The Golden Triangle, planned by someone who drives it

What the route actually is

Delhi, Agra and Jaipur form a rough triangle of about 700 kilometres. Delhi gives you a thousand years of capital city in layers. Agra gives you the Mughal high point. Jaipur gives you Rajput Rajasthan — forts, palaces, and a planned pink city. Between them you can add Fatehpur Sikri, Abhaneri's stepwell, and, if you have the days, Ranthambore.

Four days or six

Four days covers all three cities at a pace that works. Six days lets you add Fatehpur Sikri, a second unhurried morning in Agra, and time in Jaipur beyond Amber Fort and the City Palace. Three days is possible, but a single traffic delay costs you a monument.

Car, train, or both

Train is faster and more comfortable between Delhi and Agra. Car is better between Agra and Jaipur, because it allows the stop at Fatehpur Sikri that the train does not. Most itineraries I run use both, in that order.

I travel every leg with you. On a route with three cities and two transfers, the single biggest difference in the quality of the trip is whether the same person is with you the whole way.