I know, right? How could I have written this many posts about India without talking about the Taj Mahal? Well, Sosaucers, the time has come for my tips on visiting the Taj.
Located in Agra, most people come by way of Delhi, which, in typical Indian fashion is somewhere between a 3 and 6 hour train journey depending on the route they take. Once there, a cluster of hotels are located right near the Taj, without much, as far as I can tell, differentiating one from another. My only recommendation would be to find one with a rooftop cafe, as sitting up there and drinking a Kingfisher while the sun slowly sets behind the magnificent palace is one of those incredible travel moments to seek out.
My next recommendation is to get out there early. Yes, really early. I woke up at 4:30AM and made it to the gates by about 5AM, and am so glad that I did. As one of the wonders of the world, needless to say crowds flock to see the Taj, but not many are willing to get there that early. That means that when the Taj Mahal opens its gates (officially they say 6 AM, but unofficially it was more like 5:45), you have an entire World wonder nearly to yourself. Also, for the photographers among you, the light is great early in the day and at dusk, but even as early as 7 AM becomes quite harsh, washing out detail in your shots.
After you pay the relatively ridiculous entrance fee of about $20 US (for comparison sake, my train ride there was $3US, and my hotel was $8US), the next decision to make is whether or not to get a guide. Figuring it was a once in a lifetime experience, I went for it, and am glad that I did. While he didn’t provide much more insight on its history than I gleaned from my guidebook, he knew the palace inside and out, and took me to all of the interesting nooks and corners of it.
Sure there are other details to think about, but the bottom line is this: in the back of my head I had convinced myself that there was no way the Taj could live up to all of its hype. It exceeded it. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, absolutely do so — just make sure you get up nice and early!
Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Georgetown University where he studies Public Policy and Social Entrepreneurship. You can see more of his travels on Sosauce, his blog, or follow him on Twitter, @TheBudak.
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