| |
 Traveller's Tales: Getting around in Agra, India
Know the most popular landmarks in Agra, India. You may read about best transportation, recommended travel itinerary, suggested routes and directions. Also, you might want to read our
Delhi city guide,
and Mumbai/Bombay city guide.
Pages (1 of 1):
| J Singh |
31 March 2005 |
Stayed at Clarks Shiraz, Hotel - Agra, India.
|
First time visit to Taj for my kids; 2nd time for me & my wife. Took early (06.00h / 08.10h) Shabtabdi Express from New Delhi station to Agra Cantonment, which was an on-time, excellent, fast (2+ hour) including breakfast & newspaper service in Executive Class (2X2 airplane style seating). The usual mob scene on arrival in Agra, with everyone offering guide and car services. We got lucky with Kumar, who spoke excellent English, was very knowledgeable, and low-key on sales pressure. He offered Rs150 to "any hotel" and on the way offered to do a full day tour for Rs650 including the current station pick up. We accepted, and enjoyed the tour.
The highlight was the Taj itself, and the place was mobbed with tourists in the late afternoon/early evening. All the gardeners/groundskeepers were trying to be very helpful by showing off good photo sites and angles (and of course soliciting tips). You must pay Rs 25 video camera fee, and you are only allowed to take video from the gate area itself, approximately 500m away. Mobile phones and tripods strictly not allowed (check in facility available.) No photography allowed inside Taj Mahal itself.
The next day Kumar took us to the abandoned city of Fatepur Sikri, which was beautiful. The major difference from my last visit (20 years ago) is the commercialization of the mosque and shrine there. There are so many, highly-aggressive hawkers, con artists, guides, etc. following your every footstep inside and outside the shrine as to make the visit distinctly unenjoyable. Save your shopping for New Delhi (either Janpath or Central Cottage Emporium). Prices in Agra a severely over-inflated relative to Delhi.
Returned from Agra Cantonment on Taj Express (18.55h / 22.00h). Train was 10 mins late arriving (originates in Gwalior) and it was not obvious to tourists where to find the A/C chair cars on our reservations. Seating was 2X3 airplane style; meals & water available for purchase from the steward on board. Arrived approx 15 mins late at New Delhi Nizzamudin station to the usual crowd of taxi hawkers.
|
| N Franklin |
18 August 2004 |
Stayed at Clarks Shiraz, Hotel - Agra, India.
|
Do not go to Delhi in the summer! Go up to the mountains. Big mistake. The weather never cools down even at night. It is very polluted. Be prepared for scammers at every turn. In our first three days we fell for a number of scams, including people at the railway station pretending to be government officials with forged ID. Everyone wants your money at every turn, it really was truly exhausting. One good restaurant in Delhi restaurant for Hotel Ajanta in Paharanj.
|
| P Mahon |
16 December 2003 |
Stayed at Amar, Hotel - Agra, India.
|
Agra is not a place for beginners. The whole town seems to be out to get the tourists and if it weren't for the Taj Mahal I would recommend avoiding it. Our first experience was walking to a restaurant at 10:30pm and being followed constantly by rickshaw drivers who wouldn't accept that we preferred to walk. When we found the restaurant closed we gave in and took a rickshaw downtown. He refused to stop at a Pizza place we saw saying it was closed when obviously it wasn't and took us to a restaurant of his choice.
The prices were so inflated (especially considering that it was a grimy, empty place) that it was ridiculous. We stood up to leave and the owner said "ok we'll give you a 30% discount". We said forget it and he said how about 50%, but we decided to leave and finally forced the driver to take us back to the pizza place we originally saw which was open. Getting from A to B was always a struggle with drivers who were always ducking into carpet or handicraft places so that we could "just look not buy". The hard sell was so overwhelming and omnipresent that the effect was a desire to buy nothing and to just get the hell out of there.
The Taj Mahal however is superb, the most beautiful building I have ever seen and probably worth the aggravation of the town.
|
| S Milner |
22 September 2002 |
Stayed at Howard Park Plaza International - Agra, India.
|
Taxi and private car touts are in abundance at the train station, negotiate a price for the day and get the driver to take you all over.
|
| T Wood |
20 March 2002 |
Stayed at Howard Park Plaza International - Agra, India.
|
Be wary of taxi drivers. Drivers tend to want to take you to shops you don't want to go to. Also insist on acting as a guide and then ask for payment for the privelage.
|
| L Le ngoc |
02 December 2001 |
Stayed at Agra Ashok, Hotel - Agra, India.
|
Situated near the tourist office, don't hesitate to cross the road and ask for good advises or extra services such as car rental and city tour.
|
| L Le ngoc |
30 November 2001 |
Stayed at Howard Park Plaza International - Agra, India.
|
Almost all the major hotels of Agra are nearby which is convenient as the hotel sole coffee shop does not offer an exciting menu.
The Taj Mahal (and the Taj Ganj area) is within walking distance, if you are able to ignore the cyclerickshaws saying hello all the way.
|
|
Pages (1 of 1):
Book a hotel in Agra, India
|
