Private 4-Day Golden Triangle Tour of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur

Delhi: Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, India Gate and Agrasen ki Baoli

The tour opens with a half-day Delhi tour before the road to Agra. The Qutub Minar is the city's oldest landmark, a 73-metre red sandstone and marble victory tower begun in 1193 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate, standing in a UNESCO-listed complex of arches, tombs and the famous rust-free iron pillar. From there the vehicle crosses south Delhi to the Lotus Temple, the Bahai house of worship whose twenty-seven white marble petals have become a symbol of modern Delhi.

India Gate, the war memorial arch at the end of the ceremonial avenue, is next, with a drive past Parliament House and the President's Palace. The last stop is Agrasen ki Baoli, a fourteenth-century stepwell hidden between office blocks, where 103 stone steps descend into the cool shade. This Delhi sightseeing takes about four hours; by early afternoon you are on the expressway, and the drive to Agra takes roughly three and a half hours.

Taj Mahal at sunrise

The Taj Mahal is why most travellers plan a Golden Triangle tour, and seeing it at sunrise is the best way to do it. Your guide takes you in through the gate as the gardens open, when the white marble turns from grey to pink to gold and the reflecting pool is still. The mausoleum was completed in the 1650s by the Mughal emperor for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and the two-hour guided visit covers the gateway, the charbagh garden, the main tomb with its inlaid semi-precious stones, the mosque and the guest house.

Entry tickets are paid on site, and the battery bus between the parking area and the monument is included. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so tours starting on a Thursday follow the itinerary in reverse (Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi) to arrive in Agra on a day it is open. After the visit you return to the hotel for breakfast, which gives the morning a relaxed rhythm before Agra Fort.

Agra Fort and the Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah

Agra Fort is the second UNESCO site of the day, a red sandstone citadel on the Yamuna that served as the main residence of the Mughal emperors before Delhi. Inside the massive walls your guide shows you the Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas audience halls, the white marble Khas Mahal and the Musamman Burj, the octagonal tower from which the Taj Mahal is framed across the river. Plan about ninety minutes here; the fort opens daily from sunrise.

Across the river lies the Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, built between 1622 and 1628 for a Mughal minister by his daughter, the empress. It is small, entirely of white marble and covered in pietra dura inlay and lattice screens, which is why it is nicknamed the Baby Taj: it was the first Mughal building in marble and a direct rehearsal for the Taj Mahal. After this visit the vehicle sets off for Jaipur, about five hours away, arriving in the evening at your hotel.

Amber Fort and the Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell

Day three begins outside Jaipur at Amber, the hilltop capital that preceded the city. Before the fort, your guide stops at Panna Meena ka Kund, a sixteenth-century stepwell beside the Anokhi Museum whose criss-crossing staircases form a perfect geometric pattern; it is one of the most photographed corners of Rajasthan and takes only fifteen minutes. The Amber Fort then rises above Maota Lake, a palace of yellow sandstone and marble built from 1592 onward around four courtyards.

Inside, the Diwan-i-Aam, the painted Ganesh Pol gate and the Sheesh Mahal mirror palace are the highlights, and the terraces give views over the lake gardens and the Aravalli hills. Allow about two hours. An Amber Fort tour is best early, before the heat and the crowds, which is how this itinerary is arranged. Entry tickets are bought on site with the guide's help; the fort is open daily from morning to evening.

Jal Mahal and Gatore ki Chhatriyan

Driving back towards the city you pass Man Sagar Lake for a stop at the Jal Mahal, the eighteenth-century Water Palace whose single visible storey appears to float on the water, with the Nahargarh hills behind. It cannot be entered, so this is a photo stop of about fifteen minutes with your guide explaining the restoration of the lake. The next stop is one many Jaipur tours skip: Gatore ki Chhatriyan, the royal cremation ground of the Jaipur maharajas at the foot of Nahargarh Fort.

Here a quiet garden holds a series of cenotaphs, or chhatris, in white marble and sandstone, the most ornate being the one built for Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of the city, with twenty carved pillars and scenes from Hindu epics. It is peaceful, rarely crowded and usually takes thirty minutes. From here the vehicle enters the walled Pink City for the afternoon.

Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and the City Palace of Jaipur

The afternoon covers the three monuments at the heart of the walled city. The Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds, is a five-storey pink sandstone screen of 953 latticed windows built in 1799 for the ladies of the court to watch the street; your guide takes you to the classic view from opposite. A short walk away, Jantar Mantar is the UNESCO-listed observatory of Sawai Jai Singh II, with nineteen giant stone instruments including the 27-metre Samrat Yantra sundial.

The City Palace completes the day: the Mubarak Mahal textile gallery, the Diwan-i-Khas with its giant silver urns, the courtyard of the four painted gates and the view of the seven-storey Chandra Mahal, still the residence of the former royal family. Together these three take about three hours. The evening is free in Jaipur, and on day four, after breakfast, you drive back to Delhi for drop-off at the airport, the railway station or your hotel.