We are planning two days in Delhi in order to see the Taj Mahal--where should we stay?? This will be at the beginning of our vacation and we will be slightly jet lagged from coming in. Do we want to stay in Delhi or somewhere closer to the Taj Mahal? Thanks in advance. Jan

Hi Jan, I'd post a few more details, such as PRICE, to help narrow down choices people can help with. What time do you arrive into Delhi? That also might be a determinng factor in how far you'd want ot travel your first day.
That said, you might be better off posting this on Indiamike.com . It's a very mixed, worldwide group of folks who love to talk INDIA stuff!

i suggest you stay in agra at the sheraton for the taj...its a very long trip from delhi

Good thought--egads--our flight arrives 1:25am. Boy, are we ever going to be jet lagged. We are going with our two adult childre, our daughter is flying with us and our son is meeting us for the beginning of a two week trip.

So..since this is the beginning of the trip we dont mind this stop being a bit of a splurge and staying at more reasonably priced hotels later.

Thanks for the hint of the Indiamike.com. Off I go...jan

Jan,

You may want to consider spending the first night in Delhi. We have been told that driving in India in the middle of the night is very difficult. If your plane arrives at 1:25am you may be stuck until 8am. The roads at night are pretty much reserved for trucks. The Taj Mahal is worth the effort to see.

Have a great trip.

Doc

Hi jlpx2

Since your flight arrives at 0125 hours - I would not recommend travel straight away in the night to Agra. The road is nice but still lot of trucks ply on the highway in the night and normally I would not recommend such travel. Also it shall be very tiring for you & the kids to get off the flight and drive 4 hours / 203 kms to Agra.

What I recommend is that you stay at an airport hotel for the night - there are lot of decent hotels nearby - like Radisson or The Orchid and even budget ones like Central Plaza or Ashok Country Resort etc.

Start for Agra in the morning - you can either take a DLY Tourist Taxi or take the morning train to Agra - Shatabadi express - 0615/0807 hours.

Hotels are plenty in Agra - super deluxe one - if you want to really splurge is - Amar Vilas - where most of the rooms have a view of the Taj Mahal. Next in line are the hotels like ITC Mughal, Jaypee Palace, Trident etc.

Return can also be by Train ( or by surface.

I would recommend you travel Delhi to Agra and back - by a Tata Tempo travller which is sort of a mini van - spacious - which can take about 06 people comfortably.

Having your own vehicle gives you flexibility (since you are travelling with kids) - and also the chance to stop by at wayside villages, monuments etc.

You can easily book the hotels on the website or get an agent to book the services - including hotel , vehicle and Guides - which I feel shall be more organised.

A lot of good agents can be seen on the India reports - so please refer to the old India forums and reports - a lot of my friends have used yatrik.com in the past and have been very happy with them - and you may try them out - ([email protected]).

All the best for your trip....

Dear holikurry:

Thanks all so much for your suggestions--That checking the time of the flight arrival was a real "awakening". Speniding the first nite at the airport seems like a good suggestion as we will be so tired and jet lagged.

I may have misled you about the"kids"--they are 35& 36-not exactly kids--but kids to us.

I will look into amarvillas--thanks so much--off to search the internet

Please start doing some reading, it seems to me from your post that as you don’t realize that Agra is 4 hours by car from Delhi, it appears that you have done very little research so far. Also, to come all the way <i>back</i> to Delhi after going to Agra for 2 days is, IMO, a mistake, when you can easily go on to Jaipur or other places from Agra. I would suggest you get a map, some guidebooks and start planning an itinerary.

The above advice about not driving on the Agra road at night is quite good. But if you arrive into Delhi by air at 1:35 am, by the time you get through immigration, get your luggage and get to a hotel near the airport, it will be about 3 am. Whether you then want to then hit the road at 8 am for a 4 hour drive is another matter, perhaps OK, but perhaps you want to spend a few days in Delhi to see the city, recover and bit, and then start the rest of the Indian itinerary. With only 2 weeks, you don't want to try to do too much, but without knowing what else in on the schedule it is hard to say. You may want end up in Agra at the END of the trip and then go up to the Delhi airport from there for your flight out There are many options, it will depend on what your overall schedule is.

