The old Mughal capital, with three UNESCO sites in one place: the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Stay overnight to see the Taj at sunrise, at sunset from Mehtab Bagh and on a full-moon night. Marble inlay, petha sweets, Mughlai food, Holi in nearby Mathura and Vrindavan, and an ethical elephant sanctuary. Fly direct to Delhi with Hunnu Air on Mondays, then ~1 h 40 min on the Gatimaan Express; the e-visa is free for Mongolian citizens.
🛂 Visa: e-Visa · 30 days✈ Flight: 6h · direct☀ Best months: February, March, October, November
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: February, March, October, November.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Taj Mahal★ 4.7 (300,000)
Culture₹1,100 + ₹200 for the main mausoleum; free under 15; full-moon night viewing ₹75030 min before sunrise to sunset, closed Fridays
The white marble tomb Shah Jahan built in the 17th century for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, one of the New Seven Wonders. At sunrise the marble glows pink and crowds are thin. Buy tickets online on the ASI site; no food, large bags or drones. Night viewing runs on full-moon nights and two nights either side — register a day ahead at the ASI office.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe Indian e-visa is free for Mongolian citizens — but you must get it in advance. Remember the Taj is closed on Fridays.+
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e-Tourist Visa
Apply at indianvisaonline.gov.in at least 4 days before arrival. For Mongolian citizens the fee for the 30-day, 1-year and 5-year options is 0 (a bank charge may apply). The 30-day visa is multiple-entry and cannot be extended. Check that the ETA says 'GRANTED' and print it. Since October 2025 you also fill in the e-Arrival card within 72 hours before arrival.
Tip: Use only the .gov.in site — look-alike private sites charge for a visa that is free.
Hunnu Air flies direct from Ulaanbaatar to Delhi on Mondays (landing at 07:05); on other days connect via Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong or Bangkok. Book the Delhi–Agra train on IRCTC in advance — seats sell out from October to March.
The Taj Mahal is fully closed on Fridays. Stay at least one night in Agra to see the Taj at sunrise and at sunset from Mehtab Bagh. For full-moon night viewing, check the dates on the ASI calendar.
Tip: Insurance: make sure it covers medical care, stomach bugs and fog delays.
🛬Arrival and getting to AgraFly into Delhi; the train is the fastest and most reliable way to Agra.+
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From Delhi airport
At immigration show your ETA and passport and give your fingerprints. Then take the Airport Express metro or a prepaid taxi to Hazrat Nizamuddin station. Ignore anyone at the exit who says 'your hotel is closed'.
The Gatimaan Express leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 08:10 and reaches Agra Cantt at 09:50 (daily except Friday); about ₹860–1,105 in chair car and ₹1,695–2,260 in executive class. Vande Bharat and Shatabdi trains also run. By car the Yamuna Expressway takes ~3–3.5 hours.
Tip: In December–January fog can delay trains by hours — leave a buffer before your Taj day.
Outside the station there are prepaid taxi and auto-rickshaw counters, or call an Uber. Most hotels are in Taj Ganj near the Taj's south gate or along Fatehabad Road.
Airtel has a counter in the T3 arrivals hall in Delhi: you need your passport, visa and a photo. A 30-day pack with 1.5 GB a day costs about ₹800. Activation takes a few hours.
If your phone supports eSIM, an international eSIM (e.g. Airalo) installed before you fly needs no paperwork. Without an Indian number, some apps cannot send you OTP codes.
🚇Getting aroundAgra's metro is not fully running yet; auto-rickshaws and taxis are the main way around.+
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Auto-rickshaws and Uber
Uber, Ola and Rapido show upfront fares for cars and auto-rickshaws. If you hail a rickshaw on the street, agree the fare before getting in and refuse any 'quick stop at a shop'. Near the Taj gates only electric carts and camel carts are allowed, to protect the marble from pollution.
For Fatehpur Sikri, Wildlife SOS and Mathura–Vrindavan, hiring a car with driver for the day is easiest; agree the price in advance. Fatehpur Sikri is ~40 km away, about 1 hour.
The currency is the Indian rupee (INR). ATMs are plentiful but charge foreign cards a fee. Almost everyone takes QR (UPI) payments: foreign tourists can open a UPI One World wallet with their passport and visa and top it up from a foreign card. Carry small notes for rickshaws, markets and temples.
The Taj Mahal costs foreigners ₹1,100, plus ₹200 to enter the main mausoleum; Agra Fort ₹650, Fatehpur Sikri ₹610, the Baby Taj and Akbar's Tomb ₹310, Mehtab Bagh ₹300. Full-moon night viewing ₹750. Free under 15.
🍜FoodAgra is a city of Mughlai food and petha sweets.+
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What to eat
Mughlai biryani, kebabs, korma and tandoori; bedai and jalebi for breakfast; Agra's famous petha (candied ash-gourd sweet) — in Sadar Bazaar and Noori Darwaza. Most food is spicy — ask for 'less spicy'. Rooftop cafés in Taj Ganj let you eat with a view of the Taj.
