The difference between the words ‘enjoy’ and ‘visit’ in that title is very important. This is not a guide on how to visit the Taj Mahal, but one on how to enjoy it despite not visiting at all. Why would anyone go all the way to Agra and not visit the Taj Mahal, you ask? Well, they probably wouldn’t. Most people I know visited and some of them even felt they got their money’s worth. But I just couldn’t do it.
The Taj Mahal at sunset seen from the north across the Yamuna River
The promise of large crowds of annoying people had me questioning whether it would be worth it, but the entrance fee kept me away for good. After traveling in countries like Thailand and India for a while, you get really tired of the dual pricing system on absolutely everything and nowhere is the difference in prices for locals and prices for foreigners more apparent and more egregious than at the Taj Mahal. Indians pay Rs.20; foreigners pay 750. That’s an increase of 3650 percent. I just couldn’t do it.
And yes, I’ve heard the reasoning that foreigners can afford to pay more, so they should. That’s a load of crap espoused mainly by those whose pockets are being lined by the steep entrance fee. Not all tourists are from first world countries. What about the visitor from Pakistan? Or Bandgladesh? Sri Lanka? Those countries are far worse off than India financially. More than the money, though, it’s the principle. To put it in perspective, imagine going to the Grand Canyon and seeing a sign that reads: “Americans: $20. Foreigners: $750.” I don’t think that would go over well.
Luckily, you really don’t see all that much more from inside the complex than you can from without. My first stop: some of the nearby rooftops. Most of them have restaurants and some of them have excellent views of the Taj Mahal. For my first meal in Agra, I enjoyed a nice juicy tandoori chicken and snapped a bunch of photos of the giant mausoleum.
The view from a rooftop restaurant to the south.
The next morning, I teamed up with another traveler and we hired an auto rickshaw to take us to the nearby Agra Fort. Despite being the second of Agra’s three UNESCO World Heritage sites, it is a bit more reasonably priced. From the Fort you can view the Taj Mahal in the distance on the banks of the Yamuna River—the same view the man who built it enjoyed for the last eight years of his life spent under house arrest in the fort at the hands of his son (if you’re curious, here’s the Wikipedia article on Shah Jahan).
Western view of the Taj Mahal on the banks of the Yamuna River seen from Agra Fort
…and the view from a prison cell?
From Agra Fort, we had our driver take us across the river and to the entrance of the Mehtab Bagh. Entering this botanical garden costs Rs.100 and you’ll get some pretty good views of the Taj directly across the river. So I was told anyway. If you follow the path next to the gardens, you get down to the river bank without paying an entrance fee and you won’t have a fence blocking your view. You will have to deal with a whole bunch of touts and scammers, but if you’ve been in Agra for more than an hour, you’ve undoubtedly already mastered the art of chasing them off.
Just don’t try shooing away the ones with machine guns. In a first for India, someone who approached me wearing an official looking uniform actually turned out to be a real official in a real uniform (unlike this ATM ‘guard’ in Jaipur). The Indian military guards a large perimeter around the Taj Mahal and they do not let tourists stray far from the path on the other side of the river. Naturally, we could see immediately that the best pictures were to be had from just outside the allowed area.
Northern view across the Yamuna River. In the wet season, the river swells and the Taj is reflected in the water.
Luckily the guy I had teamed up with that day had a fake press pass he had bought in Bangkok. We showed that to the guard and explained that he was writing a piece on the exemplary security measures at the Taj Mahal and that I was his photographer. We even pretended to decide on the spot that the guard we were talking to was so ridiculously photogenic that we simply had to include him in our article. We quickly got special permission to enter the restricted area and were even provided with an armed guard.
A barbed wire fence lined with floodlights, guard houses and soldiers keeps visitors away from the river
If you don’t have a fake press pass, not to worry; it did not look difficult to recreate. All you need is a dot matrix printer from the 80s and a printer ribbon that has been used and rewound twice already. Make sure at least 60% of the writing is entirely illegible, your name misspelled and the whole thing slightly crooked. You’re now a member of the fake press corps.
The Taj Mahal at dusk from the restricted area across the Yamuna River
We took pictures until the sun disappeared then headed back for some dinner. The next day, we walked around the side of the Taj Mahal and took in some more nice close-up views from the back. All in all, I’m very happy with my trip to Agra and don’t feel like I missed out at all. I saw the famous Taj Mahal up close, admired it from a distance and took countless photos of it.
I realize it might sound like I’m looking down on all those who actually paid the entrance fee and went inside or those who are planning to do so when they visit Agra, but I’m not. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and if you do enter the complex, you will actually come home from India with the one vital thing I missed out on: the photo of yourself in front of the reflecting pool with the mausoleum in the background, framed by the row of trees. And if you don’t have that photo, can you really say you’ve been to India?
For more on the two sites in this post, here are the UNESCO pages for Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal.
Great post; it made me snort with laughter a couple of times. The price mark up on the Taj Mahal is pretty atrocious, but I’m not sure if it’s worse than Angkor Wat where locals get in for free (meaning it is swarming with touts and people selling crap) but the cheapest a foreigner can get in is for $20.