You could, for example, arrive into Delhi and fly right to Jaipur or Udaipur, as there is a 5:45 am flight on Jet Airways to both (Udaipur is via Jaipur, see www.jetairways.com.). Now this would mean that you will be up all night (which you may be anyway with jet lag), and this would require changing airports as the international and domestic “terminals” in Delhi are a few miles apart, but this would be a way of getting directly to a destination with sort of the least “waste” of time. You could be in Jaipur at 7 am, and go right to the Jaivillas (if you are so inclined, sister hotel to Amarvilas, Udaipur also has a sister hotel, see www.oberoihotels.com.). You can then work your way back to Agra for the end. Now this may of course be almost as exhausting as driving down to Agra on the first day, but my point is that you have many options you need to consider. You can drive between Jaipur and Agra in about 3-4 hours, and it is a logical way to go, as you can stop at Fatephur Sikri on the way. You can fly between Udaipur and Jaipur. You could also fly to Varansi firsth thing when you arrive into Delhi, there is a 9 am flight (There are some fog issues from about mid Nov to late Jan in Delhi, so morning or early evening flights are not great and should be avoided if you can. Don’t know when your trip is.)

http://www.flykingfisher.com/ is another very good airline.

BE WARNED - DELHI AIRPORT IS A TRAVELLERS NIGHT MARE!!!!! But then who ever said India is perfect ? If it was, you probably wouldn't want to visit us. Keep at least two and half hours for flight landing delay,immigration and baggage collection. That already takes you till around 4 am. I suggest you take the Shatabdi Express (train), which leaves New Delhi station at around 0600 hrs and gets you into Agra by 0815 hrs.(Is mostly on time!). Catch up with sleep there.

We just did the early morning arrival into Delhi going straight to Udaipur. Arrived at international terminal (from Singapore) at 2:15 am, got thru customs easily, then took the free shuttle to the domestic airport. Caught the 5:45 am to Udaipur, picked up by Udavilas car (included with our rate) and checked into the hotel a half hour later.

From here there is an early morning flight to delhi...you could take that and then drive/train to Agra during day hours.

My first trip to India, I arrived in the wee hours, so stayed at a cheap hotel, then took the shabahti (sp? ) express early the next morning. I don't recommend this unless you will spend the night in Agra, and have a change to see the Taj that evening or the next morning. If not, it will all be a blur!

Thank you to all for your suggestions. I really appreciate the comments. You are right Cicerone--planning such a triptakes a lotof reading. Background--we had plan to do a trip to Thailand and Cambodia three years ago which got cancelled. So now we are trying again and are taking more time so we can see the Taj Mahal. My 1st thought when we added India was Fodors--books are being purchased today. We only have a short time in India at the beginning of the trip--so I certainly appreciate the tips on timing--customs--arriving late at night. Again, thanks for all the suggestions. Whoosh-- the Amarvillas look spectacular but at $700 a nite and we need two rooms are out of our budget range--but fun to see the possibilites. I checked some sites for discount rates for this location but we are to far out to find these right nowm, but good to have in the back of one's mind. Again, thanks so much-and yes, Cicerone I am off to the bookstore--we usually end up laden with books when we travel--each one always seems to have its own nitch--but boy are they heavy to carry! Glad my husband is easy going. Travel is beyond wonderful.

OK, now I understand better. You actually are not going to India, but are going to Thailand and Cambodia and want to “add on” the Taj Mahal. My first thought is that this is kind of silly, really. India is a trip in itself, and there is SO MUCH more to it than the Taj. You also only have 2 weeks, and there is more than enough to see in Thailand and Cambodia in that short a time without adding on India. This is a bit like going to France and Switzerland and deciding that you need to see the pyramids in Egypt for 2 days on the same trip. If you go all the way to Agra to see just the Taj, my prediction is that (i) you will not like India, (ii) you will really dislike Agra because all you will see is the 100 yards around the Taj full of touts trying to sell you film and trinkets. The Taj itself virtually never disappoints, but I don’t quite get the point of spending the time, effort and money to make this trip. Are you going anywhere else in India?

(I guess I should mention that a car both ways for even that short a time will cost you something in the neighborhood of US$200. Split 4 ways perhaps the car cost does not seem too bad, but overall with plane fare, hotels, meals, etc IMO this is not going to be an inexpensive add-on even if you avoid the Amarvilas. (Per person the train is a bit cheaper but may not work for you time wise.) Visa for India is US$73 per person for US citizens, cost is roughly the same for other nationals, see https://www.indian-visa.com/. Admission to the Taj is US$15 per person. Personally, you should go to the monument more than once, as it is very different in different lights, so figure at least US$30 for admission. So <i>without</i> hotels, flights or meals, so far you have spent about US$150 just getting past Immigration, down to Agra, and into the door of the Taj. The Taj is closed on Fridays, so also work that into your schedule.)

