{"id":1447,"date":"2018-05-13T12:20:09","date_gmt":"2018-05-13T12:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/?p=1447"},"modified":"2018-10-27T17:09:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-27T17:09:08","slug":"taj-mahal-love-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/13\/taj-mahal-love-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Taj Mahal Love Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although India was never on my bucket list, I did secretly wish to see the grand Taj Mahal, especially after I had learned about the story behind it. Thanks to my boyfriend, who always comes up with great ideas (I know he won\u2019t read this so I might as well give him the credit :P) we made a \u201csmall detour\u201d on our way to Maldives<\/a> this February. Since it was quite a challenge to get all the relevant information about Taj Mahal in one place, I have decided to write a post where I will gather everything you need to know, such as: what time is the best to visit, which gate is best to enter, how to avoid the crowds, how to get the best picture of Taj Mahal, whether to stay in Agra overnight, and more. Yep, visiting Taj Mahal is quite a challenge 😉<\/p>\n

THE STORY OF TAJ MAHAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, it is good to know the Taj Mahal story. Once you realize that this architectural wonder is actually a mausoleum<\/strong>, dedicated to an amazing woman, you will look at it from a totally different perspective. To make a long story short: Taj Mahal (meaning Crown of the Palace) was built in 17th<\/sup> century by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan<\/strong> to fulfill the last wish of his dying wife, queen Mumtaz Mahal<\/strong>, who was the love of his life. She died shortly after giving birth to their 14th<\/sup> child and she asked him to make a wonderful creation in memory of their eternal love. After months of heavy grieving, Shah found a beautiful location next to Yamuna river<\/strong> and hired the world\u2019s best architects to make her wish come true. It took over 20 years and 2000 workers<\/strong> to build the most beautiful tomb in the world. It is now known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World <\/strong>and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site<\/strong> in 1983.<\/p>\n

HOW TO GET THERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taj Mahal is located in Agra<\/strong>, Uttar Pradesh state, around 230 km south from Delhi<\/strong>. Most of the foreign tourists fly to Delhi International Airport and from there you have several options. Bus is the cheapest but I would leave it for the most adventurous souls. Traffic in India is CRAZY, roads are rough and you don\u2019t want to be stuck on the bus for over 4 hours. Second option is by local flight, however be prepared for delays or in some cases even cancellations due to heavy smog. The third and I believe the most convenient option is by car \u2013 and by car, I mean hiring a professional driver<\/strong>. If he speaks English, even better. You can read more about India travel tips, including when to visit, in my post here<\/a>.\"\"<\/p>\n

HOW TO AVOID THE CROWDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Around 40.000 people visit Taj Mahal DAILY, and up to 70.000 on holidays and weekends, now you do the math. No matter which time of year you go, go there early<\/strong>. Taj Mahal opens at sunset<\/strong> and if you want to avoid the crowds, get there before them. In our case the entrance gate opened at 6.30 am, so we went there at 6 \u2013 the line was already there, but it was bearable. Try to pass the people who want to make photos the minute they cross the main gate, and head towards the red mosques (left and right from the main building). You will probably be alone there and you will have a perfect view of the white beauty.<\/p>\n

STAY IN AGRA OVERNIGHT AND SEE THE AGRA FORT<\/strong><\/p>\n

While it is possible to take a day trip, and a lot of agencies offer it, I recommend staying in Agra the night before. First, for the obvious reason (you DO want to be in Taj Mahal first thing in the morning, right?) and second, because you will have time to visit Agra Fort <\/strong>later on. It is very close to Taj Mahal, it was also built by Shah Jahan (the legend says he spent his last years imprisoned in the fort, from where he watched the tombstone of his beloved wife every day until he died), and it is well worth seeing. We stayed in Crystal Sarovar Premiere<\/a> and we were very satisfied with our choice. You can search for the hotels in Agra on Booking.com –\u00a0click here<\/a> to get a 15\u20ac discount for your next booking.<\/p>\n

ENTRANCE FEE <\/strong><\/p>\n

You will need to walk around half a mile to reach the ticket counter (you cannot get there by car), so add around 10 minutes for this as well. And NO, you cannot buy tickets in advance. The foreigners ticket costs 1000 rupees (around 13\u20ac<\/strong>) and comes with a bottle of water and shoe coverings which you will need to enter inside of Taj Mahal. After getting the tickets you will need to line up in 4 lines (2 for locals and 2 for foreigners, men and women separately) and you will be inspected. The scene is the same in all three entrance gates, so there is no rule which gate is less crowded.<\/p>\n