I like how creative you got about seeing the Taj Mahal, and am impressed with your press corp scam. You got some great shots as well as some interesting stories those who go the conventional route certainly would not, so that’s certainly a bonus!
Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) recently contributed to world literature by posting..The Ultimate Taiwan Bubble Tea Challenge
You’re right, I completely forgot about Angkor! I wish I could take credit for the press corps thing, but the other guy had the pass, not me. I will definitely be picking one up, though, if I ever find myself in Bangkok again.
Daniel McBane recently contributed to world literature by posting..Entertaining Angkor’s Army of Miniature Touts
Considering to take a photo and get the whole thing well “has” to done from outside it (probably forbidden to take photos inside it) you did well. Like the Press Pass deal 🙂
Graefyl recently contributed to world literature by posting..Heading to Spain
I’m pretty sure you can take photos inside the complex, but maybe only in certain areas. I know there are definitely a ridiculous amount of rules for entry and from what I’ve heard, the guards can be pretty rude in enforcing them. One more reason I just couldn’t be bothered…
Daniel McBane recently contributed to world literature by posting..Jagat to Tal: Our First Real Day of Trekking
Nice post! I spent four months in India and I just couldn’t bring myself to visit Agra. I don’t know why. By the time I got back to Delhi at the end I was just exhausted. I think when I go back to India sometime in the future I’ll visit the Taj Mahal the way you did – with zoom.
Adam Pervez | HappinessPlunge.com recently contributed to world literature by posting..Laughing In The Face Of Violence In Kochi, India
I almost skipped it myself, but I ended up with two weeks to kill in Delhi at the end of my trip, so I hopped a train down. I actually really liked Agra and stayed for over a week, but I think that was mostly because I didn’t do anything touristy after the visit to Agra Fort. I spent most of the time walking around residential areas, where I played cricket with kids, got invited to a couple of homes and even got to go to a Muslim wedding that had an incredible buffet.
Daniel McBane recently contributed to world literature by posting..Karakul Lake in Xinjiang Province: Escaping China’s Tourist Hordes
I visited the Taj Mahal in March and found the experience well worth the price. This is one of the greatest achievements of mankind and I would have paid much more to see it. As for observing it from a distance, this belies the reality that the site is much more than the mausoleum itself; it’s a recreation of the Garden of Allah and is best appreciated in its entirety. Some things can be done on the cheap but this experience is not one of them.
That’s true, you definitely miss out on all the details, which I’ve heard are quite impressive, by not entering the actual site. To be honest, I’ve just found myself caring less and less about the details as time goes on, to the point that I’m happy to just admire a famous site from a distance and get an overall impression, while skipping a closer inspection. That actually seems to be one of the negative side effects of long term travel, as I’ve met quite a few others who’ve been on the road a long time and who have developed a similar disinterest in the more famous attractions.
What’s important in the end is that I enjoyed my time in Agra and it sounds like you did the same. And whatever cash infusion I withheld from the local economy by not purchasing an entrance ticket and not buying souvenirs, I more than made up for by stuffing my face with curries and lassis pretty much all day, every day for over a week straight.
true~!
Hogga recently contributed to world literature by posting..Honging the Kong
Nice! I just went really early in the morning and beat the crowds. It was honestly a little underwhelming, but I’m glad we went in, if only to see the immaculate gardens. I have a real press pass… just need to find a way to keep it even though I’m leaving the world of broadcasting…
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If you want to use the press pass in India, you can probably just photocopy it and you’ll be fine. After seeing some of the fake police badges they tried flashing in my face, I’m pretty sure I could have entered the country on a passport I scribbled out myself on a used napkin.
The Rs.750 (7 pounds or about 12 dollars) entry is for Taj And Agra Fort in 24 hrs and discount at 3 other monuments. If you add up the prices you pay to enter the monuments separately it is good value. Tourists for places like Pakistan (SAARC countries) pay more than a local, less than a foreigner.
Thanks for the update. When I was there, the 750 was only for the Taj Mahal, but presenting the ticket at Agra Fort would get you a 50 Rupee discount. 500 of the 750 was a general fee for the area, though, so you only had to pay it once. I don’t remember there being separate fees for foreigners of different nationalities. It’s good they’ve changed that at least.
Daniel McBane recently contributed to world literature by posting..Village Life on Inle Lake…Yes, it Includes Souvenir Shops
“Americans: $20. Foreigners: $750” is a pretty inaccurate comparison…
It would be 20 cents for nationals Vs. $11 foreigners. Neither of those are expensive and $750 distorts the real cost. I mean feel free to not go, to each their own. But you lost credibility when you made that woefully flawed comparison.
The prices are in Rupees and obviously they don’t equate to US$ 20 and 750. But the ratio is the same and I was using that to make a point.
I live in Agra. You read it right, I live in the city of Taj Mahal. The main reason why there is a dual ticketing system because you always get the special privileges.
Whether we want them or not.
Great post. I was searching about for How to make the visit of Taj Mahal memorable and successful. Because i want to wonderful memories. Despite the Corona epidemic, I made my trip memorable on 17 May. Thanks for that brother.