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The Golden Triangle gives a North India trip a clear route through New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Its road circuit runs for roughly 720 km, so the journey between cities belongs in your plan as well as the sights.
Six days is a suggested starting point for a trip focused on Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The opening day could focus on Delhi's Red Fort, whose complex gained UNESCO recognition in 2007. The following day could centre on Humayun's Tomb, added to the World Heritage List in 1993. An Agra day can focus on the Taj Mahal, followed by a day for Agra Fort. In Jaipur, give a day to the astronomical instruments at Jantar Mantar and the final day to Hawa Mahal.
A six-day guided Golden Triangle tour from Delhi includes guided sightseeing in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, a welcome briefing with the tour manager and a tour manager throughout.
The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort make a connected sightseeing plan, with the fort about 2.5 km from the Taj Mahal beside the Yamuna. The Taj Mahal occupies the right bank of the river in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Shah Jahan ordered it in 1631 as a memorial to his wife, and its exterior marble came from Makrana in Rajasthan.
Agra Fort offers a different architectural focus: its red sandstone wall explains its other name, Red Fort. Akbar had the earlier Badalgarh citadel rebuilt and fortified to form Agra Fort.
Jaipur suits a visit built around astronomy and architecture, with Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal giving each a focus. Jantar Mantar contains 19 instruments for observing the heavens, commissioned by the Rajput ruler and astronomer Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. At Hawa Mahal, the 953 windows called jharokhas explain the name. The colours of the old city buildings also explain why Jaipur is called the Pink City.
Fatehpur Sikri is an option for Mughal history, while Amer Fort adds a visit outside Jaipur. Akbar commissioned Fatehpur Sikri, the empire's capital from 1571 to 1585; its Buland Darwaza entrance carries Quranic verses and a Persian inscription. Amer Fort is around 11 km from Jaipur.
A longer Rajasthan trip can bring Jodhpur into the plan for Mehrangarh Fort and the blue-painted houses below it. A guided Rajasthan tour with the Taj Mahal from Delhi lasts 14 days and includes guided city visits in Delhi, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaipur, plus a rickshaw ride in Old Delhi.
Winter is worth considering if dry weather in Delhi matters to your trip: the city has a humid subtropical climate with mostly dry winters, although dense fog in December and January can delay road, rail and air travel.
Plan the Golden Triangle as a journey between cities, since the road circuit linking New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur covers about 720 km. For arrival planning, Indira Gandhi International Airport is in Palam, Delhi, about 15 km southwest of New Delhi Railway Station.
Agra is a sensible base for the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, while Jaipur suits a stay focused on Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal.
Keoladeo National Park is 55 km to the west of Agra.
Yes, a camel fair takes place in Pushkar every year.
The Buland Darwaza gateway reaches a height of 54 metres.
