The Historic Taj Mahal (Return trip from Delhi)
Inclusions:
- Private transport to and from the Taj Mahal
- Local Guide
- Taj Mahal entry fees
*Option available for overnight stopover in Agra for further sightseeing to Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri
The Historic Taj Mahal
Built by Shah Jahan’s as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal the beauty of this structure is unmatched. We have time to walk the corridors and gardens before continuing on to the Agra Red Fort. With its grand courtyards, royal pavilions and palaces the Agra Fort is a fitting testimony to the Great Moghuls – Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan – during the era when Agra was the capital of the Moghul Empire.
We then travel 35km out of Agra to the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri. Built by Emperor Akbar in 1569 and deserted 14 years later its glorious courtyards and palaces conjure up dreams of the mysterious past. There’s the imperial Jami Masjid, the tomb of Shaik Salim Chisti who predicted the birth of Akbar’s son Jehangir, the Panch Mahal, a strange building which resembles a Buddhist Temple, a cloistered courtyard which was the Hall of Public Audience and the Pachchisi paved with black and white where the emporor played chess using slave girls as figurines.
Adding an overnight stopover will allow you to visit Itimad-ud-Daulah, known as the 'Baby Taj' which was built before the Taj Mahal by Nur Jahan, queen of Jehangir for her parents. The first Mughal building to be faced with white marble and where 'pietra dura' (preciuos stones inlaid into marble) was first used. Alternatively you can take a small boat across the Yamuna River to get a glimpse of the Taj Mahal from a different angle, and a different perspective - truly magical.
Built by Shah Jahan’s as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal the beauty of this structure is unmatched. We have time to walk the corridors and gardens before continuing on to the Agra Red Fort. With its grand courtyards, royal pavilions and palaces the Agra Fort is a fitting testimony to the Great Moghuls – Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan – during the era when Agra was the capital of the Moghul Empire.
We then travel 35km out of Agra to the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri. Built by Emperor Akbar in 1569 and deserted 14 years later its glorious courtyards and palaces conjure up dreams of the mysterious past. There’s the imperial Jami Masjid, the tomb of Shaik Salim Chisti who predicted the birth of Akbar’s son Jehangir, the Panch Mahal, a strange building which resembles a Buddhist Temple, a cloistered courtyard which was the Hall of Public Audience and the Pachchisi paved with black and white where the emporor played chess using slave girls as figurines.
Adding an overnight stopover will allow you to visit Itimad-ud-Daulah, known as the 'Baby Taj' which was built before the Taj Mahal by Nur Jahan, queen of Jehangir for her parents. The first Mughal building to be faced with white marble and where 'pietra dura' (preciuos stones inlaid into marble) was first used. Alternatively you can take a small boat across the Yamuna River to get a glimpse of the Taj Mahal from a different angle, and a different perspective - truly magical.