Delhi Travel Answers

I took the train some years ago and i had no complaints, a/c of course.

Train. They tried to convince us to take a but the train is faster and safer.

Definitely train...

train, and book the ticket in advance since they will sold out very quickly. good luck!

Your best option is Bhopal Shatabdi Express. Air-con chair sitting only. Leaves Delhi at 6.15 am and gets to Agra at 8.15. Train number 12002. Youu can book online here: indianrail.gov.in/cgi_bin/in...

I found trains to be best! it is about 250km from Delhi and you can have day trip to Agra. However many ppl do not stay long, we stayed 3 days and 2 nights, loved every minute of it! For planning trip to India, Lynn is your woman. She helped me so much, and she know her stuff ;)

LOL Thanks Valentina for that kind comment! I should really update my India pages since I was there in February for a month. Will get around to doing it soon- but am now in the throes of planning our Italy itinirary. Best

By unanimous decision, I'm catching the train then! Thanks Lynne for the link and thank you all for your contributions I shall be using the link to book my train seat for the trip. Can't wait to finally see the Taj Mahal! I heard there are very few tourists at this time during this very hot low season. Just hope there's no damn scaffolding covering this beauty. Is there? Pls tell me there isn't!!

Train, Train, only Train. Ask lynne!

1. Go BEHIND the Taj Mahal during the day. You'll see the site for the Black Taj Mahal which Shah Jahan wanted to build for himself but could not as his time was up. Also, you'll get uninterrupted view/photos of the Taj Mahal from that vantage point. From the main entrance, there's ALWAYS a crowd ;- 2. If overnight stay in Agra, watch the daily live show, 'Mohabbat the Taj', The sage of Love, presented by Kalakriti. There are two shows daily (80 minutes each). The website is www.kalakritionline.com). Book early to get the centre corner seat.

Glad that I could help, Ramon. Can't gaurantee that there will be no scaffolding around the Taj, but not likely. JUst one tip: When you get to the entrance walk up to the gates, there are VERY persistant touts. The most aggresive in India. Just keep walking FAST and totally ignore them. They want to 'guide' you (NOT needed) or sell you rubbishy stuff relating to Taj. Its all fake too. Enjoy your visit- its an awesome monument to love. If you are staying over in Agra, consider taking a taxi to the nearby abandoned town of Fatehpur Sikri. Its absolutely worth a visit, and there is more on my page on VT. I will send you the link with photos. Its about 25mins by taxi, and you could negotiate a rate with a taxi (ask hotel for recommendation) Regards

Be prepare for the very hot air. I went to Agra in May 2011 and the air temperature was 45 degree Celcius. The heat seemed prick the skin, even the Agra guards wore a scarf to protect their face. However, the heat didn't deter local tourists to come to Agra. have a nice trip

Good you've decided on the train. There are a number of trains from Delhi to Agra. Try and book on one that is starting from Delhi/Nizamuddin (as opposed to passing through Delhi): these tend be on time. In addition to what Lynne said about touts at the Taj, there are touts at the train station too: be prepared to be swarmed by them. They usually will be willing to take you for a very low price to wherever you want to go, but along the way will pitch for whole day guiding and touring: feel free to decline if you don't want their service. Try and view the Taj at sun rise and at sun set. If you are there around the full moon day, try and get to the moon-light view as well. I hear the Taj looks lovely in all these different lights.

Go for Shatabdi train, AC chair car with complimentary breakfast & water/tea facility, its the best & easiest way to go to Agra. This train goes towards Agra early morning & come in evening, so it is also suitable if you are planning for daytrip As lyn suggests, to avoid tout, just say no & move. Don't be rude. From my experience it is aplicable for all tourist places in the world. Moreover, don't worry, you can find many tourists going to TAJ in Shatabdi train, you can make a group with them. If you are planning to go to fatehpur Sikri, take a cab from Agra station & negotiate for complete journey Station-Taj-Sikri-Station.

better to take a bus from Delhi to Agra as it will help you to explore more of the natural beauty surrounding the way from Delhi to Agra