If you still decide to do this trip, my other suggestion would be that you consider including Varanasi, as there are flights between Bangkok and Varanasi, and that you use Varanasi as your point of entry into India rather than Delhi. You can then fly back to Bangkok from Delhi or use Delhi for your flight home. Varanasi is a fascinating city, one of the most holy –if not the most holy – for Hindus in India. It is also a major pilgrimage point for Buddhists because it is near Sarnath, where the Buddha preached his first sermon (and hence the flights between Bangkok and Varanasi). You can see both on a trip. The other thing about Varanasi is that if you time it right with Kingfisher flights, you can fly from Varanasi to Agra in an afternoon. Timing is tight for the transfer in Delhi, but I believe Kingfisher allows this connection. This may make the whole trip a whole lot more “doable”.

The flight from Bangkok to Varanasi is Thai Airways, it is TG 8820, it departs at 12:10 am and arrives at 3:35 pm. It operates on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From Varanasi to Agra, you take #334 departing Varanasi at 1:30 pm and arriving Delhi at 2: 50 pm, then connect to #2301 departing at 3:30 to Agra. Delhi domestic airport is <i>tiny</i> and the gates would literally be next to each other (there are maybe 8 gates at the terminal), so I think this connection should be possible. Kingfisher is undoubtedly the best airline in India, and one of the best anywhere, IMO. See http://www.flykingfisher.com/. If you don’t want to risk a tight connection, another way to do it is to take the flight from Varanasi to Delhi and then drive down to Agra right from the airport, about 4 hours, which should be doable depending on the time of year of your trip and sunset, see sunrisesunset.com for info. While I would not do a large part of this drive down at night, the last 30-45 minutes of the drive are OK in the dark, in my experience, as that is suburban areas of Agra.

Dear Cicerone:
Again thank you for all of your suggestions. I agree it is a shame not to be able to stay longer and see more. Unfortunately, we still work and have to squeeze traveling in with working. You know how you have the places in the world you want to see in your lifetime, the Taj Mahal is one of those. So...for us to be in your part of the world in itself is a tremendous undertaking. We have to fly American from St. Louis and they only fly into certain cities...so we are committed to flying into Delhi. After your suggestions, does this seem more doable--arrive in Delhi at 1:25--be thru with customs and all several hours later--take the train to Agra--spend two nights in Agra to be able to see the Taj Mahal at night and in the sunrise. Then drive back to Delhi and fly to Thailand. I certainly am not trying to be disrespectful. We would love to stay longer--just trying to squeeze as much in life as we can. We know these are just overviews and hope to return again.
Thanks again. Jan

Hey it’s your trip, I just think it’s a crazy idea to go to all that time, trouble, effort and money to just literally look at something in a complete vacuum to the country in which it is located. To simply go and stare at the Taj Mahal without seeing the rest of India, which would enable you to fit it into the context of India and her culture and history just seems like a waste, as if one were simply checking off items on a “to do” list rather than trying to experience something. Simply looking at the Coliseum won’t give you any insight into Italy or Italians any more than looking at the Empire State Building will tell you about the US or Americans. But, it’s your trip. All I am saying is that my money is on that you will not like “India” at all and will probably never go back. Pray that the leader of some country or their spouse of a leader hasn’t scheduled a trip during your 2 days (like the President of France recently did) so they don’t close the place to other visitors.

I think the earliest train you could take is the 5 am Chhattisgarh Express, a partial schedule is below, but please check to make sure as my schedule may not be current. Note that some trains depart from Nizamuddin Station, which is near the Oberoi Hotel, and some from Delhi station which is further downtown. The fastest train is the Shabtabdi which leaves at 6 am, but perhaps you might prefer to just be on a train earlier rather than sitting around in Delhi. No train is going to allow you to reach Agra in time for sunrise that day in any event.

