Four-Day Private Luxury Golden Triangle Tour to Agra and Jaipur from New Delhi

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1: Old and New Delhi

   You are collected from your Delhi hotel, airport or station and spend the day across both halves of the city. Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a 73-metre sandstone tower begun in 1193 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, founder of the Delhi Sultanate. India Gate follows — the war memorial on Kartavya Path commemorating Indian soldiers who died in the First World War.

   At Gandhi Smriti you stand in the house where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated on 30 January 1948; it is now a museum. The day ends in Old Delhi, the walled city Shah Jahan founded in 1639 when he moved the Mughal capital here from Agra — Jama Masjid, one of India’s largest mosques, and the lanes and street food of Chandni Chowk. Overnight in Delhi.

   Qutub Minar · India Gate · Gandhi Smriti · Jama Masjid · Chandni Chowk

2. 2

   Day 2: Delhi to Agra

   After breakfast you drive to Agra, about 230 km on the Yamuna Expressway and roughly three to four hours with a stop. The afternoon is spent on the quieter side of the Yamuna.

   Mehtab Bagh is a 16th-century garden directly across the river from the Taj Mahal, and the best place to see it at sunset without the crowds at the main gate. Nearby stands the tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah — the “Baby Taj” — a small marble mausoleum whose inlay work prefigures the Taj Mahal by two decades. You check in to your 5-star hotel in Agra for the night.

   Yamuna Expressway · Mehtab Bagh · Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah

3. 3

   Day 3: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and on to Jaipur

   You reach the Taj Mahal early, when the marble shifts from grey to pink to white as the sun comes up. Shah Jahan began it in 1632 as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal; it took over two decades to finish and is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Note that the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.

   Agra Fort follows — the red sandstone seat of Mughal power and the palace where Shah Jahan was later imprisoned by his son, with a view back across the river to the tomb he built. You then drive to Jaipur, about five hours, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri: the capital Akbar built in 1571 and abandoned within fifteen years, still intact around the Buland Darwaza gateway, the marble tomb of Salim Chishti and the five-storey Panch Mahal. Overnight in Jaipur.

   Taj Mahal · Agra Fort · Fatehpur Sikri

4. 4

   Day 4: Jaipur, then return to Delhi

   The Jaipur morning starts at Panna Meena ka Kund, the symmetrical 16th-century stepwell below Amber, then Amber Fort itself — Rajasthan’s capital until 1728, built by Raja Man Singh I above Maota Lake, and worth around two hours. Jaigarh Fort sits on the ridge above it, built by Jai Singh II in 1726 to defend Amber.

   Coming back down you stop at Jal Mahal, the palace standing in the middle of Man Sagar Lake, then the City Palace of 1721, still home to the Jaipur royal family and the Sawai Man Singh II Museum. The last stop is Hawa Mahal, the five-storey pink sandstone screen of 1799 built so royal women could watch the street unseen. From Jaipur it is about five hours back to Delhi, or a short transfer to Jaipur airport.

   Panna Meena ka Kund · Amber Fort · Jaigarh Fort · Jal Mahal · City Palace · Hawa Mahal

Frequently asked questions