A Taj Mahal Visit – A Place of Broken Hearts.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book something through these links I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about my disclosure and affiliate policy here.

…

We all get our heart broken from time to time and there is never really a good place or a good time for it. I guess it comes with the territory of traveling for a living that I sometimes get my heart broken in the most magnificent places. After all, I need to get it broken somewhere, right?

Usually, that doesn’t deter me. Not from seeing these places and still loving them nor from putting my heart on the line in the first place. However, it seems to be a cruel irony that I was on my way to the Taj Mahal when I received the most crushing email from a guy I have probably ever received, making me feel truly and utterly heartbroken. I will spare you the details but let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.

But this is not a post about my broken heart or the irony of it happening en route for a Taj Mahal visit to see the building that is probably the grandest gesture of eternal love (and heartbreak) ever built (we will overlook the fact that the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal had three wives and just be content with the fact that he only build one Taj Mahal for Mumtaz Mahal, his favorite). No, this is in fact just a very practical post with information about the Taj Mahal.

When I planned my trip to India I never questioned for a second that a Taj Mahal visit would be part of it. It is without a doubt one of the most famous sights in the world and while those tend to be overrated once you see them in person, I didn’t want to go to India and not see it. At least so I could say been there, done that. As I have mentioned before I was ridiculously nervous to travel through India on my own. So instead of throwing myself into the deep end and sharing a bunk bed on a night train with strangers I decided to do the whole thing my way.

Are you a woman (or guy for that matter) traveling solo in India and worried about the logistics and comfort? Here are some tips for your Taj Mahal Visit.

How to get to the Taj Mahal?

The Taj Mahal is in the not so little city of Agra (unless you think a 10 million people city little), about 200km south of New Delhi in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

I had found an inexpensive flight from Kochi to Delhi with Air India. They even allow 25kg luggage included in the ticket price which was perfect for me as I am still lugging my dive equipment with me.
You can even fly into Agra directly or you can book complete Taj Mahal tours from Delhi that will take you there and back in a day.

Mind you, I wanted to be somewhat independent. On my Delhi food tour with Intrepid in April I had met my friend Joe who was my tour guide and now works for himself. He had arranged a driver for me to take me from Delhi airport to Agra and from Agra to Jaipur.

You can hire private driver to take you that usually includes fuel, tolls, and parking or book an entire Golden Triangle tour that usually takes you from Delhi to Agra to Jaipur.

These days, I would probably just take the train from Delhi to Agra which is easy, cheap, and quick. You can simply book with 12Go or on the IRCTC website.

I love taking trains in India and the way from Delhi to Agra is short enough to be the perfect trial-trip if you have never done it before.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO TRAIN TRAVEL IN INDIA.

How to Plan your Taj Mahal Visit

There are two ways to visit the Taj Mahal and I recommend you take enough time to do both. One is seeing it from behind, from the Mehtab Bagh, also called the Moonlight Gardens. Here you can see the Taj Mahal from across the Yamuna River and I think it is well worth the detour.

You can either ask a tuk-tuk to take you (and there are enough waiting around to take you back) or in my case, my driver suggested to take me there before I checked into the hostel. You will need to pay IND 300 (about $3,30) as a foreigner to get into the gardens and they close at 6 pm.

The beauty of seeing the Taj Mahal from behind (and it looks the same from all four sides so you are really not missing out or getting less of a view) is some beautiful greenery added to your photos and fewer crowds.

In fact, no crowds but just a few people and enough space to get a single shot of you and the Taj. The only thing that may disturb the view are the crowds walking around it in the distance.

But I decided to become one with the crowd the next morning. If you want to visit the Taj Mahal, get there early. Ticket office opens at 6 am, be there at 6 am. Mind you, I was running late and luckily there was no queue either though I missed the sunrise.

To see it the regular way you will need to get a ticket first. From the main road leading to the Taj Mahal, the ticket office is on the left and you cannot miss it. If you do miss it there are many people to show you and of course, offer their services as guides. I didn’t want a guide and was happy that nobody was too pushy.

Tickets for foreigners are INR 1100 ($12) and that includes a bottle of water and shoe covers. Big bags need to be checked and you are not allowed any other food or drinks, no cigarettes or gum. They will check your bag!

From the ticket office, you can catch a ride with the official shuttle that is included in the ticket price, walk or take a rickshaw to the entrance.

Even early in the morning, there will be some people here but it honestly wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. Maybe it was wise to not have the ultimate, solitaire Taj Mahal shot in my mind but I really didn’t mind the other people.

