# Agra Agra sits along the Yamuna River in northern India, home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and four centuries of Mughal court life. Agra sits on the south bank of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh, a city of narrow lanes and busy bazaars that served as the capital of the Mughal Empire for over a century. The river bends here, and along its eastern bank stand some of the finest monuments of Mughal architecture in the world. ## The Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal rises from behind a long red sandstone wall, its white marble dome visible from across the river flats. Built between 1632 and 1653 under the emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the structure draws the eye through a sequence of courts, gateways, and gardens that gradually reveal its scale. Up close, the inlaid semi-precious stones catch the light along the plinth and minarets. Visitors circle to the main arch to see how the mausoleum reads differently in morning and afternoon light. ## Agra Fort and Around Agra Fort stands two kilometres upstream on a bend in the river, a massive red sandstone complex where Shah Jahan spent his final years under house arrest by his son Aurangzeb. From within its walls, the emperor could see the Taj Mahal through a jali screen. The fort contains several fine halls of public and private audience, including the Jahangir Mahal, a palace built for his father. Across the river, Itimad-ud-Daulah, sometimes called the Baby Taj, offers a quieter monument: an earlier marble tomb whose surface treatment prefigures the inlay work of its more famous neighbour. ## The City Beyond the Monuments Agra's old city moves through its own rhythms. TheKinari Bazaar runs north from Jama Masjid, lined with small workshops producing Zardozi embroidery work in gold and silver thread. In the evenings, vendors set up carts near the fort selling petha, a translucent sweet made from ash gourd. The smell of kebabs searing on iron plates drifts from the restaurants along Sadar Bazaar. A short drive west brings visitors to Fatehpur Sikri, the planned imperial city that Akbar abandoned after only fourteen years, its red sandstone courtyards and tombs still standing on the ridge above the plain. ## Also around here - Taj Mahal ## Tours that visit Agra No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/agra/