Visiting Taj Mahal had been the one and only reason for our stay in India. Visiting one of the World’s wonders was on both of our bucket lists. The decision to do so totally paid off.
What we experienced:
We started in New Delhi where a driver picked us up at about 2 AM. We had booked the tour some days before via viator.com and everything worked out fine. The driver even contacted us the day before to reconfirm the tour and gave us the most important information.
Driving through Delhi is far more relaxed at this early time than during the day. But also, the night could not cover the poverty, as there had been many people sleeping on the streets and sidewalks of the city. Overall, it took us about 3.5 hours to come to Agra. Prem, our driver, first told us about his hometown Delhi, the people living here, more about their languages and a bit about our goal, the great monument of love, Taj Mahal.
As we arrived in Agra and after we had picked up our tour-guide Rocky we had to walk the last bit of our way. We entranced via the western gate of Taj Mahal. Although you read about masses of people visiting it, the entry and later the whole visit were not as crowded as we expected.
In total, we had approximately 3 hours for our visit. First Rocky showed us around – but to be honest he did not tell us new stuff we had not already read about. Others guides we saw and heard did a better job.
So to make a long story short: Mumtaz Mahal was the third & favourite wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. She died in 1631 while giving birth to her 14th child. 1632 Shah Jahan decided to build the Taj Mahal as mausoleum. About ten years later the work on the mausoleum had finished. In difference to earlier Mughal’s buildings this was not made out of sandstone but of white marble and semi-precious stones.
Back to the tour: The “professional photographers” are a bit of a pest and even got a bit angry, as we did not want their photos. For us taking selfies, getting some help from Rocky and asking other visitors to take photos of us two, totally worked out.
As we were there at sunrise, the Taj Mahal kind of glowed because of the Indian marble and stones they used to build it. The early-morning-trip was definitely worth it!
Our trip also included breakfast in a five-star hotel in Agra. The food is fine and the service is really trying to make you a good time, but thinking about the poverty and the situation outside the hotel’s gates the situation made it a bit surreal.
The next stop on our trip was just one to make us buy some local artwork made from the same marble Taj Mahal had been made of. Afterwards the wanted to talk us also into visiting a shop for carpets, for tapestry and for textiles. But we rejected the “offer” and made clear, that we just want to see Agra Fort.
Rocky was not happy about this, but did as we had wished. Agra Fort itself was amazing. It is the place where the Mughal, the kings in that time, lived. Not only it is a massive palace made out of red sandstone (which looks really amazing). You also have a perfect look at Taj Mahal. That is because Shah Jahan loved his wife so much, he always wanted to see her (or at least the place where she lays buried).
Food & Restaurants:
We ate most of our meals at the home-stay, which was great, comforting, home-cooked food. We tried a thali at one of the small eateries outside the South gate of the Taj. It was fresh, hot & great value for money. For a special night out, we were recommended the restaurant ‘Pinch of Spice’. The Indian food there was very good (we steered clear of the Chinese or Italian options on the menu). But, if you are looking for a great ambience, it’s nothing special…. It’s got regular indoor seating, piped music & a TV
Shopping:
The descendants of the craftsmen who worked on the Taj Mahal live around Taj Ganj. A lot of them practise the craft of inlay work that is sold through various stores. We checked out quite a few stores but weren’t happy with the craftsmanship. As we didn’t have a very high budget, we didn’t go to the very expensive showrooms either. We finally got what we liked, at Subhash Emporium (which had been recommended by our guide book). They also have great inlay work pendants, which make for attractive souvenirs. We also wanted to buy a small model of the Taj Mahal & had been warned about soap-stone being passed off for marble. Again, we didn’t like any that we saw (the craftsmanship wasn’t great). The best were at Subhash, but, we didn’t buy one
Our recommendation:
After this visit (and some further discussion about going to the tapestry…) we drove back to the airport. It took us about 4 hours but in the meanwhile Prem told us more about India again.
We decided to take this private tour because it was the most comfortable way for us to see Taj Mahal. We did not have to think about what to do with our luggage, search for the right train and so on. So for us it has been totally worth it. If you want to discover Taj Mahal on your own and in an more adventurous way you could also take the train from Delhi to Agra – which should also be fine for a day trip.
Our tour:
The tour was offered at Happy Journey Holiday We give this tour 4 out of 5 points. Our tour-guide could have been more chatty and you just have to say no to the shopping-locations. But all in all it is a good tour for all of you who want to see this monument of love by themselves.
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