Taj Mahal has always been this beautiful monument that always seemed a bit out of reach. After all, not only is India quite far from the Philippines, but because I had worked in Pakistan for a few months – many friends had told me that this would make it quite difficult for me to obtain an Indian visa… Thankfully, when there’s a will, there’s a way! And before I knew it, I was India-bound!

In case you’re still in the process of planning your India trip – including obtaining your visa, booking your flights and train tickets – I’d suggest you check out my “Helpful tips and tricks when planning a trip to Taj Mahal, Agra” blog post first. If you’ve already done so, please read on! This blog is essentially a step-by-step guide (complete with time stamps) of what a day trip from Delhi to Agra would look like!

 

5:00AM

Grab an Uber/Ola and head to the New Delhi Railway Station

If you have your train ticket booked and ready, aim to leave your hotel at 5:00AM (or earlier!). Don’t forget your passport – as the train conductor will ask to check these along with your ticket! Other things to bring?

• Powerbank as I’m sure your phone’s battery won’t last the whole day, as you click and snap the day away
• Cap / Umbrella – to ward off the sun / heat where possible
• Cash, credit card, ATM cards – you’ll be surprised at how much stuff you can buy in Agra…
• Conservative dress – showing your shoulders is fine, but showing your knees is a no-no in certain religious establishments

The goal is to get to the train station AT LEAST 15 minutes before your train leaves. In my case, my train was at 6:00AM, and my hotel (Aloft Aerocity) was ~40mins away from the train station… therefore 5:00AM was perfect timing

Note: Place some buffer time when calling for your Uber/Ola. Cabs here have a tendency of getting lost. In my case, I requested my hotel concierge to call the Uber for me and provide detailed instructions on how to get to the hotel (better to be safe than sorry!). Also – Uber’s map is awful! So get a local to do the “pinning” for you, or else the driver may never find you…

**If you haven’t booked your train ticket yet, never fear! The New Delhi Railway Station has an International Tourist Bureau at its 1st floor, which is open from 06:00 to 23:00 everyday. I would NOT recommend this option to be honest, as there are foreigner quotas placed on tickets so there’s a possibility you won’t be able to buy the tickets you want… Think it’s much better to buy online so you have the assurance of reserved tickets already! If you don’t have any other options though – then this option can’t hurt

5:45AM

Look for the appropriate train platform

You’ve finally made it to the train station! Don’t feel complacent yet, as it’s now time to check which train platform you have to head to. In my case, train 12002 is typically found in Platform 1… (which I checked through my trusty Where is my train app– download this is you’re a bit of a paranoid person like me, as this app can tell you if the train is on time and which platform it’ll arrive in)

Unfortunately, Platform 1 can be found at the very very end of the looooong train station. I timed myself and it took me FIFTEEN MINUTES to get to Platform 1; so I ended up having to run a bit towards the tail end. Ohman, every time this happens to me, I swear I should place more buffer time in the future… but I never learn.

 

6:00AM

Slide into your train cabin with some extra minutes to spare

Phew, you made it! Your ticket should tell you which cabin and seat number is reserved for you. Slide into that, and when the nice train conductor passes by – hand over your ticket (whether printed or on your phone), as well as your passport if/when he asks for it

Now, you can either settle in and start snoozing (which is what I did!), or you can gaze upon the Indian countryside, enjoy a hearty breakfast (see photo below to get an idea of what they’ll be serving you), and read their newspaper. Note: They’ll provide you a 1L water bottle, so no need for you to bring your own!

8:00AM

Hello Agra! Book yourself a car to bring you around

Now, you can opt to either:

• Get yourself a car (airconditioned or non-airconditioned) from the prepaid taxi stand immediately outside the train station. See below photo for the rates
• Hire a daylong tuktuk
• Haggle with tuktuk drivers at each and every tourist spot

Depending on where you want to go, rates are set if you want to book a car/tuktuk for the day. While I’m pretty sure you can get it cheaper elsewhere, I erred on the side of safety (difficult to travel as a solo female!) and decided to pay the full price here, as these drivers are registered (and they need to return the yellow slip given to you as a “deposit” once they bring you back, as proof they you’ve returned safely). It is also important to remember that these rates EXCLUDE parking and toll (which could go up to ~INR 300 if you’re headed to Fatehpur Sikri)

NOTE: If anyone offers to be your guide, REJECT THEM. Ugh, I still feel cheated by this tour guide who said he’d bring me around -_- He essentially showed me around Taj Mahal, told me the super basic history (which I already knew by reading up online) THEN ditched me… But I paid him INR 1,000?!?! Crazy, WHAT A RIP-OFF. Don’t do it. Taj Mahal is super easy to get around, and everything’s clearly well-marked…

 

8:30AM

First stop: the beautiful awe-inspiring Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal NEEDS to be your first stop. The hordes of tourists typically start arriving around 10AM (when the other two express trains start arriving). The goal is to be out of the Taj Mahal by then

Note, the entrance fee for Taj Mahal is a cool INR 1100 (a bit steep, but oh well). I entered through the West Gate, where they allow you to pay via credit card or cash. Along with your ticket, you also get… another bottle of water plus shoe covers (you can’t enter the Taj Mahal building itself without these)

Important: Keep your Taj Mahal ticket with you, as it acts as a “discount” of sorts when you head to the other sites. Essentially, you only have to pay for the ADA fee once (which your Taj Mahal ticket covers). For a full list of updated prices, check this site out 

Once inside, take the time to marvel at this gorgeous monument of love and adoration. Another perk of being early? No queue to enter the Taj Mahal itself! Having said that, the interior was a bit anti-climactic… The exterior is definitely a lot prettier

Fun fact: The beautiful flowers you see on the mausoleum? Those aren’t handpainted. Those were chiseled onto the marble and inlaid with semi-precious stones! Also, where you see the black written words of the Quran? Those were actually etched in using the black star ruby (which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!)

