welcome to the taj mahal

The poet Rabindranath Tagore described it as “a tear on the cheek of eternity”; Rudyard Kipling as “the embodiment of all pure things”; while his creator, Emperor Shah Jahan, said that he made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes”.

Every year, tourists who exceed double the population of Agra pass through its doors to get a unique glimpse of what is considered the most beautiful building in the world. Few were disappointed.

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The Taj was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial to his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631. 

Mumtaz’s death left the emperor so heartbroken that his hair would turn gray virtually overnight.

Construction of the Taj began the following year; although the main building is thought to have taken eight years to build, the entire complex was not completed until 1653.

Shortly after it was finished, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned in the Agra Fort, where for the rest of his days he could only look at his creation through a window.

After his death in 1666, Shah Jahan was buried here next to his beloved Mumtaz. In total, around 20,000 people from India and Central Asia worked on the building.

Specialists from Europe were brought in to produce the exquisite marble screens and hard stone (marble inlays) made from thousands of semi-precious stones.

The Taj was designated a World Heritage Site in 1983 and today looks nearly as pristine as it did when it was first built, although it underwent a massive restoration project in the early 20th century.

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organize your vacation

how to get there

The Taj Mahal can be visited on a day trip from Delhi. Agra is well connected by rail. The main train station is Agra Cantt. Shatabdi Express high-speed services operate from Delhi, Varanasi and cities in Rajasthan.

           where to sleep

Most people come on a day trip from New Delhi or stay in Agra. There are many great hotels to choose from.

    how to get around

There are the official prepaid rickshaw and taxi cabs available 24 hours a day just outside Agra train station. Use them to avoid the hassle, and if you book a tour, check the quality of your vehicle to make sure it’s satisfactory.

    when to go

The best time is from November to February, otherwise it can be unbearably hot or rainy. You will still be able to get some great off-season discounts.

map of the taj mahal

The Taj Mahal (meaning “Crown of the Palace”) is an ivory white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna River in the Indian city of Agra.

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Tickets

Every year, millions of people visit India’s impressive and mysterious Taj Mahal palace. For foreigners, the entrance fee to the Taj Mahal is 1,000 rupees. Indian citizens pay only 40 rupees. Children under the age of 15 are free. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices near the entrance gates or online on this site. Read our pricing guide.

Upon exiting the East Gate after your visit, head to Cafe Coffee Day for coffee and muffins, clean bathrooms, and welcome air-conditioning.

Where to eat in Agra:

  • Esphahan:  There are only two sittings each night at Agra’s finest restaurant (6.30pm and 9.30pm), so booking a table is essential. The exquisite menu is chock full of unique delicacies and rarely seen regional heritage dishes.
  • Mama Chicken:  This superstar dhaba is a must: unsupervised veg duelists and street glory who employ 24 chefs on the run, each dealing with outdoor tandoori or other traditional utensils. They throw up some outrageously good sandwiches (kathi) (try chicken tikka or paneer tikka)
  • Pinch of Spice:  This is the best place outside five-star hotels to indulge in rich curries and succulent tandoori kebabs. The murg boti masala (chicken tikka swimming in a rich and spicy country gravy) and paneer lababdar (unfermented cheese cubes in a spicy red sauce with stir-fried onions) are outstanding.

What to take:

  • Mutter Paneer: A vegetarian dish consisting of peas and paneer in tomato sauce, topped with garam masala.
  • Biryani: The infusion of spices and seasonings combined with long grain Basmati rice and tenderly cooked meat (or vegetables), Lucknawi or Awadhi Biryani is a feast in itself. The royal dish is best served with a simple raita (curd).
  • Butter Chicken: Butter chicken or murgh makhani is a dish, originally from the Indian subcontinent, of chicken with a lightly spiced curry sauce.
  • Samosa: A fried or baked snack filled with spiced potatoes, onions, peas or lentils and often accompanied by a mint chutney.
  • Chaat: sweet and sour snack prepared with potatoes, chickpeas and spicy mustards

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reviews @tripadvisor

wonder of the world

One of the most beautiful things man has ever created! Its symmetry, its finely decorated candid white … In short, its perfection leaves you speechless! If you add the wonderful love story for which it was built, you get goosebumps. Absolutely unmissable on a trip to India!

Anna M

fabulous

Visited in the afternoon. Few tourists so it was possible to take many photos from various angles. The marble is of an incredible white and the colors of the women’s dresses stand out like lighthouses in the night

Rosso 53

there are no words

I confirm the spectacular level of the attraction that makes it one of the most famous monuments in the world. Being able to enter for the visit very early, the opening is at 06.00, you can enjoy the show very well, then the mass slightly reduces the effect.

