My Ultimate Taj Mahal Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Taj Mahal – one of the Seven World Wonders of the New World. It’s a site that is on every traveller’s bucket list and for a justified reason. It is absolutely breathtaking and to this very day Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever visited. To make the most out of your visit, I wrote this detailed Taj Mahal guide with my tips for visiting.

In this blog post you will find where to stay near Taj Mahal, how to get there and what are the best guided tours if you want to opt for one. Additionally, I will share all my tips and tricks on when to visit, what to keep in mind alongside practical information.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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📖 Read my My 7 Days India Itinerary: India’s Highlights & Gems blog post.

About Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It’s the ivory-white marble mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal, a wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who built this in 1670. It took 22 years to be completed and apparently the builders fingers were cut off, so they can never again build something as beautiful as Taj Mahal.

Today it is considered a Monument to Love.

How to Get to Taj Mahal

While Agra, where Taj Mahal is located, has a small airport, most people fly to New Delhi or Jaipur and then get to Agra from there.

Because New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur are known as the Golden Triangle, there are a lot of guided tours you can get from Jaipur or Delhi to visit Taj Mahal.

You can also hire a driver and explore Taj Mahal on your own, especially if you’d love to stay in Agra instead of making a day trip. That’s how we’ve done it and I do recommend it if you prefer exploring at your own pace.

Where to Stay near Taj Mahal

📖 Read my 4 Hotels with Amazing Taj Mahal View for Every Budget blog post for more.

Best Guided Tours to Taj Mahal

If you decide to visit Taj Mahal from Delhi or Jaipur, then the best is to take a guided tour, so you can make the most out of your day.

But even if you stay in Agra, you can still take a guided private tour to learn more from the local.

Tips for Visiting Taj Mahal

I will now share my tips for visiting Taj Mahal, so you can make the most out of your visit.

Best Time of Day to Visit Taj Mahal

If you go online or on social media, you will probably notice that everyone suggests visiting for sunrise.

I partially agree with it. Firstly, I am not an early morning person and I rarely wake up so early to do such things, so if you’re with me, this would mean you have to be by the gate at around 6 am already.

Second, everyone would have the same idea, which means that crowds and long lines are inevitable.

What I did, and what I would recommend to you as well, is to go right after the sunrise, because then you’d still be able to catch a glimpse of it, but you will notice how most people will already be exiting.

We arrived about 7:30 am, had our online tickets ready and entered within 5 minutes. We could take photos with the sunrise from the back of Taj Mahal and the photos still turned out nicely. Plus, we beat the crowds, though there would still be a lot of people, but you will be able to explore and even get lost on the grounds.

At 10 am already it was starting to get much busier, so early morning or late afternoon are the best if you want to have fewer people with you.

Best Time of Year to Visit Taj Mahal

Generally, the best time to visit India is from October to March. The weather is the most pleasant then. You can expect warm, dry and sunny days. From April it tends to get very hot, while between June and September India is experiencing a monsoon season.

We visited in February and the weather was perfect – warm and sunny, but not too hot for sightseeing and we had no rain at all.

Best Entry Gate

There are 3 entry gates to Taj Mahal: east, west and south.

The best entry gate is east because it usually has shorter queueing time, except for sunrise. Also, there’s a skip-the-line there, which is great if you bought your tickets online (what I did and my recommendation to you). It’s also nearby most tourist hotels, so if you’re staying in Agra, this is definitely the best option.

West gate is the main entrance to Taj Mahal and is mostly popular with Indian tourists and is way busier than the east. I would not recommend it.

And lastly, there’s also a south gate which seems to be closed now, but generally this is the least recommended gate because it doesn’t open for sunrise and it’s next to a chaotic market. However, if you’re a backpacker and you stay in hostels, this would be the closest entry gate for you if open. I still recommend you to go to the east gate.

What to Wear in Taj Mahal

While there is no strict dress code for Taj Mahal, I would still recommend you to dress respectfully and if possible locally.

Personally, I really wanted nice photos, so I opted for the Indian dress I bought at the local market in Mumbai. My husband wore jeans and a polo shirt (as you can see in the photo above).

📖 Read my Essential Tips for Visiting India as a Female Traveller blog post.

Best Photography Spots & Tips

My favourite photo spot in Taj Mahal is by the pool facing it. The reflection of the Taj Mahal is beautiful and with you in the middle, it’s almost unrealistic. Just bear in mind that this is also the most popular spot, so patiently wait for your turn. Some people may be rude and get into your photo, so don’t be shy to tell them to move away.

Another beautiful spot is the upper deck after you enter the east gate. I also loved a photo with the back of Taj Mahal.

Another beautiful photo is from the mosque with Taj Mahal in the frame, but sadly, I completely forgot to take mine from that corner. Next time!

How Much Time to Allocate for Taj Mahal

If you want to explore it properly and with no rush, then plan about 2h for Taj Mahal.

What to Bring to Taj Mahal

As mentioned, eating and smoking is prohibited, so don’t carry this with you. What you need is a water bottle and a small carry-on bag.

Safety, Health & Precautions

Air pollution is definitely a problem in India and the fog can sometimes be so heavy that it can ruin your experience a bit, especially if you’re dreaming of a perfect sunrise photo.

Obviously stay hydrated and apply sunscreen if the sun is strong.

One thing to be aware of, there are a lot of scammers outside trying to get you to hire them as a guide or sell you something. In one instance my husband had to be very rude to get rid of them.

Fortunately, once you enter, then no one would be bothering you, that happens before the entry gates. But, if you do want to get a guide, then book it on a reputable website like Viator.

Practical Info for Visiting Taj Mahal

Here is some practical information, such as where to buy tickets and opening times, so you can plan ahead your visit to Taj Mahal.

Opening Hours

Taj Mahal opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes before sunset, so based on when you’d be there, check online when this falls.

💡One important thing to note is that Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.

Tickets

If you’d love to explore Taj Mahal on your own you can get the tickets at the counter or online. However, I recommend getting them online because then you can go to the skip-the-line entry at east gate and save significant time on queuing.

✅ If you’re buying tickets online, you can only do it on the official website.

If you booked a guided tour, then this will all be taken care of for you.

Tickets for foreigners are higher than for Indian tourists, but still quite affordable given that this is World Wonder.

Entry Rules, Security & Regulations

Before you enter, you will need to pass security checks to ensure you don’t have any of the prohibited items, such as a drone camera.

On the grounds you are not allowed to eat and smoke and your phone needs to be on silent mode or switched off.

💡The photography inside the main mausoleum is strictly prohibited.

You will also get the shoe covers before you go into the mausoleum and you mustn’t take them off.

Is Taj Mahal worth Visiting

Even if you came all the way to this beautiful, yet chaotic India only to see the Taj Mahal, it would totally be worth it.

Taj Mahal definitely deserved to be on the list of 7 New World Wonders because it is absolutely breathtaking.

Yes, it is very popular and the crowds can ruin your experience at times, but beside the popular photo spots, there are corners where you can enjoy watching it peacefully.

It’s a place to see at least once in a lifetime.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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