Agra
Sikandar Lodi's new capital, Akbar's red sandstone fortress, Shah Jahan's marble elegy — Agra keeps the whole Mughal arc inside a few kilometers of the Yamuna.
1504
Lodi capital
Sikandar Lodi moves his court to Agra.
1573
Akbar's fort
Red sandstone walls rise on the Yamuna.
1653
The Taj
Shah Jahan completes the marble tomb.
1803
Company rule
The British take the Mughal seat.
3 days in Agra
Day 1 — The Taj and the Fort
- Morning
- The Taj Mahal at sunrise through the East Gate: the great gate's framing of the dome, the marble inlay up close, the mausoleum interior, and the Taj Museum in the western pavilion.Taj Mahal · Taj Museum
- Lunch
- Banana lassi and a thali at Joney's Place in Taj Ganj, or North Indian dishes at Pinch of Spice on Fatehabad Road.Joney's Place · Pinch of Spice
- Afternoon
- Agra Fort: Akbar's Jahangiri Mahal, Shah Jahan's white-marble Diwan-i-Khas, and the Musamman Burj where he was imprisoned with a view of the Taj.Agra Fort
- Dinner
- Dal Bukhara and tandoori kebabs at Peshawri in the ITC Mughal.Peshawri
- Evening
- Sunset over the Taj from Mehtab Bagh, the Mughal garden on the opposite bank, aligned exactly on its axis.Mehtab Bagh
Good to knowThe Taj is closed on Fridays. Buy tickets online and pay the extra fee for the main mausoleum. Only small bags are allowed — no food, tripods or large bags; lockers are at the gates.
Day 2 — Fatehpur Sikri
- Morning
- An early drive 40 km west to Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's ceremonial capital of the 1570s: the Diwan-i-Khas's carved central pillar, the Panch Mahal and Jodha Bai's palace, then the Buland Darwaza and Salim Chishti's marble tomb in the mosque courtyard.Fatehpur Sikri
- Lunch
- Back in Agra for South Indian vegetarian food at Dasaprakash.Dasaprakash
- Afternoon
- A pietra dura workshop in Taj Ganj, where craftsmen still cut and set semi-precious stones into marble as they did for the Taj.
- Dinner
- Mughlai at a Taj Ganj rooftop restaurant facing the dome.
- Evening
- 'Mohabbat the Taj', the nightly stage show at the Kalakriti cultural center on the Taj's history.Kalakriti Cultural Centre
Good to knowAt Fatehpur Sikri hire only an official guide from the ticket office and ignore touts in the car park. Workshops push hard sales; buy only if you want to.
Day 3 — The north bank
- Morning
- Itimad-ud-Daulah, the 1628 'Baby Taj', then Chini ka Rauza's glazed Persian tiles and Babur's Aram Bagh, all along the north bank of the Yamuna.Itimad-ud-Daulah · Chini Ka Rauza · Aram Bagh
- Lunch
- Sheroes Hangout on Fatehabad Road, a café run by acid-attack survivors, where you pay what you wish.Sheroes Hangout
- Afternoon
- The Mughal Heritage Walk through Kachhpura village beside Mehtab Bagh, with Humayun's mosque of 1530 and village life facing the Taj.Mughal Heritage Walk, Kachhpura
- Dinner
- Mughlai fine dining at Esphahan in the Oberoi Amarvilas, with views of the Taj.Esphahan
- Evening
- Taj by moonlight, if your visit falls on one of the five nights around the full moon.Taj Mahal
Good to knowMoonlight viewing is in small batches of 50, with tickets issued a day ahead by the ASI; it is not held on Fridays or during Ramzan.