Stefano G

thirty years dream

It is a real wonder of the world, the only reason to reach Agra …. the ONLY one! The city has nothing, wrecked! So I recommend sleeping there the night before, getting up at 5 am and visiting the Taj as well to avoid the Confusion and enjoy this show! I was there two nights and a whole day, so having nothing else to do I enjoyed the Taj looking at it both across the river at sunset, revisiting it in its entirety for the Second time in one day (I repeat, in Agra there is absolutely nothing else to do) ….
Not to be missed

Fabio 1983

marvelous

To remain with bated breath! Spectacular, majestic. A truly refined and symmetrical architecture. The white color gives a sense of peace. The sun reflecting on this masterpiece is wonderful! 

StefaniaM

exceptional 

I had enormous expectations for the last leg of the trip to India that were not shattered in the face of this masterpiece that it is not for me to describe: the only comment is exciting.

Antonio S

stupendous

There are no words, it is the dream of a man who has built a palace for his lost woman. Crystalline marble and love. Its fame is absolutely deserved. Go there!

Danitizz1

wonder

The grandeur and elegance of a marvel. Sumptuous, crystalline, candid, solid, firm like the strength of a love. Do not take your eyes off him from any angle and / or perspective you observe him.

Silvia A

a dream you had

there are so many reviews about the Taj Mahal that I can add little. What I suggest to the skeptics (like me), who fear being disappointed by the most noble mausoleum in India, is: do not trust the preconceptions, it is truly astounding beauty. 

Sergio L

a dream you had

For years, since I was a child, I have looked at glossy magazine covers, with the image of the Inca ghost town. Machu Picchu. Early in the morning, queuing for the bus that takes you to the entrance to the archaeological site through an uphill and misty hairpin bend. There are already quite a few people. You begin to climb, slowly, up to a terrace and in the morning fog it is there, imposing, silent and suggestive. Finding yourself in front of that ancient city nestled between the peaks is exciting. 

Roberta Esposito

puerta del sol

Machu Picchu is one of those places to put on your wish list. Reaching it after the Comino Real trek is an experience that I will never stop recommending. The classic journey that you cannot miss in your life. Arriving at dawn under the Puerta del Sol, climbing the last steps with a little emotion and looking out over the city while the sun peeps out makes you feel good.

I travel as a family

stupendous

Do not leave without having this visit organized by an agency, otherwise you risk not seeing it. You get to Agua Caliente by train, the town at the foot of the mountain. The next day we leave in the morning even at 9.00, do not trust those who tell you that you have to wake up at 4.30. You have to buy the bus tickets first and the park ticket. The bus takes 25 minutes to go up to the top, you can also walk up but it takes 2 hours and then you end up not enjoying the view. 

Iaiaontour

exceptional 

There are no words to describe the emotion you feel when you arrive in Machu Picchu.
In our case we arrived at 7:15 in the morning.
The mountain was shrouded in fog which then I cry slowly thinned out allowing us exceptional photos.
I recommend a guide because within the site there are one-way paths and if you get the wrong direction you can’t go back.

Forest Paolo

marvelous

Seeing the Inca citadel at sunrise, immersed in the forest, is an experience that will not be forgotten for a lifetime. I recommend booking the morning shift, because it’s less crowded and cooler if it’s sunny, and sleeping the night before in Aguas Calientes, to better manage everything. It is also advisable to buy bus tickets, better round trip because after you are tired, the previous evening. In the morning it is better to queue for the bus by 4.30 to be able to arrive at the site at dawn because it is an unforgettable sight. 

Marco673

thirty years dream

Very tiring and not cheap to get to Machu Picchu. Yet we did an hour in line to take the bus that took us across 9km of overhang, about 10 minutes to deliver the heavy backpacks, about 15 minutes to queue in the bathroom, about half an hour to enter with ticket and passport. .
Then the queue continues all the way between the young people who fly from one steep staircase to another and stops in shady places.
Despite all this, a great emotion. Before getting off, take another row to have your passport stamped.
Not to be missed

RLR53

there are no words

It is useless: even if you have seen it dozens of times in photos or television documentaries, being there is an emotion that cannot be told. I just advise you not to get caught up in the frenzy of a thousand photos, selfies or video footage. You often go there only once in a lifetime and the ticket lasts two and a half hours: take at least 10 minutes to sit, perhaps in the area above the guardian’s house, try to isolate yourself mentally and enjoy the view, both of the ruins and of the surrounding mountains . It is something magical.

Francesco

fabulous

I challenge anyone to give this place less than 5 stars. It is incredibly evocative, magical and is everyone’s imaginative dream. An incredible location and a unique beauty despite the tide of people who access it. It was a lifelong dream and I made it happen. It is rightly one of the 7 wonders of the modern world: I have seen 5 of them but this one is at the top of all.

Osimo

wonder of the world

Inca fortress that rises in the Peruvian Andes above the valley of the Urobamba river at 2430 meters high. Not surprisingly among the seven wonders of the modern world World Heritage Site drawn up by Unesco. Main tourist half of Peru, there are 5,000 visits per day.Best wishes.  From aguas calientes the site can be reached by continuous public buses. It is divided into two areas, a terraced agricultural area for crops and an urban area where various civil and religious activities developed

Giuliano C