# Delhi & the Golden Triangle Delhi, Agra and the road to Jaipur — Mughal India and the Taj Mahal. Delhi is a city of layers. Old Delhi's streets close around you like a maze — vendors' carts loaded with jasmine garlands, the clatter of cycle-rickshaws on uneven stone, chai stalls sharing pavement with centuries-old mosques. The Red Fort's salmon-red walls rise above the crowds, and nearby, Jama Masjid's vast courtyard holds a different kind of silence. Breathe in and you catch woodsmoke, cardamom, diesel, and incense braided together. New Delhi moves to a different rhythm. Wide avenues planted with jacaranda and neem shade the president from India's parliament. India Gate stands on a memorial axis built during British rule, and at its far end, the presidential residence watches over them all. Humayun's Tomb, set in manicured gardens, shows Persian-Mughal geometry at its most serene — red sandstone archways, white marble cenotaphs, and the sound of parakeets in the palms. A drive south through the dusty plains brings you to Agra, a city that has defined itself around its Mughal legacy for five centuries. The Taj Mahal holds the Yamuna riverbank in white marble silence, its inlaid semi-precious stones catching light at different hours. Arrive early and the reflection pool frames it without the crowds. Agra Fort, built partly in red sandstone and partly in pale Akarai stone, served as the imperial seat — its Jahangiri Mahal courtyard, with its tapering Burmese-pegged pillars, still hints at the court's elegance. The city's lanes hold workshops where the inlay craft continues. Small establishments near the Taj Ganj area demonstrate the pietra dura technique — pieces of stone cut, shaped and inserted by hand the same way they were in the sixteenth century. Agra's leather goods and carpet workshops fill the air with the smell of treated hide and hand-knotted wool. The third point of the triangle is Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan, where the city earned its nickname from the pale sandstone that turns rose-gold in the evening light. The City Palace occupies the old walled centre, its courtyards blending Rajput and Mughal design. Just above the city, Amber Fort rises in honey-coloured masonry — its mirrored Sheesh Mahal catches candlelight like a starfield. The Jantar Mantar nearby holds a collection of oversized astronomical instruments, each one built to measure the sky with naked-eye precision. The bazaars run in distinct quarters: jewellers near the Palace, textiles a few lanes away. Rajasthan's block-printing and bandhani tie-dye traditions are displayed in workshops rather than showrooms — you can watch the dye being set and the blocks aligned before the cloth is ready. ## Places in Delhi & the Golden Triangle - Agra - Delhi ## Tours that visit Delhi & the Golden Triangle 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/golden-triangle/