Destinations
–Agra
Agra
From Jaipur, we hired a car and the driver took us to Agra, about 5.5 hours away. The sole purpose of our visit to Agra was the Taj Mahal, which is most likely the case for anyone reading about Agra.
Daylight
Taj Mahal Alternate View (Gazeebo) (2-3 hours)
This is an alternate view of the Taj Mahal from a Gazebo that has started to gain popularity online because it is different than all the standard Taj Mahal photos. If you are looking to get this photo for yourself, here are directions on how to get here!
Walk towards the East Gate entrance of the Taj Mahal as you normally would and instead of veering left to the main gate, you take a right down a road that nobody will be taking. You will take a slight right after maybe 100 yards and start walking on a smaller side path. After about 10 minutes of walking, you will take a left at a fork (shown below) and walk towards an abandoned structure.
You will be looking for signs leading to the sign shown here, Haveli Khan-i-Dauran & Agha Khan.
When you arrive at the gate of this structure, there will be locals sitting there collecting an entrance fee. They began to realize tourists were coming here and are now trying to make a buck. This did not seem too official or legal, but because we were tourists and out of our depth we did not want to start a fuss. We obliged and paid 500 INR for each of us after negotiating down from 600 INR. Once you pass through the main gate, just climb up a small hill to the Gazebo and you are all set. There will most likely be a few other groups of people there taking photos (We arrived for sunset which is a popular time). But it was calming to not have as many tourists as you would get anywhere else. Everyone was respectful and friendly by letting everyone take turns to get their photos.
Taj Mahal (Half Day)
We set up a taxi with the hotel to take us to the Taj at 5 am. Taxis are only able to take you so close, so you are required to walk about 15 min to get to the main entrance. Keep this in mind when you are planning what time you want to be in line. We had purchased tickets online and used them to get shoe covers and a bottle of water. We were in line and waiting by 5:30 am and were within the first 15 people in line. The gates opened right at 6 am and we enjoyed taking pictures all morning before the crowd got too out of control. You are limited to only 3 hours on the grounds and we spent about 2.5 hours because we didn’t have to wait in long lines of tourists at the popular photo spots.
Due to the Pollution, we were unable to get Photos that captured the beauty of this New Wonder of the World. We plan to return at a better time of year to get some photographs.
Delhi
Daylight
We had planned to spend four days in Delhi and were very excited to do some sightseeing in one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. Unfortunately, we were traveling just after Diwali which occurs during the shift from Spring to Winter, so crop burnings were occurring in the surrounding states as well. Given the large population, lighting firecrackers to celebrate Diwali combined by the temperature change trapping the crop smoke over the city, there were record highs of pollution which put a real damper on the trip. We ordered N95 pollution masks to protect our respiratory systems so we could walk around town. This also opened our eyes to the tragedy of poor education and information about the horrible effects pollution has on young kids and the population of 30 million. With that being said, we did take some time to get out of the hotel and see some sights, but what we were able to do was not as exhaustive as we would have hoped. We would recommend avoiding Dehli and even Agra during late October to avoid pollution ruining your trip, especially if you are traveling from farther away.
Red Fort (2 hours)
This historic fort, built in the mid-1600s was home to the Mughal Emperors. The name is derived from the red sandstone walls surrounding the Fort. This fort is the largest monument in Dehli and is the location of the Prime Minister of India’s Independence Day Speeches.
Overall, it was a massive and elaborate campus that reminded me of a college/university campus. A lot of the buildings were degraded and there have been some recent renovation projects to help restore some of the structures. We wandered around for about an hour and a half and that felt like more than enough time. There aren’t any distinct monuments or unique photography opportunities so outside of the historical relevance it was not too exciting for us. Make sure to go to either the main gate to buy a ticket or save even more time and buy an online ticket. The location you enter the grounds at is not where the ticket counter is and we had to walk back and forth around the outside of the walls which was a large time killer. They offer shuttles but there was a long line for these.
Chandni Chowk (1 hour)
One of the oldest and busiest markets in Delhi and even India, this is very well known around India as one of the craziest places to be. If you want a feel for the chaos and the large population, make your way to Chandni Chowk to fight through the crowds and embrace the insanity.
Endless narrow lanes are lined with shops of all kinds and the alleys are filled with people.
This area is accessible by walk from the Red Fort, so it’s not much of a hassle to check this out.
Lotus Temple (2 hours)
A uniquely structured temple of the Baha’i faith, this is an architectural wonder. Made from 27 free-standing marble slabs that look like flower petals, this structure has won various architectural awards. There is one central hall, and access into the hall is allowed. To get inside, you have to place your shoes in a bag and wait in a line that took us about 20 min to get through. They let groups into the central hall by waves and you are not allowed to speak inside. Various tourists can be seen praying or peacefully sitting with their eyes closed. This grand hall can hold up to 2,500 people and was beautiful from the inside.
After you leave the Grand Hall you can walk around the edge of the Structure to take photos by a few surrounding pools.
Hauz Khas Complex (2 hours)
Hauz Khas stands for Royal Water Tank (Or Royal Lake). Hauz Khas Park is a beautiful and quiet park that surrounds this lake. Off to one edge of the park is the ruin remains of the Madrasa which was an Institution for Islamic learnings. The L-Shaped design hugs the edge of the park and gives a nice view of the lake. As we walked around the lake we noticed many local couples relaxing on the ruins. This is a nice area to get away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi and was a well-maintained park with lots of greenery.
Indira Gandhi Memorial (1-2 hours)
Indira Gandhi was the third prime minister of India and only female Prime Minister of India to date. She served through the late 60s and mid-70s leading the war with Pakistan to gain Bangladesh’s independence. She once again returned to office in 1980 and was assassinated by her bodyguards in 1984 as revenge for a political decision she made a few months prior.
This memorial site showcases the home where she lived, photos and stories about her life, and a memorial of the place she was gunned down in her own yard.
There are also mentions of her son Rajiv, who took over for her as Prime Minister after her assassination. After his first term, he was campaigning for re-election and was also assassinated by a suicide bomber.
This is an informative and historic museum if you are interested in Indian political history.
Gandhi Smriti Memorial (1 hour)
A museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, this is a must-see during your stay in Dehli. Gandhi spent the last half a year of his life at this location and is also the location where he was assassinated. The museum touches on the whole life of Gandhi as you walk through his living quarters during his last days. You walk his final footsteps (they are laid out on the grounds) leading to the lawn where he was shot just before a prayer meeting.
Gandhi led the campaign for India’s independence from the British on Aug 15, 1947. To this day he is still the pride and joy of India, and this will never change.
Lodhi Art District (2 hours)
This is a very unofficial landmark or location, but this neighborhood district is home to over 50 murals created by local and international artists across the sides of random buildings. We spent a few hours just walking around looking for Murals and taking fun photos. If you are interested in unique and completely random street art, this would be a fun place to check out.
