The Taj Mahal is one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World. What you see in professional photographs is a gleaming white marble monument. What you don’t see in photographs is the stress involved in getting to the Taj Mahal and worst of all, the crowds!
Before planning your trip, just know that the Taj Mahal is closed to visitors on Fridays. Certain flights to Agra only operate on specific days of the week. You’ll want to plan the rest of your trip around these caveats, and if you can avoid it, don’t visit on weekends!
Here is how NOT to see the Taj Mahal.
Don’t Visit During Sunset
The most popular times to visit the Taj are sunrise and sunset. There are fewer crowds during sunrise. If you hate crowds, avoid visiting at sunset, since many who visit during the afternoon remain until sunset. By 9pm, security begins sweeping all guests towards the main gates. I visited during March, which is high season but there may be times during the year when it is perfectly fine at sunset.
Embrace the Chaos
Getting to the Taj is half the fun! There are 3 different gateways to the Taj: The Western Gate is the main entrance and faces the city of Agra; The Eastern Gate is the gate you would enter for the sunset viewing; The Southern Gate is used for pedestrians and the pathway is lined with craft and souvenir shops. All gates lead to the Royal Gate, which opens up to the Taj Mahal.
Vehicles are not permitted within a 500m radius of the Taj grounds. All polluting vehicles will drop you off at a parking lot area where you have to take a battery-operated shuttle, rickshaw or walk to the entrance gate.
It was chaos waiting for the shuttle (or “battery bus”), as there were no marked shuttle stops or a dedicated line-up. Groups of people were scattered throughout the parking lot and whenever a new shuttle pulled into the lot, everyone pushed and rushed onboard. Luckily, our local guide was an OG and made a few calls on his cell phone. He motioned for us to stand around a corner of the parking lot. Sure enough, a shuttle pulled up and we got first dibs on seats. However, the shuttle driver refused to start the engine because it was over capacity. He even got off the shuttle in protest. This whole fiasco lasted 40 minutes before we finally began our ride to the Eastern Gate.
Bottom line: Embrace the chaos that is India and be open to finding alternate ways to get to the gate. Find an experienced tour guide who can hook you up with a ride, take an inexpensive rickshaw, or just walk!
Don’t Carry Prohibited Items
There are strict rules about what not to bring inside the grounds. Water bottles, cameras and cell phones are permitted, but the following are forbidden: food, snacks, candy, liquor, smokes, video cameras, tripods, cell phone chargers, books … the list goes on with other odd items.
Mo Money, NO Problems!
Bring enough cash to buy tickets on site. We almost didn’t bring enough rupees with us. Returning to the hotel would’ve wasted precious sunset viewing hours. I don’t actually know where to buy tickets on site as our guide did this for us. We just handed over 750 rupees per person (it’s actually only 250 rupees but taxes account for the other 500 rupees). That’s the price for a foreigner ticket, which allows you to bypass all queues on site. Locals only pay 30 rupees!
Don’t Try To Rough It On Your Own
If it’s your first time to the Taj, visiting with a tour guide will save you time from figuring out where to go. Not to mention, they’ll give you the full rundown of the UNESCO World Heritage Site’s historical background. They can also take group photos for you.
Don’t Forget to Appreciate Being There
I was running around being my own paparazzi, but I reminded myself to put the camera down and appreciate just being there. Soak in the surroundings. Aside from the marble white structure, don’t forget to notice the detailed marble inlay on the mausoleum, the floor tiling, the gardens, the Yamuna River, and outlying buildings including the mosque.
There you have it! Take note of these tips and have an awesome Taj Mahal visit.
Have you been to the Taj Mahal? What are some tips I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments below or by sharing it using the social media links!
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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