After you land at the airport, you will have several hours to fill in the early morning hours before you can get any train. Do <u>not</u> expect to be able to fill them at the airport (absolutely no facilities to speak of at all, not even a restaurant). While the people-watching in Indian train stations is probably the best in the world, I am not sure that you really want to experience that in your very first few hours in India. (There are really no facilities in the train station either, although there are places to sit.) In any case, you should definitely arrange for either a pre-paid taxi or a car service to stay with you and your luggage, or consider getting a hotel room near the train station so you can shower and change before the train (the Grand Intercontinental New Delhi http://www.ichotelsgroup.com or the Park Hotel may work, http://www.theparkhotels.com if you are going from Nizamuddin, the Oberoi is very convenient although expensive, or the Crowne Plaza New Friends Colony would be fairly close (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/; there are probably cheaper hotel alternatives in downtown Delhi, the Novotel may be a thought). Hotels are quite expensive. If nothing else, go to an international hotel for a very early breakfast and a place to sit for a few hours before you head for the train, as they usually have a coffee shop that is open 24 hours, the ones near the airport may be your best bet (see list below). Pre-paid taxis at the airport can be arranged just after you exit Customs with your luggage, look to the right. A car service I have used in Delhi and can recommend is below; if you decide to stay at a hotel for a few hours, definitely use the car service offered by the hotel, that is easiest and most reliable if a bit more expensive.

You are going to have the same issue on the return if your flight to Thailand departs late at night, as it probably will. If you drive up from Agra you will need to do so in the daylight (or at least the first 3 hours or so should be in daylight) and then may have 5-6 hours before your flight. If you go by train, you will need to leave a cushion to get out to the airport from downtown (about an hour, a bit less from Nuzzamdin), so again, you will mostly likely have several hours to fill. Do NOT expect to wait at the airport. You won’t even be allowed inside the airport until about 3 hours before your flight. If you take a car up, have the car stay with you until you are dropped off at the airport no more than 2-3 hours before your flight. If you take a train, either arrange for a taxi or a car service, and have the driver wait with you and your luggage. For the time in between, either have a meal in Delhi or have one at a hotel near the airport. If you have time and want a celebration meal, Spice Route in the Imperial in Delhi would be a good choice, as would Bukahara at the Maurya or any of the restaurants in the Park. The Radisson has the Kabab Factory (kind of like of TGIF for Indian food), the Crowne Plaza Gurgaon has a nice casual restraint (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/) or the Park Plaza in Gurgaon also has a Kabab Factory (http://www.parkplaza.com/gurgaonin, and the Trident Gurgaon has a very good formal Indian restaurant and a good more casual buffet style restaurant and is a really beautiful hotel ((http://www.oberoihotels.com/ or http://www.tridenthotels.com/home/index.asp). There is also a new Radisson in Noida which I have not been to which has several restaurants.

For a good reliable local car service in Delhi, try Kumar Taxi Service. They will give you a quote for picking you up at the airport, plus car service around Delhi. Airport pickup is about US$15 and it is about US$12 for an 8-hour day of touring. They can arrange transport down to Agra if you want as well, albeit it isn't cheap.

Kumar Tourist Taxi Service
14/1 K- Block
Connaught Circus
Tel: 91-11-2341-5390
Fax: 91-11-2341-8859
Cell: 91-98-1143-1783
e-mail: [email protected]

Chhattisgarh Express departs 5 am arrives 9:35 am (departs New Delhi station)
Punjab Mail departs 5:30 am arrives 8:45 am (departs New Delhi station)
Nizam Kop Express departs 5:50 am arrives 9:05am (departs Nizamuddin station)
Thirukk Ural Express departs 5:50 am arrives 9:15 am (departs Nizamuddin station)
Swarna Jayanti departs 5:50 am arrives 9:15 am(departs Nizamuddin station)
Vskp Swrn J Express departs 5:50 am arrives 9:15 am (departs Nizamuddin station)
<b>Shabtabdi Express departs 6 am arrives 8:10 am (departs New Delhi station)</b>
Taj Express departs 7:15 am arrives 10:07 am (departs Nizamuddin station)

For Agra, if you don’t want to pay for Amarvilas, I would try the Taj View, many rooms also have a nice Taj view, they have nice suites that might work for 4 people. See www.tajhotels.com.
The ITC Mughal is also perfectly nice, more like a motel, no Taj views (expect from a viewing tower which requires a climb), but perfectly fine hotel. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury
I am not a fan of the Trident there (a completely different hotel than the Trident Gurgaon). The Park Plaza also gets good reviews on tripadvisor.com, although I don’t know it. (http://www.parkplaza.com/gurgaonin

Dear Cicerone:
Thank you soooo much for all of your advice. I am saving your comments--whoosh are you ever
someone to ask for help! This is certainly an undertaking, but I know the experience will be well worth it. I do understand what you are saying about not experiencing the flavor of India with such a limited itinerary. I appreciate your insights and all of your suggestons. Our trip isnt till Jan 22, but I am certainly looking into the train schedules and hotels now. Again, thank you so much. Jan

