Places to Visit in Agra: The Complete Guide with Timings, Locations and Entry Fees

Key facts at a glance

Places to visit in Agra: an overview

Agra, on the banks of the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh, was the great capital of the Mughal empire and it holds three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Most visitors come for the Taj Mahal, but Agra rewards far more than a single monument: the mighty Agra Fort, the ghostly abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri, the exquisite Baby Taj, the sunset gardens of Mehtab Bagh and much more, all within easy reach.

This is the complete guide to the places worth visiting in Agra, each with its timings, location and entry fee, along with the honest tips, the Friday closure, the fees, the scams to avoid, that make the difference between a rushed, frustrating visit and a smooth, magical one. Agra sits about 55 km from Mathura and Vrindavan, so it pairs naturally with a Braj pilgrimage or a Golden Triangle trip, covered in our golden triangle with mathura vrindavan guide.

From the ground (Gurudutt): The single most important thing to know about Agra: the Taj Mahal is closed every Friday. Plan your trip so your Taj visit falls on any day but Friday. If Friday is unavoidable, you can still see the Taj from Mehtab Bagh across the river and Agra Fort and the other monuments stay open. And come to the Taj at sunrise, both for the light and to beat the crowds and the heat.

Agra attractions at a glance: timings, location and entry fee

Here are the main places to visit in Agra with their timings, location and approximate entry fees in one place. Fees are set by the Archaeological Survey of India and revised from time to time and monuments run sunrise to sunset, so the clock times below are approximate. Children under 15 enter the ticketed monuments free.

Taj night viewing: On five nights around each full moon, the full-moon night and the two nights before and after, the Taj opens for night viewing from 8:30 pm to 12:30 am, for a maximum of 400 people in eight groups of fifty, for about half an hour each. It is closed on Fridays and during Ramzan. Tickets must be booked in advance from the ASI office on Mall Road.

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal needs little introduction: the white marble mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, completed around 1653, a monument of love and perhaps the most beautiful building on earth. It stands in Tajganj on the south bank of the Yamuna. Approaching through the great gateway to see it rise, perfectly symmetrical, above its reflecting pool is an experience that lives up to every expectation.

Timings and fees: the Taj is open from sunrise to sunset, roughly 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, every day except Friday, when it is closed for congregational prayers at its mosque. The last entry is about 30 minutes before closing. Entry costs approximately 50 rupees for Indian visitors and about 1,100 for foreign visitors, with an extra 200 rupees to enter the main mausoleum chamber and children under 15 go free. There are three gates, east, west and south; the east and west sell tickets and the south gate is often quietest.

• Come at sunrise for the softest light, the smallest crowds and the coolest air; the marble changes colour beautifully through the day.

• The Taj lies in a protected eco-zone, so no petrol or diesel vehicles approach it; you cover the last stretch on foot, by electric bus or by e-rickshaw.

• Prohibited inside are food, tripods, drones and large bags; carry a valid photo ID, since it is checked.

• Night viewing runs on five nights around the full moon, from 8:30 pm to 12:30 am, booked in advance from the ASI office on Mall Road.

If your only Agra day is a Friday, do not despair: you can admire the Taj across the river from Mehtab Bagh and the fort and other monuments remain open. But if you can, plan your Taj visit for any other day, ideally at dawn.

Agra Fort

Agra Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 2.5 km from the Taj, is a vast red sandstone fortress-palace begun by Akbar in 1565 and enriched by his successors and it is second only to the Taj among Agra's monuments. Within its mighty walls lie palaces, audience halls, mosques and gardens, including the Jahangir Mahal, the Khas Mahal, the mirror-work Sheesh Mahal, the Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas and the Musamman Burj, the marble tower where, by history, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son and gazed out at the Taj where his wife lay.

Timings and fees: the fort is open daily, including Fridays, from sunrise to sunset, roughly 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, with entry approximately 50 rupees for Indian visitors and about 650 for foreign visitors. Allow at least a couple of hours; it is far larger than most expect. Pairing it with the Taj, a short distance away, is the classic Agra morning and the view of the Taj from the fort's marble pavilions is unforgettable and poignant.

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri, about 40 km west of Agra, is one of the most extraordinary sights in India: the magnificent red sandstone city that Akbar built as his capital in the 1570s and then abandoned within about fifteen years, leaving it almost perfectly preserved. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has two parts, the royal palace complex and the great Jama Masjid mosque complex.