Alternatively you can book a skip-the-line ticket with hotel transfer and guide.

Reading about the Taj Mahal history is one thing but seeing it up close and even touching it another. While I am usually a bit skeptical about how big tourist attractions hold up in reality to all the hype, the Taj Mahal didn’t disappoint. It is magnificent.

The complex is also big enough that you can find a quiet spot if you just want to sit and contemplate life for a bit (or in my case shed a few tears) and you will see quite a few people on pilgrimage as well.

The inside of the tomb is stuffy, to say the least. You walk around in a tight circle, cannot take pictures and are constantly asked to move on, and while signs ask for quietness there is always someone testing the acoustics. I was more than happy to get out and also think it is much prettier from the outside.

If you want to know more about the Taj Mahal history and the architecture there is plenty of information out there. I was more into soaking up the atmosphere than learning about the 20,000 people who build the Taj Mahal and their thumbs which allegedly had to come off afterward so they would never build something like it again (mind you, that is a gruesome but awesome piece of trivia!). About the love story behind it, I didn’t want to think too much either. It’s hard to see such an eternal tribute to love when you just had your heart broken though in all fairness Shah Jahan was probably heartbroken too when he built it.

Mind you, he wasn’t content with just touching the wall but high-fived it, gave it a kiss and ran off.
Maybe he wasn’t the most devout but I like to think that his cheek and happiness made up for it.

Where to stay in Agra?

Joe had recommended the Bedweiser Backpackers to me and while I usually don’t stay much in hostels it turned out to be a good choice. They do have some private rooms and while they ain’t pretty they are good value for money and provided an excellent backdrop for me to ball my eyes out.

To be honest, the hostel isn’t in the greatest shape (I guess I never realized that there is a difference between a hostel and a design hostel) but you cannot beat the location as it is only a five-minute walk to the ticket office of the Taj Mahal.

For those who want to be fancy and stay at a Taj Mahal hotel with a view check out the Oberoi Amarvilas Agra Hotel or at this very cute Inara House.

• Book a room at Bedweiser Backpackers on Booking / Agoda
• Book a room at the Oberoi Amarvilas Agra Hotel on Booking / Agoda
• Book a room at Inara House on Booking / Agoda

Best Places to Stay in Agra on a Budget

What else is there to do and see in Agra?

Don’t shoot the messenger but as my driver said – Agra is not nice; the only nice thing about Agra is the Taj Mahal.

From what I have seen, I would have to agree. Two nights there was plenty of time to see the Taj Mahal for sunrise and sunset and squeeze in just a couple of other sights.

One of those is Akbar’s Tomb, another masterpiece of Mughal architecture, which I skipped, and the Agra Fort. The latter was the main residence of the Mughal emperors until 1638 and is well worth a visit. In case you expect a sort of castle you will be surprised – the fort is a proper, walled city and quite big.

The ticket price for foreigners is INR 650 (about $7). There will be guides here as well and if you want one I recommend negotiating a price beforehand to avoid unpleasant surprises.

For a non-UNESCO activity, I recommend lunch at Sheroes’ Hangout. The cafe is an entrepreneurial project of the Stop Acid Attacks team for acid attack survivors (there are 3 women who are becoming victims of acid attacks per week in India!!). Here these women can work and make a living for themselves, becoming once again a part of society.

Check out more about this wonderful enterprise here, there are different ways you can get involved and you don’t even need to be in India in order to do so.

If you want to go for a meal, they have hangouts in Agra and Lucknow. You order whatever you like and pay whatever you like – a concept that I love!

Should you visit the Taj Mahal with a broken heart?

I was on my way back from the Taj Mahal when I saw a father with his little 2-year old girl who had stopped to play with a calf on the sidewalk (as one does in India…). The little girl was petting the calf and I stopped to watch her for a moment. All of a sudden she leaned over to the calf and kissed it on its forehead. Needless to say, I almost cried seeing that.

And then I realized that yes, the Taj Mahal is always worth a visit and as long as there are little girls kissing little calves the world is not such a bad place either, broken heart or not.

More cool things to explore in India:

3 WEEK RAJASTHAN ITINERARY FOR INDIA FIRST-TIMERS.

HOW TO VISIT THE PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR 2026.

JODHPUR ITINERARY – VISITING INDIA’S BLUE CITY.

JAISALMER ITINERARY FOR FIRST-TIMERS.

Pin for Later!