Taj Mahal from New Delhi: tours, tickets and more

There is no doubt that one of the best things to do in New Delhi is to visit Taj Mahal, the palace-like mausoleum on the banks of the Yamuna River. Many recommend saving this visit for last, as the beauty of this stone-encrusted white marble construction overshadows all others you can see in the city of Agra.

The mausoleum, which has been declared one of the New Seven Wonders of the Modern World, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth of their 14th son. Taking into account that about 8 million people visit it every year, it is important that you take into account some recommendations when buying your ticket, to make the most of your visit.

The most complete option

Taj Mahal and Agra Fort Day Trip from New Delhi by Gatimaan Express Train

Guided tour of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort from New Delhi by fast train

You will travel comfortably to the city of Agra by fast train to visit the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum and Agra Fort, with optional lunch.

From $8 at Hellotickets

This is a full day excursion in which you will see the famous buildings of the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. It is by fast train and includes hotel pick-up, making it one of the most convenient ways to see the Taj Mahal from New Delhi. It also offers entrance without queues and the possibility of including lunch.

Recommended if... you want to make a visit without waiting and have solved the transport to visit the Taj Mahal in a comfortable way.

General admission to the Taj Mahal costs about 12 EUR per person for foreigners, about 6 EUR for citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC member countries, and about 0.5 EUR for citizens of India. In addition, entrance to the mausoleum is optional and costs about EUR 2 per person. Children under 15 years of age do not pay general admission.

If you wish to visit the Taj Mahal at night, the entrance fee for foreigners is about 8.5 EUR per person, about 6 EUR for locals and about 6 EUR for children between 4 and 15 years old, both local and foreign. Children under 4 years of age do not pay night admission.

Usually, in addition to the Taj Mahal, most guided tours include a visit to the Agra Fort and the "Little Taj", which is actually called Itimad-Ud-Daulah. There are several buildings and gardens that you can visit to take advantage of your visit to the city of Agra, whose entrance fee must be purchased separately:

• Agra Fort: about 7 EUR per person.
• Fatehpur Sikri: about 7 EUR per person.
• Tomb of Akbar: about 3.5 EUR per person.
• Itimad-Ud-Daulah Mausoleum: about 3.5 EUR per person (Small Taj).
• Mehtab Bagh Garden: about 3.5 EUR per person.
• Ram Bagh Garden: about 3.5 EUR per person.
• Mariyam Tuba: about 3.5 EUR per person.

There are two types of tickets to visit the Taj Mahal: day tickets and night tickets. The daytime hours are from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour before sunset. It can be visited every day except Fridays when it is closed. There are no options to enter without queuing from the official website, but private tours do offer this option.

As for the night tickets, they are only available for 5 nights a month: the night of the full moon, the two nights before and the two nights after, except on Fridays and in the month of Ramadan, which is from the first week of March to the first week of April approximately.

Daytime visits can be up to 3 hours, and you are fined if you stay longer. It is a measure implemented to preserve the good condition of the building, as it is one of the most popular excursions from New Delhi and receives about 50 thousand visitors per day.

Night visits take place between 8.30 pm and 0 hs, and have a duration of 30 minutes. It can be visited by 50 people per hour block, so it is best to book your ticket in advance. It is also important to bring your printed ticket if you visit at night.

No, the entrance tickets to Taj Mahal are not included in any Agra City Sightseeing Pass or Delhi City Sightseeing Pass. You can only get a small discount to visit other buildings in this city after visiting Taj Mahal, such as Agra Fort, Akbar's Tomb and Itimad-Ud-Daulah, although the discount does not make a difference for foreigners.

If you stay a few days in the city, besides doing the best tours of New Delhi, you can get a special tourist card with which you can use the metro to move in the city for 2 or 3 days paying less than one euro (between 100 and 250 rupees).

No, the official tickets do not include the guided tour of the Taj Mahal, nor do they offer an official audio guide that you can listen to on your own. However, you can buy your guided tour ticket from private tour companies, which also offer you a skip-the-line entrance.

At the tour companies you can also book additional services, such as transfer to and from New Delhi or Agra, and lunch. They also include the visit with and without entrance to other attractions, such as the Agra Fort, Akbar's Tomb and the Little Taj.