In the palace complex stand the Diwan-i-Khas with its famous central pillar, the delicate five-storey Panch Mahal, the Anup Talao and the palaces of Akbar's queens. The mosque complex holds the soaring Buland Darwaza, one of the tallest gateways in the world and the exquisite white marble tomb of the saint Salim Chishti, revered by pilgrims of many faiths who tie threads there for their wishes. Timings and fees: the palace complex is open daily, sunrise to sunset, roughly 6:00 am to 6:30 pm, with entry about 50 rupees for Indian and 610 for foreign visitors; the mosque and dargah are free, with their own hours. Allow half a day, including the drive.

Itmad-ud-Daulah: the Baby Taj

The Itmad-ud-Daulah, fondly called the Baby Taj, on the north bank of the Yamuna, is a jewel-box of a tomb built between 1622 and 1628 by the empress Nur Jahan for her father and it is often called a draft of the Taj, for it pioneered the white marble and the intricate pietra dura inlay that the Taj would perfect. Smaller, quieter and utterly exquisite, it is a favourite of those who look closely, its every surface a tapestry of inlaid stone.

Timings and fees: open daily, sunrise to sunset, roughly 6:00 am to 6:30 pm, with entry about 30 rupees for Indian and 310 for foreign visitors. It is far less crowded than the Taj and rewards an unhurried visit. Being on the north bank, it pairs naturally with Mehtab Bagh, Ram Bagh and Chini ka Rauza, which are all on the same side of the river.

Mehtab Bagh

Mehtab Bagh, the moonlight garden, lies on the north bank of the Yamuna directly across from the Taj Mahal and it offers the most famous and beautiful view of the Taj from across the river, above all at sunset, when the marble glows and the crowds of the main complex are behind you. Laid out as a Mughal garden aligned with the Taj, it was conceived as a place to view the mausoleum and it still serves that purpose perfectly.

Timings and fees: open daily, sunrise to sunset, roughly 6:00 am to 6:30 pm, with entry about 30 rupees for Indian and 300 for foreign visitors. Come in the late afternoon for the sunset. It is also the answer to a Friday in Agra, since from here you can admire the Taj even when the monument itself is closed. It is one of the loveliest and most peaceful spots in the city.

Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra and Mariam's Tomb

Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra, about 10 km north-west of the centre on the Mathura Road, is the grand mausoleum of the greatest Mughal emperor, set in a vast walled garden where deer and peacocks roam and where the great gateway blends red sandstone with white marble in Akbar's characteristic spirit of fusion. Large, serene and far less crowded than the Taj, it is a rewarding and atmospheric stop, especially for those who love Mughal history.

Timings and fees: open daily, sunrise to sunset, roughly 6:00 am to 6:30 pm, with entry about 35 rupees for Indian and 300 for foreign visitors. Close by stands the Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani, Akbar's wife and Jahangir's mother, popularly linked with Jodha Bai, a quieter monument blending Hindu and Islamic styles, with its own modest entry. Being on the Mathura Road, Sikandra is a natural stop when travelling between Agra and Mathura or Vrindavan.

More places to visit in Agra

Beyond the great monuments, Agra holds many more rewarding places for those with time.

• Jama Masjid, the great mosque opposite Agra Fort, built by Shah Jahan's daughter Jahanara, free to visit outside prayer times.

• Chini ka Rauza, a Persian-style tiled tomb on the north bank, known for its glazed ceramic work, quiet and free to enter.

• Ram Bagh or Aram Bagh, on the north bank, considered the oldest Mughal garden in India, laid out by Babur.

• Mankameshwar Temple, near Jama Masjid, one of the four ancient Shiva temples of Agra, a living temple with free darshan, open morning and evening.

• Soami Bagh and Dayal Bagh, the Radhasoami samadhi with its extraordinary marble carving, still being built after more than a century.

• Wildlife SOS, an ethical bear and elephant rescue sanctuary near Agra, for those who prefer to see animals cared for rather than exploited.

• Sur Sarovar or Keetham Lake, a bird sanctuary about 20 km out and Guru ka Taal, a Sikh gurudwara near Sikandra.