Drink only sealed bottled water; be careful with ice, unpeeled raw fruit and salads. Eat street food where it is busy and cooked in front of you. Carry stomach medicine and oral rehydration salts.
Tip: With children, eat mostly at hotel and chain restaurants.
🛡️SafetyAll emergencies are 112. Agra's main problem is touts and scams around the Taj.+
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Fake guides and touts
Around the Taj gates and Agra Cantt station people will offer 'cheaper tickets', claim 'this gate is closed, come to the other one' or offer a 'free guide'. Buy tickets only on the ASI website or at the counter; if you hire a guide, check their licence.
Rickshaw and taxi drivers and guides take you to marble-inlay, carpet and jewellery 'factories' for commission: fake stones, prices several times higher and 'home delivery' that never arrives. Buy only from shops you chose yourself and get a receipt.
Tip: Simply declining to go into any shop 'just to look' is the easiest protection.
November–January brings fog and heavy air pollution: wear an N95 mask and keep children and older people indoors more. In the hot season drink plenty of water. Emergency (police, ambulance, fire) 112; tourist helpline 1800-11-1363.
On the Taj's marble platform remove your shoes or wear the shoe covers. Photography inside the mausoleum is forbidden; keep quiet. In mosques and temples cover shoulders and knees.
Use your right hand for eating and handing over money. Greet with 'Namaste', palms together. Strangers often ask to take photos with you — politely decline if you prefer not to.
Bargaining is normal at markets and with rickshaws; don't haggle in fixed-price shops. Leave a small tip for guides, drivers and restaurants if service is not included.
IRCTC Rail Connect — train tickets; Uber, Ola — taxis and auto-rickshaws; ASI online tickets — the Taj and Agra Fort; Indian Visa Su-Swagatam — the e-Arrival card.
Hunnu Air's return flight leaves Delhi early in the morning, so travel back from Agra the day before and stay near the airport — especially in foggy December–January.
Rupees are hard to exchange outside India — spend them or change them back at the airport. Withdraw your UPI One World balance to your card. Pack marble souvenirs well in your luggage and keep the receipts.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
Sunrise to sunset, daily
A red sandstone walled palace built under Akbar, a UNESCO site. Shah Jahan was imprisoned here by his son and is said to have died gazing at the Taj from the marble balcony of Musamman Burj. The courtyards are wide enough for children to run around; there is an evening sound-and-light show.
A Mughal garden on the opposite bank of the Yamuna, perfectly aligned with the Taj. The best place to see and photograph the Taj at sunset in calm, uncrowded surroundings — and you can still view it from here on Fridays when the Taj is closed.
A 17th-century marble tomb built by Empress Nur Jahan for her father; it was the first to use pietra dura (semi-precious stone inlay) on this scale, before the Taj. Small, quiet and finely crafted — a lovely break from the Taj crowds.
Culture₹610 (palace area); Jama Masjid and Buland Darwaza free; free under 15Sunrise to sunset, daily
Emperor Akbar's 16th-century red sandstone city, abandoned soon after it was built, a UNESCO site: palaces, halls, the 54 m Buland Darwaza gate and the marble tomb of Salim Chishti. About 40 km from Agra, ~1 hour by car; allow half a day. Vendors and 'guides' are pushy around the mosque.
Emperor Akbar's resting place: a mausoleum of red sandstone and white marble in a vast garden. Deer, monkeys and peacocks roam the grounds, which children love; few tourists.
The teeming old-city bazaar near Agra Fort: fabrics, wedding wear, silverware, jewellery and sweets. Next to it is the Jama Masjid built by Shah Jahan's daughter. Narrow and crowded, so watch for pickpockets; bargaining is normal.
A clean, walkable shopping street in the cantonment: Agra's famous petha (candied ash-gourd sweet), chaat and Mughlai food — biryani, kebabs and kulfi. Good for an evening family stroll and dinner.
A crafts village near the Taj's east gate where you can watch pietra dura — semi-precious stones inlaid into marble. Beware: 'factory' shops that rickshaw drivers and guides take you to pay them commission, so prices are many times higher and stones may be fake — compare several shops and get a receipt.
Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation & Care Centre★ 4.8 (3,000)
KidsDonation ≈₹2,000 (book ahead)By appointment, morning and afternoon slots
An ethical centre caring for 30+ elephants rescued from circuses, street begging and hard labour. No riding — you watch them from a distance with a guide's commentary and see them being fed. About 45 minutes away on the Agra–Mathura road; wonderful for families with children.
CultureTemples freeTemples usually open mornings and evenings, closed at midday
Two holy towns linked to the birth of Lord Krishna, ~1–1.5 hours from Agra. Temples such as Krishna Janmabhoomi and Banke Bihari, and worship on the Yamuna ghats. Holi in March is celebrated here more than anywhere, but crowds are intense — take care with women and children. Shoes and phones are left at temple cloakrooms.
NaturePaid entry — check the price at the gate (birdwatching)≈7:00–18:00
Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary ~20 km north-west of Agra: a lake visited by migratory birds in winter, with a bear rescue centre nearby. A break from the city bustle and an easy nature walk with children.
