Agra Vacations, Agra Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Agra Vacation Guide

An otherwise oversized, bustling city that’s pretty typically overbearing and Indian, Agra will forever be known for one thing and one thing alone: The Taj Mahal.

There can hardly be a more hyped monument in the whole world, and the shapely white marble tomb on the banks of the sacred Yamuna River – despite more seasoned travelers insistence that the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar is a more full-on experience – lives up to every ounce of publicity. From your very arrival, you’ll find yourself clamoring amongst touts and crowds, and paying an entry fee that’s extortionate for India (but cheap anywhere else), but all will be forgotten to moment you walk through the deep red entry arch and stare down the row of fountains to the Taj itself.

Most are surprised by the sheer scale of the building, and the intricate details on the marble close up is another feature you just can’t grasp from the pictures. In front of the epic, romantic dome you’ll find a perfectly manicured garden (including a cow –powered lawn mower), an impressive mosque, a museum and a noteworthy view across the Yamuna. If you want to escape the dense crowds, take a rickshaw to the other side of the holy river and ogle the Taj in the company of fisherman and local children from the far bank, where the foundations of the never-finished second ‘black’ Taj can also be found.

Elsewhere in Agra, there’s a bustling market, a rotating restaurant with some exceptional views, an impressive selection of high-class restaurants and accommodation, and a density of irritating touts and souvenir vendors unsurpassed in all India.

Many visit the city as part of the ‘Golden Triangle’ around central India, or as a quick day trip from Delhi, and in all honesty that’s probably enough for most, who’ll want to see the Taj and escape what’s arguably India’s most hassle-heavy city. It’s such a sensational sight, though, that you shouldn’t even contemplate leaving Agra off your itinerary altogether.