Classic Golden Triangle Tour: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in 6 Days

Arrive in Delhi

Your driver meets you outside the arrivals hall at Indira Gandhi International Airport, holding a sign with your name, and takes you to your hotel. If you need rupees or a local SIM, there are bank ATMs and phone counters in the arrivals area; your driver will wait.

After a long-haul flight, the best plan for day one is very little. Check in, rest and adjust to Indian time. If you land in the morning and feel fresh, take an easy afternoon walk in Lodhi Garden, where 15th-century tombs stand among lawns used by joggers and families, then dinner nearby at Khan Market or Lodhi Colony.

Keep the first dinner simple. Delhi is known for rich North Indian cooking, such as dal makhani and tandoori kebabs; for the first few days, stick to freshly cooked hot food and bottled or filtered water. Your coordinator calls or messages to welcome you, confirm tomorrow's start time and answer any questions.

• ArrivalMeet and greet at the airport and private transfer to your hotel
• AfternoonRest, or an optional walk in Lodhi Garden if you land early
• EveningFree; we suggest an early night before a full day in Delhi

OvernightDelhi, 2 nights. See the hotel options below.

Old and New Delhi

Begin in Old Delhi, the walled city built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. Climb the steps of the Jama Masjid, one of India's largest mosques, then board a cycle-rickshaw for a ride through Chandni Chowk, a maze of lanes selling silver, saris, sweets and spices. Walk on to Khari Baoli, Asia's largest spice market, and pass the red sandstone walls of the Red Fort.

After lunch, cross into New Delhi. Humayun's Tomb, built in 1570, is the garden tomb that inspired the Taj Mahal, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to the Qutub Minar, a 73-metre tower begun around 1200 and also UNESCO listed. Finish with a drive along Rajpath (now Kartavya Path), past the President's House and India Gate.

If you would like a quieter moment, add a visit to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the Sikh temple whose community kitchen serves free meals to thousands of people every day.

• MorningJama Masjid, cycle-rickshaw through Chandni Chowk, Khari Baoli spice market, Red Fort
• AfternoonHumayun's Tomb and the Qutub Minar
• EveningDrive past India Gate; dinner at leisure

OvernightDelhi.

Agra Fort and the Taj at sunset

After breakfast, drive south to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway, one of India's fastest highways, with a coffee stop on the way. Check in to your hotel in time for a late lunch.

In the afternoon, explore Agra Fort, the Mughal emperors' red sandstone citadel and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your guide shows you the marble palaces inside, including the octagonal tower where, by tradition, Shah Jahan spent his last years looking out at the Taj Mahal. If time allows, stop at the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, known as the Baby Taj, a jewel box of inlaid white marble.

As the sun sets, walk in Mehtab Bagh, the moonlit garden on the far bank of the Yamuna, for the classic view of the Taj Mahal across the river. Before dinner, try petha, Agra's translucent sweet made from ash gourd, and have an early night ready for tomorrow's sunrise start.

• MorningDrive from Delhi to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway
• AfternoonAgra Fort, and the Baby Taj if time allows
• SunsetThe Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh across the river

OvernightAgra, 1 night, a short drive from the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal at sunrise, then on to Jaipur

Your guide collects you before dawn so you are at the gate when the Taj Mahal opens, 30 minutes before sunrise. Built between 1632 and 1653 by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, it changes colour with the light, from grey to pink to bright white. The first hour is the quietest and the most beautiful of the day.

Return to your hotel for breakfast, then drive west towards Rajasthan. After about an hour, stop at Fatehpur Sikri, the capital Emperor Akbar built in the 1570s and abandoned soon after. Walk through its palaces and courtyards and the great mosque with its 54-metre victory gate, the Buland Darwaza.

Continue to Jaipur, arriving in the late afternoon. If you would like one more stop, the Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri, a short detour from the highway, has thousands of steps in a perfect geometric pattern. The evening is free.

• SunriseThe Taj Mahal with your guide as the gates open
• Late morningFatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned Mughal capital
• AfternoonDrive to Jaipur, with an optional stop at the Chand Baori stepwell

OvernightJaipur, 2 nights.

Amber Fort and the Pink City

Drive out early to Amber Fort, the hilltop palace of the Kachwaha rulers and part of the UNESCO-listed Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Arriving early beats the heat and the tour buses. Walk up through its courtyards to the Sheesh Mahal, the Hall of Mirrors. We take you up by jeep; we do not book elephant rides. On the way back, stop to photograph the Jal Mahal, the Water Palace, floating in Man Sagar Lake.

In the afternoon, explore the old walled city, founded in 1727 and painted pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales. See the honeycomb façade of the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds; the City Palace, still home to the former royal family; and the Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century astronomical observatory with a giant stone sundial, listed by UNESCO.

End with an hour in Johari and Bapu bazaars for jewellery, textiles and block-printed fabrics. If you have energy, watch the sunset from Nahargarh Fort above the city.

• MorningAmber Fort and the Hall of Mirrors; photo stop at the Jal Mahal
• AfternoonHawa Mahal, City Palace and the Jantar Mantar
• EveningOld city bazaars, or sunset from Nahargarh Fort

OvernightJaipur.

Drive back to Delhi for your flight

After a relaxed breakfast, drive back to Delhi, straight to the international airport. Please book a flight leaving after 6 pm to allow for traffic.

If you are flying on within India or to another country from Jaipur, we can end the tour at Jaipur airport instead and save you the drive. Many guests also extend the trip from here: Ranthambore for tigers, Udaipur for lakes and palaces, or Varanasi for the Ganges.

• MorningBreakfast and check out
• DayPrivate drive to Delhi airport, or a transfer to Jaipur airport