5-Day Private Golden Triangle

Your driver meets you on arrival and takes you to the hotel for a rest.

• Late morning your guide joins and the day opens at Humayun's Tomb, where the red sandstone and white marble tomb sits inside a large symmetrical garden.
• After that, the car drives past India Gate and the president's residence, then to the Qutub Minar, a tall red tower from the early Delhi sultans.
• Lunch is a relaxed stop.
• In the late afternoon you walk through a section of Old Delhi, the Jama Masjid courtyard and the alleys of Chandni Chowk, with a guide to explain what you see.
• Keep shoulders and knees covered for the mosque.
• If you land at night, the plan is moved to begin after a late breakfast.
• Red Fort is closed on Mondays and we adjust accordingly.

After breakfast you leave Delhi on the Yamuna Expressway.

• The drive is roughly three to four hours, and there is a coffee stop at the midpoint.
• You arrive in Agra at lunchtime and have time to rest.
• In the afternoon your guide takes you to Agra Fort, the sandstone palace-fortress built by the Mughals, and tells the story of Shah Jahan's last years looking toward the Taj.
• You then visit Itimad-ud-Daulah, a delicate marble tomb on the river, often called the baby Taj.
• If the sky is clear, you can end the day at Mehtab Bagh to watch the Taj from the far bank as the light turns gold.
• Dinner is at the hotel.
• Go to bed early, because tomorrow starts well before sunrise.

You leave the hotel before dawn so you arrive when the gates open.

• In the half light the Taj Mahal is cool and nearly silent, and the marble moves through grey, pink and cream.
• Your guide leads you to the best viewpoints, explains the inlay and the minarets, and gives you time alone on the platform.
• Plan roughly two hours inside.
• Back at the hotel, breakfast is unhurried and the rest of the morning is free for a swim or a nap if the hotel offers one.
• In the afternoon, if you like, the car can take you to Sikandra, Akbar's tomb, a calm garden complex on the edge of town.
• In December and January fog can hide the sunrise, in which case we wait for the light to clear.
• The Taj is closed on Fridays.

You leave after breakfast for the drive to Jaipur, which takes roughly five hours with stops.

• The first stop is Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's red sandstone capital, left empty after only a few years.
• Your guide shows the palaces, the pillared halls and the white marble tomb of Salim Chishti.
• Allow about ninety minutes.
• The road then runs west through mustard fields and small towns, and lunch is at a roadside restaurant the driver knows.
• A short stop at Abhaneri's stepwell is possible if time allows.
• You arrive in Jaipur in the late afternoon.
• After a rest, the car can take you to the old city for a drive past the Hawa Mahal and an easy walk through the bazaars as the shops light up.

Amber Fort is first, early, before the heat and the crowds.

• Your guide takes you through the Sun Gate to the Sheesh Mahal, the palace halls and the viewing terraces over the lake.
• On the way back the car stops for a photo at Jal Mahal, the palace that seems to float on the water.
• In the old city you visit the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar observatory, and if time allows, the Hawa Mahal from the street.
• Lunch is in town.
• After lunch the drive to Delhi begins, roughly five to six hours depending on traffic.
• Your driver takes you to the airport or your hotel.
• Please tell us your flight time when we plan so we can set a safe departure from Jaipur.