Agra Travel Guide

Agra (Hindi: आगरा Āgrā) is the city of the Taj Mahal, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, around 200 km from Delhi. It is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort in the city and Fatehpur Sikri, 40 km away. There are also many other buildings and tombs from Agra's days of glory as the capital of the Mughal Empire. Besides these three sites, the city has little else to recommend it. Pollution, especially smog and litter, is rampant, and visitors are pestered by swarms of touts and hawkers at every monument, besides the inner Taj Mahal which, once you are in, is free of scams and touts. The sites are some of the wonders of the world, and no trip to India is complete without at least one visit to the Taj. For the vast majority of visitors, a single day in Agra is more than enough.

Agra is 200 km southeast of Delhi and is one of the points of the tourist'sGolden Triangleof Agra-Delhi-Jaipur. Agra is also very well connected via rail and road with other nearby cities and tourist destinations, and thus suitable for a day trip from Delhi or as a part of a larger itinerary.

Thanks to heavy competition, Agra's five-star hotels are good value compared to most other cities in India.