Everything You Need To Know Before Visiting The Taj Mahal

A trip to India wouldn’t be complete without a trip to see the infamous Taj Mahal. Ever since we visited the Taj in April on any of the photos I’ve shared I’ve had questions/comments like, ‘how did you get there when it’s so empty?’ and ‘did you photoshop out the people?’ so I thought I’d put together a list of essential tips for an unforgettable trip to this breathtakingly beautiful mausoleum. Rightfully recognised as one of the wonders of the world. So, without further ado, here are my tips for visiting the Taj Mahal.

A bit of history for you:

To give you a little bit of a background before you visit the enchanting white mausoleum for yourself, the Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1630’s by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is made of pure white marble and took more than 20,000 workers over 20 years to complete. A thing of beauty from afar but make sure you get up close as the intricacies of the detailed carvings are exquisite and look out for the bling, as the mausoleum is decorated with an array of semi-precious stones including lapis lazuli, amethyst, turquoise and crystal. The four towering minarets standing on the four sides of the dome are designed with a slight tilt outwards, to protect the Taj Mahal in case of collapse.

Getting to the Taj Mahal

We actually visited the Taj on the way back down from Rishikesh, so our journey was quite a time consuming one, as with every train we took in India there was a two hour delay. To avoid this, I would probably advise visiting from Delhi or Jaipur instead as the journey time is a lot shorter. For some reason we just couldn’t operate the train website (IRCTC) to pay for our tickets, it just didn’t like any of our cards so we booked all our train journeys for our two months in India through ClearTrip and had no problems at all.

Best time of year to visit

The best time to visit the Taj is from March to June. If you can help it then avoid going in the winter months from November to February as the fog will wreak havoc with your plans and you won’t be able to appreciate the Taj Mahal in all its glory. Please also note that the Taj Mahal is not open to visitors on Fridays!

Opening Times

Sunrise to sunset every day (06:00 am to 06:30 pm) except Friday. 

***Note: every Friday the Taj Mahal is closed and only accessible in the afternoon for Muslims to attend prayers.

Tips for VISITING THE TAJ MAHAL & getting those gorgeous shots

Now for the section you’re probably here for and the part that people have asked me the most questions about. Here’s how we took photos with no one else in them at one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world. Please be aware though I very much believe this was down to sheer luck and don’t pin your hopes on getting the Taj Mahal to yourself or anything close, because that is just not realistic.

Now I can’t promise the same will happen for you as every day is different, no there was no photoshopping involved (if there were I’d have definitely done something about the missing grass). So here goes, a few tips for visiting the Taj Mahal:

⁃ Get there early. Personally, I think this is the best tip for visiting the Taj Mahal. We set a 4.30am alarm and were first in the queue at 5.15am. This is the biggie if you want to stand any chance of clear shots with no people. Yes it’s very early but entirely worth it, it’s such a peaceful time to explore and I’m just really not a huge fan of lots of people. Also, visiting first thing in the morning means its cooler so you won’t be sweating quite as much as you stroll around. Be aware even at 6am when the doors open the crowds are pretty intense.

⁃ The card queue was much shorter than cash and you get a small 50R discount.

⁃ Just take your money, phone and camera, that way you will avoid a time consuming bag check.

⁃ You will get offered water and shoe covers for inside the mausoleum but in the interest of the planet you could skip the water.

⁃ We got through the gates at 06.10am and beelined for the second stretch of water beyond the people dithering at the railings and trying to bag the shot on Diana’s bench. We got there, the couple behind us took a few photos for us and we took some for them – we were the first people this far down thus, no one else in shot (obviously not guaranteed so don’t obsess over the photos). We wanted to enjoy the Taj Mahal and not just focus on photos so we were pretty quick.

⁃ No tripods allowed so either rely on the timer on your camera or put your trust in a friendly stranger. We didn’t have one but apparently selfie sticks can be taken inside.

⁃ For the ‘door shot’ and dreamy sunrise angles, we then headed straight over to the west side of the Taj and a guy spotted Josh taking some photos of me and he offered to take some of us together – we were so so lucky and I adore the photos that were captured that day.

⁃ There’s no dress code so to speak but dress respectfully and cover your shoulders and knees, I had my scarf with me for extra coverage and it was actually a bit chilly in the morning.

⁃ We left by 07.30am and this was enough time for us to see everything we wanted to and as we were leaving, the place was getting ridiculously busy with coach loads of tour groups arriving.

⁃ My last tip, just enjoy it. Honestly it really was such a pinch me moment and I don’t think I’ve ever been in such awe of a building.

⁃ Ooh and we really didn’t like Agra too much – Josh was quite ill when we arrived so we didn’t do much but it’s a must visit to see the Taj, we did stay three nights but in my opinion, you only need 1. Everybody is different, so stay as long as you like.

Where to Stay

I always bang on about using booking.com and for good reason. There are so many perks, from becoming a Genius member, to discount deals – you can’t really go wrong. Just bear in mind what you are looking for and filter that search down to the small print. For instance, we always filter for ratings 8+, Wifi and air conditioning.

I’ve popped some recommendations below that hopefully cater to your budget option, whether that be a sod it, it’s pay day let’s splash all the cash or an, I need a comfy bed to fall into asap kinda trip.

A SPLURGE OPTION:

The Oberoi Amarvilas Agra – only 600m from the entrance to the Taj, you can’t get much closer than the Oberoi. This five star hotel is absolutely gorgeous and has everything you could possibly need, incredible views of the Taj Mahal, beautiful rooms, a swimming pool, spa treatments – you name it the Oberoi has got it.

A SLIGHTLY KINDER TO THE BANK BALANCE OPTION:

Courtyard by Marriott Agra – with an outdoor pool, fitness centre and wellness centre this boasts many of the same facilities that the Oberoi does but for a fraction of the price.

A BUDGET FRIENDLY OPTION: 

goStops Agra – we booked a double room at this hostel and it was the best hostel of our two months in India. The rooms were decorated really nicely, the bed was super comfy, the AC was just the right amount of cold and the roof terrace was a gorgeous little space to relax and catch a glimpse of the Taj. There is also a really cool social area in the basement with ping pong table, computers, a huge cinema area and a mini kitchen which was perfect for chilling out before our afternoon train when we had to check out.

So they’re my tips for visiting the phenomenally beautiful and incredibly majestic Taj Mahal. I hope my tips help you to bag some equally beautiful photos and more importantly, have an amazing time. There is a lot more India content waiting in the wings, two months worth to be exact but for now, check out my post about our stay at the Marina Bay Sands or if you too, are off on a round the world adventure maybe this post all about my favourite travel apps will be helpful to you.

Thank you for reading, Abbie x