Four days that begin in Delhi, cross to Agra, and finish in Jaipur, so your last night and your departure are in the Pink City. It suits travellers who fly out of Jaipur and would rather not drive back to Delhi at the end. Each city has a licensed guide, and the same car and driver stay with you throughout.
Highlights
What stays with you
A gentle first day in Delhi with Humayun's Tomb and Old Delhi
The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort with a licensed guide
Fatehpur Sikri on the road from Agra to Jaipur
Amber Fort, the City Palace and the old bazaars of Jaipur
A drop at Jaipur airport or your hotel, with no drive back to Delhi
Day by day
How the days go
Day1
Delhi
Your driver and guide meet you on arrival, and the first day stays in Delhi.
The morning begins at Humayun's Tomb, a garden tomb that predates the Taj and is calm early on.
The car then passes India Gate and the wide avenues of New Delhi before moving into the old city for the Jama Masjid and a slow walk through Chandni Chowk.
Spice sellers, sweet shops and narrow lanes fill the route, and a cycle rickshaw can be arranged if you like.
Lunch can be a simple local meal chosen with your guide.
Delhi traffic is slow, so we keep the afternoon light and leave room for rest before dinner.
Cover shoulders and knees for the mosque, and wear shoes that are easy to remove.
If you land late at night, the plan starts after breakfast instead.
Day2
Delhi to Agra
Drive: roughly three and a half hours
After breakfast the car joins the expressway to Agra, roughly three and a half hours, with a tea stop on the way.
You reach Agra around midday, settle into your hotel and have lunch.
In the afternoon your Agra guide takes you to Agra Fort, a red sandstone fortress above the river, where you walk through the audience halls and marble terraces.
From the upper walls you get a first long look at the Taj in the haze.
Later you can visit the Taj Mahal in the softer light of the late afternoon, or save it for sunrise on day three if you prefer the earlier hour.
The Taj is closed on Fridays.
If this day falls on a Friday, we take Agra Fort and Mehtab Bagh today and place the Taj at the opening hour tomorrow.
Day3
Agra to Jaipur
Drive: about five hours
If you have chosen a sunrise visit, the Taj Mahal comes first today.
Your guide meets you before dawn, and you spend about two hours on the platform and in the gardens.
Winter fog can flatten the first light, and a mid-morning visit is then often clearer.
After breakfast and checkout the car heads west.
The first stop is Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned red sandstone capital, where your guide leads you through the palace courtyards and the great mosque for about ninety minutes.
Lunch is at a roadside restaurant used to travellers.
The drive on to Jaipur takes about five hours in all, and the landscape turns drier as you enter Rajasthan.
You arrive by late afternoon and the evening is free to rest.
Day4
Jaipur
Today begins early at Amber Fort, when the courtyards are quiet and the light on the walls is warm.
Your guide walks you through the gateways and the mirrored hall, and the car can pause at the Jal Mahal on the way back to town.
Late morning is for the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar, the observatory of large stone instruments.
After a relaxed lunch you can walk through the old bazaars near the Hawa Mahal, or rest at the hotel if the heat is high.
Your driver then takes you to Jaipur airport or to your hotel, timed around your flight so that you are not hurried.
Carry water and a hat for Amber, as the climb and courtyards are open to the sun.
Note. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so the order of days may shift. December and January fog can flatten a sunrise.
Practical
Good to know
You finish in Jaipur, so this plan suits an onward or home flight from Jaipur. Flights are not included.
The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, and we reorder the Agra days around your dates.
The Agra to Jaipur drive is the longest of the journey, about five hours with the Fatehpur Sikri stop.
Hotels are arranged in the category you choose, and we confirm them when we plan.
Entry tickets are arranged for you at cost, and we confirm them with your plan.
The details
Included, and not
Included
Private air-conditioned car and driver throughout
Licensed local guide in each city
Hotels in your chosen category, breakfast daily
Airport or hotel pickup and drop
Bottled water in the car
WhatsApp support from our Agra team
Not included
International and domestic flights
Monument entry tickets (we arrange them at cost)
Lunches and dinners
Tips for guides and driver
Travel insurance and visas
Questions
Good to know
Who is this journey for?
It is for travellers who arrive in Delhi and leave from Jaipur. Ending in Jaipur saves the long drive back to Delhi on the last day, and you can leave from the airport or your hotel.
What happens if day two falls on a Friday?
The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so we shift the order. Agra Fort and Mehtab Bagh come on the Friday, and the Taj is visited at opening time on the Saturday morning before the drive to Jaipur.
Can we see the Taj Mahal at sunrise?
Yes, on the morning of day three, before the drive to Jaipur. Winter fog can flatten the light, so we keep the morning flexible and tell you honestly what to expect.
Can you drop us at Jaipur airport on the last day?
Yes. Your driver can take you to the airport or to your hotel after the Jaipur sights. Share your flight time when we plan and we shape the day around it.
