How many days at the Taj Mahal?
 

I plan on going to India next January. I have about 7-9 days to spend in India and I know there are several threads on that matter. I do intend to read it before asking anymore questions. However, the biggest draw in India for me is the Taj Mahal. I want to spend as much time at that site to photograph and enjoy the experience of going to that sight. Is it a huge site? Is 1 day enough or I'll need at least 2-3 days? Is the entrance fee only for a day or it last multiple days?

Thx!

Given that you only have 7-9 days in India, I personally wouldn't spend more than a day there. Yes, it is beautiful, but one full day allows you to soak it all in. Perhaps get there the night before, so you can maxiumize your Taj day.

The entry fee is 750 rupees, per day.

I agree, one night and a day is good enough for Taj Mahal. If you spend more than one night, then try to check out the nearby Fatehpur Sikri.

Good luck.

i agree....i think the fatehpur sikri is a must see....if you get in the night before then you can see the taj mahal on the following day & then on day two you can see the fatehpur sikri....i know a lot of people who have done both in a day but that can get rushed....

Another vote for one day, but . . .

We did an overnight and got to see the Taj Mahal at dawn, as well as late afternoon, the day before. It's a truly spectacular sight and worth getting out of bed early for. Here's a photo I took:

http://travelersvideo.com/Agra,%20India.jpg

We also really enjoyed Fatehpur Sikri -- we were traveling by car, so we simply drove from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri (about an hour as I recall), spent a few hours looking around and then drove on to our next destination (which I can't recall at the moment).

We arrived in the afternoon, checked out Agra Fort & then drove across the bridge to get a look at Taj from the "back"- more just locals there & kids with their camels. Next day we were up early to be at the Taj for sunrise- lucky enough the day was a partial eclipse so made for different photos. Then we headed off towards Delhi.
You are really going to have to pick your spots with only 9 days in India, there is a lot of driving (by someone else) to be done.

I was told that 7-9 days should be enough to do the "Golden Triangle", which consists of New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. Is that really not enough time? Unfortunately I am pressed for time and 7-9 days and possibly 10 is all that I can afford. 2 days at the Taj isn't really out of the question for me, but it seems like you guys are saying that 1 is enough and if that's the case, what more can I do with my time in the country?

7-9 days is enough for the golden triangle....you don't need more than 2 days in delhi & even if you spend 2 days in agra, you will have the rest of the time for rajasthan....

Only 20 rupees for Indians though, although you don't get the free mini-bottle of Bisleri (MRP Rs.7) and the disposable shoe covers! :D

Are there only two prices, one for Indians and the other for all foreigners?

Thx for the info. I wonder why some were implying that 7-9 days may not be enough?

your first post mentioned that you only had 7-9 days in india....that is far too little time to see that country....but later you said 7-9 days at the golden triangle....that is enough time....

yes there is.. not many indians can afford INR 750 but its only abot Eur 13/ USD 18 approx for the foreigners ( which is comparable to other wonders of the world entry prices)..

Thanks for the information guys. I could use a bit more information to nail down precisely how many days I'm going to need.

Like I said earlier, I plan to go to New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. My friend also told me not to miss Varanasi and I might want to consider taking a domestic flight from DEL to BOM (Mumbai) as well. Do you guys think 9 days is enough for this? Realistically, can someone break down how many days I might need for each city?

Thanks!

My suggestion:

3 nights in Delhi, 1 night in Agra, 2 nights in Jaipur. Rather than fly to Mumbai, I'd recommend sticking in Rajasthan. There are a lot of interesting cities. Udaipur and Jaisalmar are particularly interesting.