Agra Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Agra

See the Taj Mahal as the gates open

The Taj opens 30 minutes before sunrise, and the first hour brings the softest light and the thinnest crowds. Our Taj Mahal sunrise tour collects you from your Agra hotel before dawn with a government-approved guide, and helps you book the Archaeological Survey of India ticket and the separate one for the mausoleum, inside which photography is not allowed. The Taj is closed on Fridays.

View the Taj by moonlight

On the full-moon night and two nights either side, except Fridays and during Ramzan, small timed groups may view the Taj after dark, from a distance. Phones are not allowed, though a still camera is. Our Taj Mahal moonlight viewing handles the booking and paperwork; send your dates early, as places are limited.

Walk the palaces of Agra Fort

Akbar rebuilt the fort in red sandstone from 1565, and Shah Jahan added the white marble. Inside its walls are the Diwan-i-Aam, the Khas Mahal and the Musamman Burj, where Shah Jahan spent his last years with a view along the river to the Taj. The entrance, the Amar Singh Gate, has licensed guides and audio guides. Our dated Golden Triangle itineraries visit it after the sunrise Taj.

Watch sunset from Mehtab Bagh

This restored Mughal garden faces the Taj across the Yamuna; the district calls it the finest place to view and photograph the Taj, with the best light between about 4.30 and 6 pm. There are no food stalls inside, so carry water. The sunrise tour can add Mehtab Bagh on the same day.

Visit the Baby Taj

Nur Jahan built Itimad-ud-Daulah for her father between 1622 and 1628: the first Mughal tomb faced entirely in white marble and the first to use pietra dura inlay widely, hence its nickname. It is far quieter than the Taj, and Chini ka Rauza and Ram Bagh lie on the same riverside circuit.

Spend half a day at Fatehpur Sikri

Akbar's short-lived capital stands on a ridge 37 km west. Through the Buland Darwaza, in the Jama Masjid's courtyard, visitors tie threads to the marble screens of Salim Chishti's tomb as a wish. The palace courts have little signage, so a guide helps. Choose Fatehpur Sikri from Agra, three to four hours with the drive, or the Fatehpur Sikri day trip on the way to Jaipur, and bring a hat: shade is scarce.

Choosing between our tours and experiences

The moonlight viewing, under honeymoon and romance in Agra, is our one experience here: an evening for couples or anyone timing a trip to the full moon. Our tour packages divide by time. With a night here, take the sunrise tour and add Fatehpur Sikri; without one, the Agra day trip from Delhi covers the Taj and usually Agra Fort in 12 to 14 hours by road, or less by Gatimaan Express. On a first trip to India, the Golden Triangle Tour — 6 days stays in Agra for the Taj at sunrise, the Golden Triangle tour runs the circuit at your pace, and Golden Triangle with kids slows it for children from about six. Tiger Safari and Taj Mahal — 7 days adds three safaris at Ranthambore, and the 4 Days Mathura Vrindavan Agra Tour begins with Krishna's temples. Longer routes are on our Agra tour packages page.

When to go for these

UP Tourism gives October to March as the season; bring warm layers for a pre-dawn start in December and January, when dense fog can hide the dome and delay trains. From April to June, the state's temperatures can reach 45°C, so see Fatehpur Sikri early in the day. The monsoon covers Uttar Pradesh by the end of June and leaves by about 10 October. Taj Mahotsav, a festival of crafts, culture and food, runs from 18 to 27 February each year, and Salim Chishti's dargah holds its Urs during Ramzan.

Planning tips

At the Taj, leave food, drones, tripods, chargers and headphones behind, cover shoulders and knees, and expect to finish the approach by battery bus, as no petrol or diesel vehicle may come within 500 metres. Touts wait at the gates: the official advice is to hire approved guides who show their identity cards, and our Agra trips arrange one in advance. Background on each monument is in our Agra travel guide.