We saved India’s most famous attraction for our last week in the country. Most people know at least a little about the Taj Mahal and why the deserving wonder of the world was built. If you don’t know the story, you should look it up (somewhere else). In this post we just want to deal with two things. Firstly, we want to say that, yes, it is every bit as amazing as it is made out to be, and yes, if you haven’t been there you absolutely need to go.
We want to dedicate the rest of this post to those of you who haven’t been but want to, sharing our tips on how to make the most of the experience and get the best photos.
The Taj Mahal is the biggest attraction in a country that will within a decade be the most populous in the world. Predictably, then, it gets crowded, with 50,000 people moving through the place very day. Most visitors are Indians, who pay only 1.5% of the foreigner fee and seem to visit mostly in the afternoon when it is most crowded (we found Indians are generally used to, and not bothered by, crowds). Foreigners in the know who are eager to beat the crowds queue up to be among the first let in at sunrise.
With that in mind, we’d suggest you follow these steps:
We should mention that while in Agra we visited the other main attraction, the Agra fort. Having seen so many forts in Rajasthan, we weren’t particularly impressed with this one, and a comically bad audio guide only added frustration to the unremarkable experience. In fairness, though, the Taj Mahal was always going to be a tough act to follow, as it really is one of a kind. For that reason, we’ll save the rest of India, including Delhi and Amritsar, for our next post.
- Wake up early enough to make sure you’re waiting at the ticket office near the east gate at least fifteen minutes before the office opens (opening time varies depending on the season).
- Hopefully you’ll be towards the front of the queue when you get there. If not, and if there is a female in your group, look for a women only ticket counter (there’ll most likely not be anyone queuing there as western tourists are not used to sex-separated lines). Hopefully this means you’ll be among the first to get your tickets.
- As soon as you have your tickets, quickly pick up your included shoe covers and water bottle and run outside to grab the first tuk-tuk or golf cart you can get. Don’t waste time with protracted negotiations; just tell the driver you’ll pay 100 rupees to get to the east gate (exorbitant given the distance but worth it given the urgency).
- When you get to the east gate you’ll need to line up in sex-separated queues. Ideally, you’re not bringing anything that will attract the delaying attention of bureaucratic security staff (like a tripod or monopod) and you don’t have a backpack. If you couldn’t resist bringing a bag and you’re part of a mixed sex crowd, give the bag to the person in the shorter queue so they can deal with the painstaking security inspection while the other person/s catches up.
- Once you get through the gate and clear security, walk as briskly as you can to the wonder. When you reach the impressive gate you’ll get your first view of the beautiful Taj. Almost everybody stops there to take in the view for a good fifteen minutes. Let them! If you resist that urge and keep walking you’ll be 15 minutes ahead of almost everybody else, meaning that you’ll have plenty of time to take the iconic picture sitting by the central pool with the Taj, and a minimal amount of people, in the background.
- There will most likely be guides at the marble seat offering their services. Even if you don’t feel like you need overly detailed commentary in broken english, think about hiring one as a photographer who can take lots of shots of your whole group.
- After you have your perfect seated shot, continue on to the mosque to the left of the Taj, where you’ll be able to take photos of the rising sun and the Taj itself in the one frame (an even more artistic shot also uses the arches of the mosque to frame the picture).
- Once you’ve wandered through the mosque, continue on to the central tomb of the Taj itself. You should still be among the first people there. Its here that you’ll see that the detail of the Taj’s marble work is perhaps more impressive than the enormity of the Taj itself.
- Next stop is the guesthouse to the right of the Taj. This directly faces the morning sun and so you’ll see a very white Taj for the first time.
- From there, we’d suggest you go back to the entrance gate and start again, taking your time. Nobody will kick you out until sunset and even two hours after opening the place is not too crowded, so you should spend as much time there as you like. If you feel the need, go around a third time. The place is so huge and impressive, you’ll no doubt find something new to admire every time you look at it.
- A lot of people come back to the Taj later on the same day or the next day. This will cost you another 750 rupees each and, if you’ve followed the steps above, is probably unnecessarily since you will have already have had the optimal experience.
We should mention that while in Agra we visited the other main attraction, the Agra fort. Having seen so many forts in Rajasthan, we weren’t particularly impressed with this one, and a comically bad audio guide only added frustration to the unremarkable experience. In fairness, though, the Taj Mahal was always going to be a tough act to follow, as it really is one of a kind. For that reason, we’ll save the rest of India, including Delhi and Amritsar, for our next post.