The advantage of hiring a private tour is that you can book a customized package, including the services that are of interest to you. That is, you can buy from the entrance alone without queues if you prefer to go on your own, or a complete package that includes the entrance with guided tour, lunch, visit to other attractions and all transfers from Agra or New Delhi.

Undoubtedly, the guided tour is worth it, as the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum with a lot of history and details that make it unique in the world. Moreover, the guides are experts who can tell you all about the Taj Mahal and ensure a more enriching experience so that you get the most out of your visit.

Discounted tickets to Taj Mahal are available only for nationals of the country and for citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC member countries. They pay about 0.5 EUR and about 6 EUR per person respectively.

There are also promotional tickets for children under 15 years of age both day and night. They get free admission to the Taj Mahal during the day, and at night they pay about 6 EUR. In addition, children under 4 years of age also do not pay night entrance fee.

Yes, the Taj Mahal offers special tickets for children, as children under 15 years of age do not pay admission to visit the mausoleum during the day. As for children under 4 years of age, they do not pay admission either during the day or at night.

On the other hand, children between 4 and 15 years old pay a discounted entrance fee if they wish to visit the Taj Mahal at night. The value of the night entrance fee for children is about 6 EUR.

If you go with children, remember that the Taj Mahal is a sacred place, so all visitors are asked to keep quiet in the mausoleum and walk through the spaces without making noise or running. In addition, it is forbidden to eat or enter with food.

Buying tickets online has several advantages, as you will not waste time at the mausoleum's ticket office to buy them. Keep in mind that the Taj Mahal is one of the most visited constructions in the world and you could spend a long time in the queue to buy your ticket.

Also, although there are different queues for locals and foreigners, after buying your ticket you must queue to access the Taj Mahal. Depending on the day you visit, it could take between half an hour and 2 hours to get in, so it is best to go as early as possible if you cannot buy your ticket online.

Another advantage of buying your ticket online is that you get a small discount of about 0.056 EUR, although it does not really make a significant difference for foreigners.

The Taj Mahal opens every day half an hour before sunrise and closes half an hour before sunset, except on Fridays, which remains closed. In addition, it is open 5 nights a month from 8.30 pm to 0 am, which are the days you can make a night visit to the mausoleum. On Fridays it is not open at night either.

Night visits can be made on the two nights before the full moon, the two nights after the full moon and the night of the full moon. Almost every month you can make a night visit to Taj Mahal, except in the month of Ramadan, which is usually from March 10 to April 10 of each year approximately.

It is always advisable to check the official Taj Mahal website to make sure that the monument is open before visiting.

In order to favor its conservation, you can only stay up to 3 hours in Taj Mahal. However, this time is enough, as you need at least 2 hours to visit Taj Mahal and enjoy all it has to offer.

This time limit was set to preserve the monument, which receives about 8 million visitors per year, and to avoid crowding. If you stay longer, you will be charged a fine that can be equivalent to the price of a ticket.

To plan your visit, keep in mind that there are no official skip-the-line tickets available, unless you hire a guided tour from New Delhi, so you can spend anywhere from half an hour to 2 hours waiting to get in. Also, if you don't buy your ticket online, you will have to wait longer.

It is recommended that you plan your visit as a full day excursion, and do it as early as possible. If you have time left in the city of Agra, you can take advantage of your visit to see other interesting monuments, such as the Agra Fort.

The best time of year to visit Taj Mahal is from February to April, when temperatures are cooler and the weather drier. November through January is the foggiest time, and July through October is the rainiest time. May and June are the hottest months, and temperatures are sweltering.

Sunrise is one of the most beautiful times of the day to visit the Taj Mahal, as well as sunset. However, the monument is worth visiting at any time of the day, as it changes color as the hours go by.

The gates open around 6:30 am, about half an hour before sunrise, so to arrive early you will probably have to travel in the evening, unless you are staying in the city of Agra. The highest number of visitors is concentrated between 9 and 10 am, and the lowest number of visitors is between 12 and 15 pm.

Taj Mahal is located in the city of Agra, about 200 km from New Delhi, the capital of India. To visit it, you can stay in Agra or in New Delhi. This city offers a greater variety of accommodations, and you can comfortably reach Agra. Keep in mind that polluting vehicles leave you about 5 blocks from the Taj Mahal, and only electric cars and bicycle cabs leave you closer.

From New Delhi you can get to Agra by bus, but it is not the most recommended means of transport as it takes about 4 and a half hours, much longer than trains. You also have the option of taking a plane, but the cost is higher and the airport procedures take a long time.

