We are traveling on a tour in November to Nepal starting in New Delhi. We are going a few days early to combat the jet lag and would like to be able to see the Taj Mahal while in India. I have seen some day tours to Agra from New Delhi by train or car. Has anyone ever done this and if so were you satisfied? Thanks. Ann White
Day trip to Agra from New Delhi
Message Submitted by awhite on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 21:06
In the month of November,
In the month of November, there are no mists rising from the river Yamuna, flowing behind the monument, nor is there any fog. The best time to view the Taj Mahal is around 6:15AM when the sun is rising and casting it's first rays on the white marble monument. You will appreciate the effects of the changing light on the Taj. At this time, only the most interested or passionate travellers are to be found. The crowds are missing and you can linger on and enjoy it. Taj Mahal interiors, the latticed screen etc. can not be appreciated with crowds milling and jostling for space! Taj is btw closed on Friday. Now if you are travelling by car or the morning fast train, you will miss the morning views.
If I were to travel with my wife, I would reach Agra a day before, put up for a night at the Oberois Amar Vilas, enjoy a sundowner with the monument looming stunningly large over the horizon!
Happy travels!!
By Train
April 2011 we did the day tour from Delhi by train. It was a very long day, but worth the effort. We left the hotel at 6 am and did not return until 11 pm. That was using the fast train. My understanding is due to road conditions a car would take even longer. I certainly understand the appeal of seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise, I would not miss Agra if the extra night is impossible. However, we were able to be there for sunset.
Agra
I would not recommend driving yourself in a car in India, get a car with a driver.
We did the Golden Triangle with Sita Tours http://www.sitatours.com/ several years ago (Dehli, Agra and Jaipur). You might try Sita and see if they can arrange something for you, they are one of the bigger tour companies in India. We have used Sita on several other tours in India and have been very pleased with them.
Taj in a day
The trip to the Taj Mahal can be done in one very long day. It is about 3 hours driving time each way. Your hotel can book this for you since they probably have car/drivers on call. You should also make sure you have a licensed guide at the site. If you do an overnight (recommended), you can include Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, an abandoned Mughal city. For anything more than a day, you might want to contact Swagatam Tours in Delhi (www.swagatam.com) -- they have arranged several programs for me in the past and I've always been pleased with their hotels, drivers and guides. They can suggest if it would be better to take the train from Delhi to Agra, then a car/driver and guide for touring, or do the whole program by private car.