The 22nd pf Jan 2009 is a Thursday, which may put you into Agra on Friday, but remember that the Taj Mahal is CLOSED on Fridays, so you need to work around that. Also Monday January 26 is National Day in India, a public holiday (it’s the July 4th of India) and there is always a huge parade in Delhi on that day, so if you are flying out of Delhi that day, you probably need to rethink spending any time in Delhi day, esp the Rajpath and the Connaught area (e.g. Imperial Hotel, Houses of Parliament, President’s House and Cottages Industries) . The parade is extremely colourful and interesting to see, but would only really work if you were already in that area of Delhi and staying there, IMO. Security will be heightened everywhere on that day, things should still be open, but airport security, etc may be slower due to that. I have no reason to believe that the Taj will be closed on the 26 (I think it is open on holidays but is closed every Friday), but you might want to just confirm that.

Leave some more time if you are training back from Agra on Monday the 26, as you have to pass through some of the parade area to get to the airport from New Dehli station (not so much from Nuzamiddin, but I am sure that there would be residual slowness from re-routed traffic.)

You are also going to India at the very highest tourist season, so yes, do book now as availability will be lower and prices higher. It’s also a 3-day holiday weekend, so you will be competing with the 300 million middle-class Indians who will be taking a holiday weekend. Esp for the train, get tickets as soon as you can.

Cicerone - you make very good points. As a seasoned India traveler I agree with you. To see the Taj without seeing at least some of Delhi is a mistake. A question for you: Which do you feel is the nicer Delhi hotel? The Oberoi or the Taj Mansingh? I've eaten at the Mansingh (house of ming) but have never stayed there, and I have to choose a hotel for an upcoming trip.

Cicerone: Thanks for staying with my on this sojourn even tho you disapprove. I do truly hear what you are saying--I only wish we didnt have to work to &quot;fund&quot; these travels. I hope I have this right--I can hear the blockades falling left and right--national holiday--trying to book a hotel--reduced rates--you must be kidding--nevertheless on we go--soooooo-as I have it right now--I think we leave the US on Thursday 1/22--arrive in Delhi Friday 1/23--with your suggestion--now plan to sleep for several hours at a hotel at the airport-arrive 1:30--arrive at hotel around 3?--sleep till till 12--use your idea about a van to Agra on the afternoon of the 23rd--ok so now it is sunrise and sunset on the 24th--travel back to Delhi on the 25th? I do appreciate your advice or am I just irritating you more than you can stand--if only one had time in the world to see all one wishes one could see. But I have to feel fortunate to have had all the experiences in life we have had=--maybe not the time to submerge oneself in a culture but at least an glimmer of all the different worlds we have seen. Again, thank you so much.

jlpx2, the schedule sounds fine, if not completely exhausting. I think if you leave the US on Thursday the 22nd, you won’t arrive into Delhi until <i>Saturday morning the 24th</i> at 1:25 am. You may want to confirm this (itin would say something like “1:25 am +2 days”). I’d love to hear the trip report and the total cost for the short sojourn! I don’t “disapprove”, it’s is your trip after all, I just would not want to do this. My only parting words are please do not give up on India based on 48 hours there on this rushed and crazy itin. It is a marvelous place with a lot to offer and what you will see will it all likelihood not at all represent most of what India is about.

riversair, other than the shopping arcade, I have not been inside the Taj Mahal hotel in about 3 in years, even for a meal (which may tell you something) but just stayed at the Oberoi last month and am going to stay there again next week. Generally, I think Oberoi run much better hotels and maintain them better. Taj is fine, but I don’t think their properties are as updated or well-maintained. I think they are a pretty good hotel operator, but if you want luxury and really good service, newer rooms, etc. I think you have to go with Oberoi. They just put in a new pool in the spa which is really nice (the spa itself is wonderful). They also have redone their rooms and have flat screen TVs and wireless internet, not sure if either is important to you. You might ask at the Taj as to the last time they redid their rooms and that might tell you something. I don’t really think you can compare the two hotels actually. The Imperial and the Oberoi would be more comparable. For a tourist, the location of the Imperial may be better, as you can walk to things. I also hear good things about the new Shangri-La, although the rooms are small (this can be an issue at the Oberori too.) If you want to be in the same neighborhood as the Taj, I think the Mauyra is a very nice hotel (try ITC One, their boutique hotel-wihtin-the-hotel. The Mauyra is part of Sheraton’s Luxury Collection.) I have always like the shopping complex at the Taj, however. If you stay at the Oberoi, try to get a room with a golf course view, I think the view on that side is nicer and it’s a little bit quieter on that side.