None of these draws Taj-sized crowds and that is part of their appeal; they show an Agra beyond the Taj, historic, living and varied, that most rushed visitors miss entirely.

Markets, shopping and food in Agra

Agra is famous for its crafts and sweets. The old markets of Kinari Bazaar, near Agra Fort and Sadar Bazaar are wonderful for wandering, selling everything from marble inlay work, the local descendant of the Taj's pietra dura, to leather goods, for which Agra is known, textiles and handicrafts. Bargain hard and buy marble only from reputable places.

For food, Agra's signature is petha, the translucent sweet made from ash gourd, sold in countless varieties, plain, kesar, paan and more, with famous shops around Sadar Bazaar and Noori Darwaza. Try also the savoury dalmoth and Mughlai dishes. A word of honest caution: be wary of drivers or guides who steer you to particular marble emporiums or petha shops, since these often pay heavy commissions that inflate your price; choose your own shops.

Honest tips for visiting Agra

A few honest tips make an Agra visit far smoother, the things the glossy guides tend not to tell you.

• The Taj is closed on Fridays; plan around it and come at sunrise on another day for the best light and fewest crowds.

• Book Taj and monument tickets online in advance to skip queues and carry your original photo ID.

• Ignore the touts, unofficial guides and photographers who swarm the gates; hire only a licensed guide and agree the price first.

• Be firm about not being taken to commission-paying marble or handicraft emporiums; a common trick is to cut short your sightseeing to fit them in.

• Respect the eco-zone around the Taj: you will use e-rickshaws or electric vehicles for the last stretch, so allow a little extra time.

• The best months to visit Agra are October to March, avoiding the fierce summer heat; the same season suits a Braj trip, as our best time to visit vrindavan mathura guide explains.

Agra is magnificent but can be hassle-heavy at the monument gates. A little planning, an early start and a firm, friendly no to the touts turn it into one of the great experiences of any India trip.

How to reach Agra

Agra is easy to reach. By road it is about 55 km from Mathura and roughly 60 km from Vrindavan, a little over an hour by the Yamuna Expressway or the older highway and about 230 km from Delhi and 240 km from Jaipur, the two other corners of the Golden Triangle. Agra Cantt is the main railway station, superbly connected, with fast trains from Delhi in around two hours.

For those coming from the Braj side, our agra to vrindavan distance guide covers the routes and our golden triangle with mathura vrindavan guide covers the wider heritage circuit, including the honest note that the Taj is closed on Fridays. To plan the Braj side of a trip separately, see our places to visit in mathura hub and our how to plan a vrindavan mathura trip guide.

Agra tour packages

We run a full range of Agra and Taj Mahal tours, whichever way you are coming, with the driving, licensed guiding, monument sequencing and the Friday closure all handled, so you simply arrive and enjoy. These are dedicated Agra tours, from quick same-day Taj trips to relaxed two-day heritage itineraries.

Same-day and one-day Agra and Taj Mahal tours:

• agra taj mahal tour from mathura vrindavan, a same-day Taj and Agra trip designed for pilgrims already in Mathura or Vrindavan, the ideal way to add the Taj to a Braj visit.

• one day agra tour package, a full day covering the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and the key monuments at an unhurried pace.

• taj mahal tour by gatimaan express, a fast day trip from Delhi to Agra and back by the Gatimaan Express, India's fastest train.

• taj mahal and agra fort tour by car, a comfortable same-day Taj Mahal and Agra Fort tour by car from Delhi.

• taj mahal sunrise tour by car, a dawn Taj visit by car from Delhi, for the softest light and the smallest crowds.

• taj mahal sunrise and old delhi tour, the Taj at sunrise paired with the sights of Old Delhi in one full day.

• taj mahal luxury car tour, a same-day Taj trip from Delhi in a premium, chauffeur-driven luxury car.

Two-day Agra tours:

• two day agra tour from delhi, two unhurried days to see Agra properly, from the Taj at sunrise to Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra.

• agra and delhi tour, a two-day tour combining the monuments of Agra with the highlights of Delhi.

• india golden triangle tour, the classic Delhi, Agra and Jaipur heritage circuit at a comfortable pace.

Every Agra tour is timed around the Taj's Friday closure and the monument hours, with licensed guiding and no forced shopping stops. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809 with your dates, your city and your group and I will recommend the right Agra tour and arrange it for you.

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