Things to do in Agra

Agra was once a Mughal capital. The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort are UNESCO-listed, as is Fatehpur Sikri nearby. Things to do in Agra are mostly monuments on or near the Yamuna.

The Taj and the river

The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort stand on one bank of the Yamuna, 2.5 km apart. Mehtab Bagh and Itmad-ud-Daulah are on the other.

• Taj Mahal. Built between 1631 and 1648 by Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal, in marble from Makrana. The gardens cover 17 hectares.
• Agra Fort. Red sandstone, rebuilt by Akbar from 1565. Shah Jahan added the marble halls, and his son Aurangzeb held him here from 1658 until his death. A large part is still army-held and closed to visitors.
• Mehtab Bagh. A garden aligned with the Taj and laid out to view it, best at sunset.
• Itmad-ud-Daulah. The Baby Taj: a marble tomb with stone inlay, built from 1622 to 1628 by Nur Jahan for her father.
• Sikandra. Akbar's tomb, about 8 km out on the Mathura road, finished by his son Jahangir in 1613.
• Fatehpur Sikri. 37 km west. Akbar's capital from 1571 to 1585, usually said to have been left when the water supply failed.

Roads out of Agra

Bookings here are mostly road journeys. A private car and driver covers one leg at a time, and longer circuits pass through.

• Delhi. About 210 km on the Yamuna Expressway, three and a half to four hours.
• Jaipur. About 240 km, around five hours.
• Ranthambore. The tiger reserve, about five hours.

Practical

• Weather. January days reach 22C and nights fall to 7C, with dense fog on many mornings. May and June run 41 to 42C by day. July and August add 200 to 250 mm of rain each. November to March suits sightseeing.
• Fridays. The Taj is closed, while the fort and the other monuments stay open.
• Taj entry. It opens half an hour before sunrise and closes half an hour before sunset. Sunrise is the favoured slot, cooler and quieter. The mausoleum needs a separate ticket, and photography inside it is banned.
• Taj rules. Tripods, food and drones are not allowed. Petrol and diesel vehicles are kept away, so the last stretch is by battery bus, tonga or rickshaw.
• Night viewing. It runs on five nights around the full moon, in small groups booked ahead.
• Metro. A short line runs from Taj East Gate to Mankameshwar.
• Shopping. Petha, a sweet made from ash gourd, is Agra's own. Leather goods fill the Sadar and Kinari bazaars.