By train

From New Delhi you have several train lines that reach Agra, and take between 1.5 and 3 hours, depending on the train you choose. One of the fastest is the Gatimaan Express.

Most of the lines leave you at Agra Cantonment station, the main station of the city, which is about 6 km from Taj Mahal; and some leave you at Agra Fort station, which is 3 km from Taj Mahal. From any of these stations you can take a motor tuk tuk or bicycle tuk tuk tuk to reach the monument.

By cab or Uber

Many people opt to take a cab or Uber to the city of Agra, as, although it is the most expensive option, you can hire these services on a shared basis, to reduce costs. The road trip takes about 3 hours.

Keep in mind that no polluting vehicle can approach the 500 meter perimeter around Taj Mahl, so the cab or Uber will drop you about 5 blocks away from the compound.

With a private tour

Another option to visit Taj Mahal is to hire a guided tour from New Delhi with transfer included. It is the most comfortable alternative if you prefer not to worry about the transfer. In addition, you will have an expert guide who will provide you with complete information about the Taj Mahal, so you can make the most of your visit.

On the other hand, some tour companies also include lunch and the possibility of visiting other monuments, temples and gardens of the city.

The Taj Mahal, the large white marble building that looks like a palace, is actually a mausoleum where the tombs of Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, his favorite wife, are located. It is the main building you will see in the compound, which has been declared one of the New Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

In the mausoleum you will appreciate all the details that have made it famous: reliefs, engravings, inlaid precious stones, domes, columns, entrances and galleries. Everything is built with symmetry and rich symbolism. For example, the interior of the mausoleum is divided into 8 parts, symbolizing the 8 paradises of the Koran.

In addition to the mausoleum, you can appreciate the gardens, which represent paradise on earth, and the canal in the center. There are two buildings located on both sides of the mausoleum made of red sandstone: a mosque and a guesthouse. Also the entrance is an imposing construction, consisting of 22 domes that represent the number of years it took to build the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal changes color depending on the time of day, so in the morning it is pink, at noon it is white and at night it takes on a golden color. You can also visit the Taj Mahal Museum, where there are art objects and sketches.

Attractions near the Taj Mahal

If you are going to visit the Taj Mahal, you can take the opportunity to visit other interesting buildings in the city of Agra:

• Agra Fort: it is about 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, on the banks of the Yomuna River. It is a stone fortress of the eleventh century that was converted into a palace in the fifteenth century.
• Itimad-ud-Daulah Mausoleum: it is known as the Little Taj, as it is considered a sketch of the Taj Mahal. It is located 5 km from Taj Mahal.
• Mehtab Bagh Gardens: considered the best viewpoint of the Taj Mahal from the other side of the Yamuna River. They date from 1530.
• Mausoleum of Akbar: located 10 km from the Agra Fort. Construction began in 1605 and combines red sandstone with white marble.
• Marble Emporium: is the place to see artistic pieces of marble inlaid with stones. This art is known as Pietra Dura or Parchin Kari and emerged in the 16th century.

It is advisable that you take into account some recommendations in order to make the most of your visit to Taj Mahal:

• Do not go on a Friday, as you will find it closed.
• It is forbidden to eat and smoke in Taj Mahal. You can not enter with food or beverages. It is a measure taken to promote the conservation of the Taj Mahal, to avoid spilling liquids or food that can stain it.
• You must remain silent inside the mausoleum, and not take pictures.
• It is forbidden to enter with a video camera or photography accessories, such as tripods, selfie sticks or headphones. Nor can you use a drone. Other prohibited items are lighters, knives, cables, chargers and electrical appliances.
• You cannot enter with backpacks or very large bags. If you carry them, you can leave them in the lockers available at the 3 entrances to the venue. Some of these lockers are free and others have a minimal cost.
• It is possible to hire a guide at one of the entrances to the Taj Mahal, but not all of them are official guides, so it is recommended that you ask them for an identification card.
• It is best to use the Fatehpuri Gate, which is the main entrance to the Taj Mahal. It is located to the west. The Fatehabad Gate, which is to the east, is less used because it is one km from the ticket office; and the south entrance is usually used only for exiting.
• Some people dressed in traditional costumes will offer you to take a picture with them. Keep in mind that they provide this service in exchange for tips.