Also – the Taj Mahal undergoes a “face mask mud pack” operation every few years or so, to help keep its shiny white luster. I was incredibly fortunate as only the small domes were undergoing this operation during the time I was there (see the slight scaffolding in my photos?) If possible, try to avoid going there when you know a major operation is happening (especially on the big dome!)

 

10:00AM

Drop by Agra Fort for a photo

Okay, if you plan to head to Fatehpur Sikri (like me), then I suggest you skip Agra Fort (or just take a photo outside). This is because Fatehpur Sikri is supposed to be the ORIGINAL – and is actually a full-fledged city, and therefore a lot richer in history. Having said that, if your aim is to take more photos / you’re unwilling to take ~1 hour one-way to check out Fatehpur Sikri, then I suggest Agra Fort instead (it’s a lot more photogenic with its marble-red sandstone combination buildings)

 

10:30AM

Go souvenir shopping

I try to keep knick-knacks of the countries/cities I’ve visited and Agra was no different. Therefore, I asked my driver to bring me to a nice cheap store where I could purchase Taj Mahal stuff. I exited the shop INR 1,250 poorer – but got this nice marble Taj Mahal figurine and marble magnet out of it! Let’s play a game of “spot it”

Aside from these souvenir stores, your driver will probably bring you to the following stores as well:

• Marble etching with semi-precious stones, akin to the Taj Mahal design
• Textiles
• Carpet weaving (400 knots quality)
• Black star ruby jewels (you can see a star when you shine a light on it!)

While I wasn’t really interested in buying anything, I decided to just check the stores out since they were giving free demonstrations – which I always love as it gives me a better understanding of how these things work. Nevertheless, if you’re short on time, you should inform your driver/guide to SKIP these

 

11:00AM

Time for an early lunch

Your driver will typically bring you somewhere to eat. I honestly had no preference, so I allowed him to do so. I knew the restaurant he’d bring me to would be a tad bit overpriced, but hey! this is how they make money right? I figured it’d be my contribution to the economy

 

12:00-1:00PM

Head to Fatehpur Sikri, the stronghold of Emperor Akbar in the 1500s

Yes, it will take 1 hour to reach Fatehpur Sikri. Is it worth it? 100x yes (especially if you’re a history buff like me!) Now, when you reach Fatehpur Sikri, you have an option to obtain a guide – which I took (it’s ~INR 650 for both sites). Honestly, without a guide, this site is just a pile of rubble and nice-looking but nothing spectacular sites

Anyway, fun fact! Fatehpur Sikri is actually made up of two words – Fatehpur which stands for Victory City (to celebrate Emperor Akbar’s victory over the Gujarat), and Sikri which stands for palace (as these is where Emperor Akbar and his three wives resided)

When you arrive, your car can only go until the parking area, then you’re forced to take the e-bus (to minimize pollution, although the bus looked pretty shady and rickety to me!). The entrance fee will set you back INR 500, while the bus cost INR 10 one-way. Note, only cash is accepted here

I suggest you start with Sikri – where you’ll be able to view the three palaces – one belongs to his Christian wife, one to his Muslim wife, and the biggest one to his Hindu wife (she gets the biggest one because she gave him a son!)

Interestingly, Emperor Akbar’s bed is the biggest in the world, and is on the second floor so that during winter, there are fires underneath to keep it warm; while during summer, they flood the first floor with rose water to keep it cool and sweet-smelling

From here, walk over to Fatehpur, where you’ll find

• The tomb for holy men. Supposedly, there’s this tradition that people can go in and make three wishes (for a fee, of course – as you need to buy these cloth of sorts). It’s said that the holy men have a direct line of communication to God
• The gateway to Asia!!!

Take your time to explore! As for me, my favorite fun fact out of all this? Capital punishment in the olden days occurred by having an elephant stomp on you. Ouch, harsh isn’t it?!?!

 

3:00-4:00PM

Head back to Agra center and gaze upon Baby Taj (properly called Itimad ud Daulah Tomb)

Okay, the real name is a mouthful so let’s just call it Baby Taj – so called because it’s said THIS was the inspiration of Taj Mahal. I can certainly see the white marble resemblance… If you’re short on time, you can potentially skip this – otherwise, prepare to cough up INR 200 entrance, and ~20 mins of your time (there’s not much to see, but it’s pretty!)

Also… best to go here in the afternoon for best photos (if you go in the morning, it’ll be against the light)

 

4:30PM

Chill by Mehtab Bagh, also known as the Moon Garden

Mehtab Bagh was my FAVORITE. It’s this beautifully symmetrical garden that’s filled with flowers, is super cool and refreshing amidst the dying sun, and has a BEAUTIFUL view of the Taj Mahal across the river. In fact, it’s called Moon Garden because the best view of the Taj Mahal is supposed to be under the moonlight from this garden! What’s not to love?

Even better, there are these rock croppings which you can sit on and kind of just gaze at the Taj Mahal (I did this for ~40 minutes, and just chitchatted with fellow tourists)

 

5:20PM

Head back to the Agra Cant train station

Alas, all good things must come to an end. It’s now time to head back to Delhi. Bid adieu to your driver – give him a tip as a thank you (I gave mine ~INR 400), and hurry into the hustle and bustle of the train station (I took the 9PM train because all the seats had run out huhu)

If you’re at the train station early, there are also waiting rooms which you can take advantage of. It has aircondition, its own toilet facilities, but it isn’t terribly clean (I saw cockroaches!) Still, it’s a decent place to sit and wait for your train

Then at last, the train has arrived, and we start our ~2 hour journey back home

Hope you enjoyed! Drop me a note in case you have any questions about Agra 🙂