Agra: the Taj Mahal, the Fort, and the city around them

What Agra is, beyond the one building

Agra was the Mughal capital for most of a century, and the Taj Mahal is the last thing it built, not the only thing. Agra Fort is larger, older and — for many travellers — more interesting, because people lived in it. The Baby Taj across the river is where the pietra dura inlay technique was worked out before it was used on the Taj. Fatehpur Sikri, an hour away, is a complete imperial city that was abandoned within fifteen years of being finished.

I was born here. That means I know which gate moves fastest in January, which hour the marble changes colour, and which of the stories told at the entrance are invented. It also means I know where to eat.

How long you need

Three to four hours covers the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort at a pace that is brisk but not unpleasant. A full day adds the Baby Taj and Mehtab Bagh at sunset, which is where the best photographs of the Taj are taken from. Two days lets you add Fatehpur Sikri and the old city without rushing.

The one thing to plan around: the Taj Mahal is closed to tourists every Friday. Everything else in the city is open.