Delhi & Agra Layover Itinerary
If you are flying into South Asia chances are you have a layover in Delhi. With India launching an E-visa it is easy and cheap to layover in India. I wouldn’t really ever go out of my way to visit just Delhi, but if you have a couple days extra time I highly recommended using an extended layover to see the Taj Mahal and Old Delhi. If you’re interested in visiting more challenging destination with a tour, check out our upcoming tours.
It's worth taking an extended layover in Delhi to see the Taj
Visa:
India now has an E-visa you can apply for in advance. It’s a really detailed questionnaire (classic Indian bureaucracy), but it pales in comparison to pre E-visa process. The E-visa is $10 from Apr-Jun and $25 for the rest of the year.
Itinerary:
The layover can be done in as little as 24 hours but 3 or 4 days is the ideal timing. I will break it down.
Tip the grounds-keeper to climb you up Jamma Masjid's minaret
- 4 Days:
Day 1: Land in New Delhi in the evening. Stay at an airport hotel in Aerocity district of New Delhi. I stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton- it’s really close to the airport, has a really good restaurant, and is affordable. I recommend just relaxing at the hotel with a nice dinner and a good night’s sleep after a long travel day.
Day 2: Wake up early around 5am- assuming you’re jetlagged and can’t sleep in anyways. Take a taxi to Jama Masjid Mosque in Old Delhi. It’s a far drive even without traffic, so wake up early to beat the morning rush. The Jama Masjid is an extremely grand and impressive Mughal style Mosque. It opens at 7 am and you will be the first to enter and will have the place pretty much to yourself. Pay the nominal entrance fee & tip the grounds keeper and he will climb you up the minaret for impressive views of the Mosque grounds and Old Delhi in the background. There is a small entrance fee for the mosque, the grounds keeper will need a small tip, and you will need to wear pants if your a male & females will need to cover up and wear a headscarf. After admiring the the mosque walk out of the front to Chawri Bazar Rd. You will be walking into the thick of Old Delhi, it will be an intense experience if it’s your first time in India- welcome to India. Read this guide on how to not be overwhelmed. I recommend just hiring a rickshaw driver to give you a quick tour of Old Delhi so you can sit back and watch the chaos from the comfort of a rickshaw. Make sure you are adamant that you just wanna ride around Old Delhi- no stopping at any shops! Old Delhi is the most intense place I’ve ever traveled and I don’t really recommend having a specific list of things to see while on limited time… the chaos of Old Delhi is what you’re there to see. After Old Delhi tires you out from the sensory overload, get a taxi back to your airport hotel- make sure to get a taxi, not a rickshaw… it’s too long of a drive and too polluted to spend all the time in a rickshaw. When you finally get back to your hotel have a nice curry lunch and then a power nap, don’t succumb to the jet lag and only take a short nap. Check out of your hotel and take a late afternoon train to Agra. Make sure you book your train tickets in advance on 12.go/asia, as they sell out. There are plenty of daily trains from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station(closest to Aerocity) to Agra Cantt railway station. Give your self plenty of time to get to Hazrat Nizamuddin station. I recommend a first class AC sleeper, tier-2 AC sleeper, or AC first class chair. Depending on which train you get, it takes about ~2 hours. When you arrive in Agra Cantt station take a tuk-tuk to your hotel, make sure you find a tuk-tuk driver you like and arrange a 5 am ride to the Taj Mahal for the next morning- do not set up a tour, just a ride to the Taj. I highly recommend Courtyard Agra, it has an incredible restaurant/bar and a really nice pool. When traveling in India it’s really worth staying in nicer hotels because they are relatively affordable and offer a welcome respite from the chaos & heat. It’s been a really long first full day in India, but its plenty do-able. Grab a quality dinner and relax at your hotel for the evening.
Jamma Masjid Mosque in Old Delhi
Chawri Bazaar Rd in the thick of Old Delhi
Sleeper-class train from New Delhi to Agra
Day 3: Today is the highlight of your Delhi and Agra layover and the main reason you should consider taking the time to layover in Delhi. Continue the schedule of waking up early. Meet your pre-arranged tuk-tuk driver at 5 am sharp for a ride to the Taj. Don’t let him sucker you into any tours- straight to the Taj. Get your ticket and then go wait in line for the 6am opening. There will be a lot of hustlers trying to coerce you into a tour, just ignore them. It’s hard to articulate how grand the Taj is at sunrise and it won’t be super crowded..yet. I recommend when you enter keep walking past everyone taking photos and walk past the pools to the left(west side of the Taj. You will have incredible views of the sun-rising behind the Taj with the river on your left and all to yourself because everyone is back taking photos at the most iconic spot. (insert photo). After spending a couple hours at the Taj and the crowds start to pack in head back to the hotel to relax and chill by the pool. If you want to do more sightseeing around Agra you can see the Red Fort, the Baby Taj, etc… but I was plenty impressed by the Jamma Masjid Mosque and the Taj Mahal so I didn’t feel the urge to see anymore Mughal architecture, plus the heat and the chaos wore me out. In the evening, I recommend heading to Hotel Kamal’s rooftop for magnificent views of the Taj. This is one of the lesser known spots, but it has an incredible view, isn’t crowded, and the hotel owner’s are super hospitable. After sunset head back to the hotel or go get dinner to round out the night, there is not much to do in Agra besides the Taj Mahal.
Head over here when the Taj first opens at 6 am and have this area to yourself while the sunrises over the Taj.
View from the red X above
Day 4: Depending on your flight time you can either take an early morning train back to Delhi or just hire a driver to take you straight to the airport. Just ensure you give yourself ample time to get to the airport. According to maps the drive is about 4 hours, but I’d budget 6-7 hours at least…traffic is intense in this part of the world. The train is usually faster but having a driver gets your directly from Agra to New Delhi airport without the headaches.
- 3 days:
repeat the above itinerary, but skip off the rest day on Day 1 and/or head back to New Delhi airport on Day 3 after your morning at the Taj.
-2 days or less:
Have a pre arranged driver to pick you up New Delhi airport and take you straight to Taj and then back to New Delhi. Plenty do-able but 3 or 4 days is best to not be too rushed.
Hotel Kamal Rooftop- we were the only ones here.
Summary:
I would never go out of my way just to visit Delhi, but if you’re flying into India, or any where else in South Asia it is absolutely worth a layover to visit the Taj- it lives up to the World Wonder hype. And if you’re already planning to visit the Taj on a layover in Delhi you might as well check out Old Delhi- you’ll gain some incredible travel stories.