Mumbai to Agra
 

Hi!

I'm trying to figure out an itinerary that works in Agra by air (when I did the drive from Delhi last time, it took a bazillion hours).

I don't particularly want to spend time in Delhi other than arriving the day before for my 4am departure.

The flight from Mumbai makes two stops on the way to Agra. This is on Air India, I didn't find another option. Leaves at 7am, arrives 2pm.

Alternatively, I could fly to Delhi on Jet at 6:15 AM (perhaps in Business if awards are available) and leave by car from Delhi. I land at about 8:20 AM.

It seems like the travel by air is more efficient, but I'm worried about timeliness with two stops (DEL, VNS). If I misconnect in Delhi, I'd have to drive anyway.

If I leave Delhi airport for Agra at 9:10am on Saturday December 31, would traffic already be bad?

Which would you do?

Any other thoughts? It seems like Agra is only reachable from Varanasi nonstop.

Just fly to DEL and take a car. Flying to AGR via DEL is pointless.

when did you do this????

there is a new highway now that significantly reduces your travel time....the last time i drove from delhi to agra it took me less than 3 hours....

The new highway is amazing - as good as anything in the US. As Keyser says, you will reach comfortably within 3 hours. It actually ends up taking less time than a flight would if you count arriving at the airport early.

Also, you can just keep the car during your stay and use it for sightseeing around Agra. Then use the same car to come back to Delhi. Door to door service is a real benefit.

Thanks for the tip!

It was about 7 years ago.

Will be in Agra 3 nights and then getting a driver to Jaipur for another 3 nights. My award ticket goes Jaipur-Delhi-Abu Dhabi-LAX, so won't take it back to Delhi, but maybe keep it for the two days of sightseeing and going onward to Jaipur.

Thanks!

I am planning my trip at the moment, and everyone I have spoken to has told me that one night in Agra is more than enough, they said aside from the Taj Mahal, there isn't a heck of a lot to see / do, and the town itself isn't particularly nice (one Indian chap who told me about the town used a much more graphic description).

Two days one night max. Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. And if you want you can take a day trip on to Fatehpur Sikri which is about 40km from Agra.

Each to their own. I've been before for three nights and going again.

Taj Mahal and Agra fort can be done in a day, plus one more if you want to add Fathepur Sikri. Extremely interesting if you know something about Indian history. Agra fort is like Istanbuls Topkapi, different architectural styles in one place. Sadly the Moghuls didn't manage to stay around till today, so the fort stops developing in the 1700s. Luckily it became an army property, so no one touched it for centuries.

One or two nights in Agra is all I've ever done or had done for others. Three nights would only make sense to me if one or two of the nights were for positioning purposes or related to late arrivals/early departures.

+1. This was a pleasant and easy trip. Just stay overnight as it is not worth it to do a same day drive. The car rides can however be quite expensive.

I also think one night in Agra is sufficient. But you will want to ensure that you see the Taj at dawn, so stay the night before and visit perhaps the day you leave. However, if staying at the Oberoi Amarvilas, the pool and hotel is so pleasant that two days there would be very nice indeed.

It seems I will be coming from Goa, and with the new highway, it seems like I can do it in one day. However, if I want a non-stop GOI-DEL, it seems that my choices are Air Asia flights that arrive at 5pm and 6pm or Air India arriving at 5pm-ish.

The one stop alternative would be on Jet and would be either a 9am or 11am arrival.

Is the traffic at 5pm/6pm from DEL to Agra much more horrific than a morning trip so that it's more worthwhile to take a connecting flight on Jet?

Also, if anyone has a comment on Air Asia vs. Air India vs. Jet on a one stop, irregardless of arrival time, I'm all ears.

I would have said Jet is better, but on my last trip from, they IDB'ed me on an internal flight.

once you get on the highway then it doesn't matter what time it is....you won't find any traffic....your problem will be getting to the highway from the airport....5-6pm would be terrible traffic....9am or 11am would be a much better bet....

Thanks!

More than a 90 minute difference? That's the extra travel time of the connection (assuming no misconnect).