Golden Triangle with Amritsar

Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel.

• Once you have rested, your guide takes you to Old Delhi: Jama Masjid, then a cycle rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, with its spice sellers, sweet shops and tangled wires.
• The Red Fort is optional, and closed on Mondays.
• Lunch is at a restaurant the guide trusts.
• In the afternoon the car drives to Humayun's Tomb, whose garden is quiet and whose design came before the Taj, and then passes India Gate and the government quarter.
• Wear shoes that slip off easily and carry a scarf for the mosque.
• If you land late at night, the city tour begins after a good sleep the next morning.
• Dinner is simple and near the hotel.

Leave Delhi after breakfast and drive to Agra by expressway, roughly three and a half to four hours.

• Your driver stops at a clean rest area halfway.
• In Agra you check in and rest, then in the afternoon your guide takes you to Agra Fort, the red sandstone fortress on the river, with its audience halls and the marble pavilions that look toward the Taj.
• Then Itimad-ud-Daulah, the small marble tomb across the river, whose inlay is best seen in softer light.
• The Taj Mahal is for sunrise tomorrow.
• It is closed on Fridays, so we plan the dates around that day.
• Eat dinner early, keep your camera charged, and set the alarm for before dawn.

You arrive at the Taj Mahal gate as it opens at sunrise.

• Your guide leads you through the garden and onto the marble platform while the building shifts from grey to pink to white.
• The first hour is the quietest, and the inlay is clearest in low light.
• In December and January fog may flatten the view, and your guide will say so honestly.
• After breakfast, drive to Jaipur, roughly four and a half to five hours.
• Stop at Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned red sandstone capital, for the Jama Masjid and the Buland Darwaza.
• Lunch is on the road, at a restaurant your driver trusts.
• You reach Jaipur by late afternoon, check in and rest.
• It is a long day, but the car is comfortable.

Begin early at Amber Fort, a hill fortress of sandstone and marble above a lake, before the day's crowds.

• Your guide takes you through the courtyards and into the Sheesh Mahal, the mirrored hall.
• Stop at Jal Mahal for a photograph on the way back.
• In the late morning visit the City Palace and Jantar Mantar, and look at Hawa Mahal from the street.
• Lunch is at a local restaurant.
• Then drive to Delhi, about five to six hours with a break at a roadside restaurant.
• You arrive in the evening and check in near the airport or in the city.
• Wear comfortable shoes, carry water, and pack tonight, because tomorrow involves a transfer to Amritsar by air or train.
• Flights are not included in the journey.

In the morning your driver takes you to the Delhi airport, or to the station if you prefer to take a morning train, for the journey to Amritsar.

• Flights are not included, and a train takes roughly five to six hours.
• On arrival in Amritsar a local driver and guide meet you and take you to your hotel.
• After a rest, your guide takes you to Jallianwala Bagh, the walled garden that is a memorial to the 1919 massacre, and then to the Partition Museum, which tells the story of 1947 through personal objects and testimonies.
• Dinner is Punjabi, with dishes such as kulcha, dal and lassi.
• Wear modest clothes.
• The mood in the city is warm, and the food is rich, so eat in moderation.

Visit the Golden Temple in the early morning, when the pool is calm and the singing begins.

• Your guide explains the customs: cover your head, remove your shoes and walk clockwise around the sacred pool.
• Go inside the main shrine if the line allows.
• Then see the langar, the community kitchen that feeds thousands of visitors a day, where you may sit on the floor and eat or simply watch the cooks at work.
• After lunch and a rest, the car drives to the Wagah border for the evening flag lowering ceremony, a loud and energetic display by soldiers on both sides.
• Timings follow the season, so we confirm them when we plan.
• Arrive early for seats, and return to Amritsar for dinner.
• Bring a scarf, a light layer and a patient mood.

After breakfast, perhaps with a last walk through the lanes near the temple or a stop at a famous sweet shop, your driver takes you to the airport or railway station for the journey back to Delhi.

• Flights are not included in the journey, so please share your timings with us early.
• If you take an onward international flight from Delhi, we help you choose a connection with a comfortable margin.
• On arrival in Delhi, a driver can meet you for a transfer to the airport or the hotel, which can be discussed when we plan.
• Pack a few spices or phulkari textiles from Amritsar as souvenirs if you like.
• We hope the end of the journey felt as warm as the start.
• Safe travels, and keep in touch.