Agra & Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal defines Agra, the marble mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan that draws visitors to this stretch of Uttar Pradesh above almost anywhere else in India. Arrive at sunrise, before the coach parties, and the building’s famous symmetry and the way the light shifts on the marble make sense of its reputation. Agra Fort and the wider old city are worth the extra day too, but the Taj remains the reason nearly everyone comes.