I’m going to be in pakistan early next year and would like to take a few days out to visit Agra, purely to see the Taj Mahal really, and wonder what the best way of doing so is.
I went a few years ago but it was en route to somewhere else and this time I need to travel to and from pak - I’ll be based in NWFP.
Is it easier to go by plane, train, private taxi etc and what are the approx cost implications of each one?
Re: Pakistan to India
Best is to fly out to Delhi. Once you are in Delhi, you can go by taxi to Agra (5 hour trip) to see the Taj Mahal.
Re: Pakistan to India
there is no taxi service to india from pakistan, cuz taxi drivers wont have visa.
and trains arnt safe enough.
so i agree with wat niksik suggested.
I'm going to be in pakistan early next year and would like to take a few days out to visit Agra, purely to see the Taj Mahal really, and wonder what the best way of doing so is.
I went a few years ago but it was en route to somewhere else and this time I need to travel to and from pak - I'll be based in NWFP.
Is it easier to go by plane, train, private taxi etc and what are the approx cost implications of each one?
me to going to del next month. wont go to agra though.
You can hire a taxi from delhi to agra or can go with Rajdhani express (Super fast and 1st class train).
Re: Pakistan to India
Agra is five hours away from delhi?
Looks like it’s going to be a long journey then, especially since I’ll probably have to fly to delhi from islamabad first (don’t think you can from peshawar?)
Re: Pakistan to India
There aren't any flights from Islamabad to Delhi.. not yet anyway you can fly Lahore or Karachi to Delhi. Also looking at flying Peshawar-Middle East-Delhi it's sometimes cheaper on Emirates or Qatar.
Agra is five hours away from delhi?
I've heard the car ride to Agra is pretty brutal.
When I went, we just flew from Delhi to Agra...it takes less than 1 hr, and while Indian Airlines is pretty terrible, it still beats sitting in a car in miserably hot weather for 5 hrs.
we just flew from Delhi to Agra...it takes less than 1 hr, .
İ ahve never heard about Delhi- agra flight ?
Get yourself to kashmir and go via the train???
What train are you talking about? If you're talking about the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus, you have to be a Kashmir resident to use it, and its harder to get a permit to use the bus than it is to just go and get a visa. Nor is there any way to get from Srinagar to Agra directly.
İ ahve never heard about Delhi- agra flight ?
They've had them for as long as I remember. Googling now, it looks like Indian Airlines has discontinued the flight, but Kingfisher (which is far better from what I hear) still goes 1-2x daily.
Re: Pakistan to India
last year my fiancé made the trip from pak to agra to see the taj mahal.
he had to get a visa from the indian embassy in islamabad. it took a week or two to process, so keep in mind that you'll have to make two trips if you don't live in ISL. also, before u go there, try to find out abt the days and hours the embassy is open for business to save urself unnecessary delays.
he took a PIA flight from karachi to delhi (2 hr trip). your mode of travel from delhi to agra would depend on when you want to see the taj (dawn or mid-morning?) and how many days you intend to stay in agra. from delhi, you can either take a taxi to agra (abt 4 hrs drive, or more, depending on traffic), or you can take the shatabdi express which will get you from delhi to agra in about 2 hrs. the train is very convenient, clean, comfortable. note that the shatabdi is a 6 am train and u will get to agra around 8 am. from agra cantonment, u can take a taxi to the taj. there are other trains that go to Agra also, but the Shatabdi is the fastest train in india, and moreover it's more upscale than other trains, it has AC chairs and includes breakfast etc.
the Taj complex opens at 6 am, and if u want to see the Taj at that time, then i suggest u get to Agra the prior evening. the Taj looks different at different hours of the day because the light filters through the marble differently. if u want to have exclusive time with the Taj, then i suggest u go as early as possible. up until 7:30 am, there will be hardly any tourists there. come 8 am, the rush begins!
the other place worth seeing in Agra is the red Agra Fort. take out a coupla hours to see it.
beware of the touts. agra is full of them. u can't throw a stone without hitting one of them buggers.
as far as places to stay... coupla years ago i stayed at the Taj Hilton. i found it to be very clean, comfortable, hospitable.. and the food there was excellent.
lastly, i believe only kingfisher flies into agra and they are pretty expensive, a round trip would cost u abt USD 200. moreoever, if the weather is bad, and u are unable to land due to foggy conditions, u will be diverted back to delhi! so it doesn't make much sense to fly Delhi-Agra.
good luck with ur planning.. if u need any help such as booking a taxi service, or a seat on the shatabdi, or whatever.. pm me... i can give u the contact number of good vendors i have used in the past.
I went to agra in july 2007, and we stayed at a UP tourism guest house for about 3-4 days. We had an airconditioned room for around Rs. 1300 and we always ordered food from the room service. It was fresh, tasty and reasonably priced. We based ourselves in agra and also did some day trips in a van call qualis (?) with a driver...that was with us for the whole trip. The van was double airconditioned and we paid rs.7 per km and paid for our own gas.We did a day trip to fateh pur and sikri and also went to jaipur in rajistan. Personally i liked jaipur more than agra actually. We left early morning for jaipur and came back to agra at night...but, it was worth it. I would love to go back there again. When i was visiting India, i took the plane from karachi to delhi (PIA) and as a child i have taken the plane from lahore to delhi as well. The flight from lahore is only 35 minutes actually with PIA.
I agree with Namkeen, shatabdi train is really good. I have taken it several times to travel between delhi and lucknow and the food they serve you is excellent.
You can also check delhi tourism website. They offer tours to Agra as well. The all time popular tour is the golden triangle.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have:)
Re: Pakistan to India
During these days, just forget about it :)
Even Fatehpur Sikri also best place to visit
when you are hiring a taxi, just check with the locals before you do
Don't speak in english or say you are not from India, Otherwise the prices will touch the sky
whatever you buy just bargain as much as you can
I prefer Train then a Taxi
Re: Pakistan to India
Under the present circumstances, best is via Pakistan and then hitchike an F16 on its way to Agra or Delhi it can conveniently drop you there along with few other 'smart bombs'