Top Tips For Visiting The Taj Mahal

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The Taj Mahal is probably the reason why you’re in Agra, if not the reason you decided to visit India to start with. The Taj Mahal is unquestionably an incredible Wonder of the World. It holds the rarified accolade of despite appearing on a billion photographs, a million films and a thousand tourism brochures, still being unexpected and better than you could have imagined in person.

The Taj Mahal is an icon of India and a true Wonder of the World and we would recommend staying in the city of Agra where the Taj Mahal is located. This will give you the earliest possible access to enter the Taj and will allow you to get in before the crowds. For those who are short on time, Agra is easily accessible from the capital city of Delhi, it’s so close, you could even visit as a day trip!

To get between Delhi and Agra there are many daily trains ( around 2 hours journey time to Agra Cantt Railway Station), busses (just over 2 hours) or even private taxis (again 2 hours depending on where you set off from / traffic). You can look at all the options and book online in advance here. If you’re arriving by public transport, either to Agra Cantt train station or the bus station you will need to get a tuk tuk into town or the Taj itself. Use or Uber or Ola for this as the crowds of station taxis appear where the majority of taxi scams occur in Agra,

There are a hundred articles about the history, symbolism and significance of this beautiful monument, but this is not one of them. This is our top tips for those who want to know all the useful facts for visiting and photographing the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal Top Tips

The Taj Mahal is closed on Friday’s. Don’t listen to anyone that says otherwise, or tries to tell you it’s closed on different days. Similar to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, this is always the start of a scam. The Taj Mahal is open everyday of the week except Fridays from the early morning (we arrived at 5am) and closes at sunset.

You can and should prebook your Taj Mahal tickets online via this link. You cannot get through the gates without a ticket. There are physical ticket counters, but they won’t open early in the morning. Judging by the signs that are everywhere, it is highly encouraged that you prebook tickets online rather than queue up in person. Tickets do not need to be printed, just show the QR code you are sent on your phone. In all the ticket areas they offer free WiFi just in case you don’t have a sim with data. If you’re not already in India (or using a VPN) the above link may not work.
Tickets cost 1250 rupees each (£12.10 or $15.23). This is 1050 rupee on entrance to the Taj and 200 rupee for entrance to the mausoleum. Bear in mind, tickets are purchased for a slot of either the morning or the afternoon.
We would highly recommend paying the extra to include entrance to the mausoleum. Not only do you get to see inside this iconic building (where no photographs are allowed) but it also gives you access to the gorgeous marble pedestal all around the tomb and the many beautiful photo opportunities this presents.

The silhouette of the Taj Mahal is seen through the arched gateway. — When we say get there early, we mean *really early!*

Set your alarms early to avoid the immense crowds the day will bring to the Taj. This will also mean you will be able to enjoy this magnificent monument before the day gets too hot to bear. We set our alarms for 4.30am and were at the East Gate just after 5am. At no point did we have to queue or wait, we just walked straight through and were greeted by one of the most phenomenal sights in the world with barely anyone else there!

Do not bring bags to the Taj Mahal. Pack only what you need. Selfie sticks, microphones, tripods and GoPro accessories are all banned as well as any kind of drone. If you bring any of these you will have to waste time putting them away in lockers and retrieving them when you’re done. Small bags are allowed, but you will have to stop and get them checked. As we only had our phones and camera we just walked straight through security.

Do bring a bottle of water. Food, alcohol and picnics are not allowed.

The Taj Mahal is lit from behind by the morning sun, its reflection visible in the ornamental ponds in the foreground

Guides and Experiences

If you’re looking for a more in-depth tour of the Taj Mahal, or you’re looking to maximise your Indian itinerary and want to a day trip from Delhi, or want to combine the Taj Mahal with other attractions, check out the tours below:

Taj Mahal Photography Tips

If you’ve arrived early and beat the crowds, head straight down the centre of the garden (following the water) to reach the famous and iconic Princess Diana bench. The views down the centre will quickly become crowded and the “must take” photo opportunities will, even at this early hour, fill up with people very quickly. If you have made the effort to get there early make sure you take advantage of the calm before the crowds come! Once you have fulfilled your shutterbug needs then slow down and appreciate where you are. we recommend sitting on one of the many benches and just enjoying the beautiful views and incredible ambiance of the place.

Ellie sits and smiles on the "Princess Diana" bench outside the Taj Mahal.

If you’ve purchased mausoleum tickets, show your QR code again to the guards at the bottom of the Taj itself. Slip on some foot coverings or take off your shoes and go up onto the polished marble.

An eagle sits on a green fence in the gardens of the Taj Mahal.

Over on the eastern side, there is a beautiful garden full of shady trees, colourful flowers and plenty of benches. This is a great place to sit and just admire the fact that you are at the Taj Mahal!
If you’re lucky you might even spot some eagles taking a break from the heat.

If you miss the early start and the crowds have rolled in, there are still plenty of spots all over the Taj Mahal complex to get beautiful photographs. As soon as you enter through the main arch, if you go right towards the toilets, the ledge here provides the perfect elevation for selfies in front of the Taj with minimal background people. There’s even an arch door you can use as a framing device! Another good spot, although it will get busier, is up on the marble plinth of the Taj itself. If you’ve booked your ticket to include the mausoleum, the platform surrounding the tomb entrance is a stunning place to take photos from.

The rising sun, climbs above the beautifully carved marble facade of the Taj Mahal.

Remember it’s not about the photo’s. You have travelled across the world, endured traffic or trains, the hustle and bustle and are now standing in front of one of the greatest manmade monuments in history. Try and look at it through your own eyes rather than just through a viewfinder or your phone screen. Make sure you just put it all away and soak up the atmosphere of this incredible monument to love. We saw so many people having fashion shoots and even falling out over photographs whilst we visited. Do yourself a favour and just be present. The photos you take will, in all likelihood, all look like everyone else’s but your memories will be your own forever. That said, and slightly hypocritically, here’s our gallery with some of our photos from our amazing day at the Taj.