lassi: thick with cream and saffron, the drink near the clock tower.
- The Marwari kitchen: laal maas, mutton fiery with red Mathania chillies, and ker sangri, the desert's dried berries and beans. Read our food of Jodhpur before you go.
Jaipur: eat with us
Before noon: lassi in a clay cup on MI Road.
- Breakfast: kachori in the walled city.
- At night: a Rajasthani thali on a palace terrace. Our food of Jaipur guide names the old shops we trust.
Agra and Delhi: the Mughal finish
Petha: the translucent sweet of ash gourd, Agra's speciality.
- Agra breakfast: bedai with hot jalebi.
- Mughlai cooking: rich with cream, nuts and the tandoor, it closes the journey where the emperors would have wanted it.
- Clean, well-known places: that is all we choose. Our Rajasthani food guide explains the dishes.
When to go, and the festivals on the route
- Best season
- October to March
- Our favourite
- February and March
- Busiest
- December and January
- Fog risk
- Agra and Delhi, December and January
- Very hot
- April to June, often above 40°C
October and November
The weather: warm days, clear air in Rajasthan and Udaipur's lakes usually full after the rains.
- Music in October: the Rajasthan International Folk Festival fills Mehrangarh.
- Diwali: in October or November, Diwali lights every lane of Jaipur and every ghat of Udaipur.
- Delhi's air: it can be poor in November, one more reason we keep only one night there.
December and January
Cool, bright and festive: and the busiest weeks for hotels.
- Chilly mornings and fog: fog around Agra and Delhi can soften a Taj sunrise or delay a flight, which is why the two Agra nights matter most now.
- Kites on 14 January: Makar Sankranti fills Jaipur's sky.
- Books: the Jaipur Literature Festival fills the city.
February and March
Our favourite weeks: warm days, cool nights, the best light of the year and mustard flowering in the fields along the Agra road.
- Taj Mahotsav: crafts and music in Agra in February.
- Holi: Holi comes with the spring full moon, and in Udaipur the royal household lights its own Holika fire.
- Warming up: days reach the low thirties by late March.
April to September
April to June: very hot, often above 40°C, and the marble terrace at the Taj can burn bare feet at noon. We only run the route then with very early starts and long rests.
- The monsoon: July to September is green and quiet, with dramatic skies over Udaipur, but Agra is humid and some days are lost to rain.
- If you love the rains: look at Monsoon in Mewar instead.
Make it yours
Shorter: eight nights
Drop Jodhpur: fly Delhi to Udaipur, then Udaipur to Jaipur, and drive on to Agra.
- The nights: three in Udaipur, three in Jaipur and two in Agra.
- Five nights: take our Delhi, Jaipur and Agra in luxury journey.
Longer: add the desert
Two or three more nights: go west from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer for the golden fort and a night in a desert camp near the dunes.
- The way back: return through Jodhpur or Khimsar to Jaipur.
- A family fort: a night at Rohet Garh between Ranakpur and Jodhpur is another lovely addition.
Add tigers
Two nights at Ranthambore: Ranthambore, about three hours from Jaipur, fits neatly between Jaipur and Agra.
- The drive on: to Agra by way of Bharatpur.
- The shape: our Golden Triangle with Ranthambore journey shows it.
For couples and families
Couples: often add a night at Samode after Jaipur, or a private dinner on a palace terrace in Udaipur.
- Families: usually prefer ITC Mughal in Agra and Udaivilas in Udaipur for the gardens and pools.
- The long drive: we break Jodhpur to Jaipur properly for children. Our family journeys page has more.
Go further east
- Beyond Agra: the fast train reaches Gwalior, with Orchha and Khajuraho beyond it.
- Past the Taj: our Rajasthan, Orchha and Khajuraho and Rajasthan and Varanasi journeys continue the story.
How we look after you
We don't publish prices, because the same route can be planned in many ways. After one conversation about your dates, your hotels and what you love, we send a route and a quote.
Met twice: at Delhi airport and at Udaipur airport.
One chauffeur from Udaipur: a private driver stays with you in a comfortable car all the way to Delhi.
- A local guide in each city: someone born there who knows the hour each monument is quietest.
- The one flight: we book Delhi to Udaipur, because it saves a full day on the road.
- Rails if you like: the fast train from Agra to Delhi instead of the expressway.
- Your planner on WhatsApp: so a fogbound morning, a slow afternoon or a sudden wish for a cooking class is a message, not a problem.
- Tickets and calendars: we arrange the tickets that need arranging, and watch the Friday closure and the night-viewing calendar at the Taj.
- No commission shops: ever.
- More reading: what a luxury Rajasthan journey costs explains what shapes the quote, and our airports and flights guide explains how we use flights.
Who will love it, and who should choose another journey
First time in India: the Taj Mahal is a lifelong wish, but not the only one.
Time in each city: you would rather have two or three nights in each than one.
- Who it suits: couples, friends travelling together, families with children old enough for a two-hour monument, and anyone who likes a journey that builds to its climax.
- Only a week: it will feel too full. Our classic Golden Triangle is the better choice.
- Heart in the desert: Under the Thar Sky gives the Thar the time it deserves.
- Know the Taj and the big cities: our Village Rajasthan journey shows you the country in between.
What we tell our own cousins before this journey
Never a Friday Taj morning: the monument is closed to visitors every Friday, and we build the route around it.
Travel light on Taj mornings: security at the gates is strict, and the less you carry, the faster you are on the marble while the light is soft.
- Dress for temples: cover shoulders and knees for temples and mosques, and leave all leather in the car at Ranakpur. Our temple etiquette guide explains why.
- Carry a shawl: from December to February dawn at Amber and at the Taj is properly cold.
- Drive days: drink plenty of water and eat lightly at lunch. A long lunch and a nap make the evening better.
- Photographing people: ask first, and accept a no gracefully.
- Greetings: read our etiquette and dress guide and learn khamma ghani, the Rajasthani greeting. In Agra and Delhi, namaste is the word.
