By road
~220 km from Delhi
North India · Uttar Pradesh
Agra, Uttar Pradesh
The Taj Mahal at first light · ~220 km from Delhi
Getting there
By rail
Agra Cantt, the city's main station
By air
Agra Airport has very limited flights; most travellers fly into Delhi (~220 km) instead
Best time to visit
October to March — dawn mist makes the marble glow
Don't miss
Taj Mahal
Agra Fort
Itmad-ud-Daulah (the 'Baby Taj')
Fatehpur Sikri day trip
Things to do
Sunrise Taj visit
Agra Fort audio walk
Marble-inlay workshops
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Antrix3 · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Slip-on shoes (shoe covers provided), sunrise-queue patience
A quieter corner
Mehtab Bagh across the river for a crowd-free Taj sunset
Questions travellers ask
When should I go to Agra?
October to March. The dawn mist is what makes the marble glow, so aim for the sunrise visit.
How do I get to Agra?
Agra Cantt is the main station and the Gatimaan Express does it from Delhi in under two hours. Agra Airport is very limited, so most people fly into Delhi, 220 km away.
What should I carry?
Slip-on shoes, though covers are provided, and patience for the sunrise queue.
Where is the best view of the Taj Mahal?
Mehtab Bagh, across the river, for a sunset without the crowd.
What else is worth the time?
Agra Fort with the audio walk, Itmad-ud-Daulah, and Fatehpur Sikri as a day trip.
About Agra
- Riverside
Where it is
Agra is a city in western Uttar Pradesh on the banks of the Yamuna river, south-east of Delhi, in the historic Braj region of the Gangetic plain.
History
Sultan Sikandar Lodi made Agra his capital in the early 16th century, and the city became the heart of the Mughal Empire under Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, who built Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan moved the capital to Delhi in the mid-17th century, and Agra later passed to the Jats, the Marathas and the British.
People
Agra's people speak Hindi and Braj Bhasha, and Urdu is part of the city's Mughal heritage. Craft families carry on the tradition of inlaying semi-precious stones in marble, and the city is known for its petha sweets and its leather footwear industry.
Known for
- The Taj Mahal
- Agra Fort
- The tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah
- Fatehpur Sikri nearby
- Petha sweets and marble inlay work
Did you know?
The Agra district has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.