Golden Triangle at a gentle pace

Your driver meets you after you clear arrivals and takes you to your hotel, which is arranged by category, five-star or heritage.

• There is nothing planned for the rest of the day, and that is deliberate.
• Long flights arrive at awkward hours, and the first day of a gentle journey is for sleep, a shower and a quiet meal.
• If you land early and feel well, your driver can take you on a short, easy drive past India Gate and through the tree-lined avenues of New Delhi, but only if you want it.
• Tell us your arrival time when we plan and we will keep the evening free of commitments.
• Your guide will call you with a simple plan for tomorrow, so you know what to expect before you go to bed.

The morning starts at a civilised hour.

• Your guide and driver take you first to Humayun's Tomb, a calm Mughal garden tomb with wide lawns and red sandstone that glows in softer morning light.
• Spend as long as you like here, then drive to the Qutub Minar complex, where the tall brick tower and the old iron pillar sit among ruins.
• Lunch is unhurried, either near the hotel or in a quiet restaurant your guide suggests.
• After lunch the car takes you through Lutyens' Delhi, with a stop at India Gate and a slow pass by the government buildings.
• We leave Old Delhi's crowded lanes out of this day on purpose; they can be added as a short outing if you feel energetic.
• Wear shoes that come off easily, because tombs and temples ask you to remove them.

After breakfast your driver heads south on the expressway to Agra.

• The drive is roughly three and a half to four hours, and the road is smooth and quiet, with a break for tea or coffee about halfway.
• You reach Agra around lunchtime and check in.
• The afternoon is free, so you can rest or sit in the hotel garden.
• Late in the afternoon, if you wish, your guide takes you to Mehtab Bagh, the garden across the river from the Taj.
• From here you see the monument from behind, softly lit, without crowds pressing around you.
• The visit is short and flat underfoot.
• Dinner is at the hotel or a restaurant your guide recommends.
• Go to bed reasonably early, because tomorrow starts before sunrise.
• Remember that the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so we plan the Agra days around that.

You leave the hotel before dawn, with your guide and driver, to reach the Taj Mahal as the gates open.

• Tickets are arranged for you.
• Walk through the great red gateway and the marble appears slowly out of the grey, turning pale gold and then white as the sun rises.
• Your guide explains the building, the gardens and the inlay work, and helps you find quiet spots for photographs.
• From December to January fog can flatten the sunrise, so we keep a calm attitude about the light.
• Return to the hotel for a long breakfast and, if you wish, a few more hours of rest.
• This is the only early start on the entire journey.
• The rest of the day is yours, and nothing else is booked.
• Carry a light scarf, since mornings in winter can be cold.

Today is deliberately light.

• Start mid-morning with Agra Fort, the red sandstone fortress on the Yamuna, where the Mughal emperors lived and where Shah Jahan spent his last years looking toward the Taj.
• Your guide walks you through the audience halls, the marble mosque and the palace courtyards at an easy pace.
• Lunch follows at a restaurant your guide knows, then the car takes you to Itimad-ud-Daulah, the small marble tomb with delicate inlay that is often called a draft for the Taj.
• It is quiet and rarely crowded.
• After that, return to the hotel and rest.
• If you would like a short walk in the evening, the old market lanes near the fort can be arranged, but nothing is required.
• If your Taj visit was moved because of a Friday closure, we adjust this day to fit.

This is the longest drive of the journey, roughly four and a half to five hours of driving, spread across the day with proper stops.

• Leave after breakfast.
• The first stop is Fatehpur Sikri, the abandoned red sandstone capital of Akbar, about an hour from Agra.
• Your guide shows you the Jama Masjid, the palace courtyards and the quiet corners that tour groups skip, taking around ninety minutes.
• Lunch is on the road.
• Later, we stop at Abhaneri, where Chand Baori, a deep stepwell with symmetrical stairways, is worth fifteen or twenty minutes of your time.
• You arrive in Jaipur in the late afternoon.
• Check in and rest.
• Dinner is at the hotel, or at a restaurant your guide suggests.
• If the drive has tired you, we can shorten the stops.
• Tell your driver, and he will adapt.

Start at ten, not at dawn.

• First visit is Amber Fort, set on a hillside outside the city.
• The courtyards, mirror hall and gateways take roughly two hours to see, and arriving later means you avoid the first rush of tour groups.
• Your guide can arrange the approach on foot or by car, depending on what you prefer.
• Lunch is in the old city or back at the hotel.
• After a rest, the afternoon takes in the City Palace, a working royal residence with museum rooms, and Jantar Mantar, the astronomical observatory with its huge stone instruments.
• Hawa Mahal is photographed from across the street, with no need to go inside.
• For sunset, your driver can take you to a viewpoint above the city.
• Wear comfortable shoes, since the stone floors of the forts are uneven and can be slippery.

After a relaxed breakfast, your driver takes you back toward Delhi.

• The drive is roughly five to six hours, with a stop for a long lunch about halfway, and we time it according to your onward plans.
• If your flight leaves in the evening, you can enjoy a slow morning, perhaps a last stroll through the hotel grounds or a short visit to a block-printing workshop on the edge of Jaipur, which can be discussed when we plan.
• Your driver takes you to Delhi airport or to your onward train, leaving a comfortable margin for traffic around the city.
• If you stay one more night in Delhi, he drops you at your hotel instead.
• Your guide will have checked in with you the evening before to confirm the timing, so there are no surprises on the last day.