The Taj Mahal is a beautiful Old Lady…..
She is a hassle to get into, fiddling around with modes of transport and running the hawkers alley to arrive at the gate.
The trick here is to arrive early in the morning before the shops open. Not in the dark for sunrise, they don’t let you in until after sunrise, actually and it is dark or gloomy… best time is just after that so you are inside when the sun is still rising but it is bright. It is a kind of sweet spot before the day’s craziness starts.
A guide is a good idea because then you don’t have a thousand people offering to be your guide but then the best thing is to let them give you an introduction and ask them to wait for you to take your time. This is the hard part- they want to be helpful AND also dispatch you so they can collect a new client. Luckily we know a few guys from years of visits who are patient with us because they know we will come and visit their ‘cousin’s’ shop and see how the marble inlay is done. It is worth it.
What you need is to take time and poke around, get up close and personal with the spaces, the high minarets, the beautifully carved walls, the wonderful textures of the floor tiles that have been worn smooth by literally hundreds of feet. This creates a personal up-close visit to the Taj and her majesty sinks into your heart.
We visit the Taj on all our Rajasthan trips
Check our calendar for dates and details.
