Agra Trip

Abhay27

Hi. Me and a few friends of mine, around 7 of us are takin the tamil nadu express for Agra. It arrives very early in the morning at around 4 o'clock. Could anyone please suggest a decent hotel or dorm where we could freshen up and keep our luggage. We're plannin on visiting the Taj and proceed To delhi the same evening.
Thank you

delhiwala

You may stay at Hotel Sheela in Tajganj. It's very close to the eastern gate of Taj. Call ahead and book at 0562 2333074.

See Taj Mahal at the day break....it's a different feeling and it will be cool then...

__________________
Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

smartjakes

dilliwalah thank you... i was also looking for the same.. any hotel recommendations in delhi which is cheap and near to Kasmiri gate

delhiwala

Kashmiri Gate area doesn't have good and clean hotels. Nearby Daryganj offers some choice, but again nothing very good.

Some Options:

1. Atithi Palace, Near Ram Mandir 011-23245548
2. Oasis, Near Delhi Gate 011-23247722

I presume you have to take some bus from ISBT ? When is it ? If possible stay at Paharganj, which has more options. From Paharganj to ISBT it takes around 20 minutes & Rs. 30-40 in Auto.

smartjakes

Hi thanks.. i am arriving from kullu after the yhai trek. i have to catch a 5 pm train to Jodhpur from Delhi railway station.I have not planned much for the day as i will be in delhi after my round trip of rajasthan on 4th and 5th june. were do you suggest i stay so that i am near old delhi railway station.

Abhay27

hey delhiwalla.. thank you for yr reply.. did chk out hotel sheela. seems they have a new offshoot.. Sheela inn.. is it better?

puchu

I stayed at hotel Sheela inn.It’s good but not like the old one. But for a day stay it’s ok.It is around 700m from the Taj. Try to enter Taj before sun rise. You’ll be spellbound to see the beauty of Taj. Must take a ride at Jamuna.

Abhay27

o alright.. If we have to be in before sunrise, wat time u suggest to go there. Plus i heard that they open only at 7 in the morning.
and any idea how much they would charge for carrying a camera?

Thank you

puchu

No, it open at 6 a.m. You’ll find long queue, so reach as early as possible. For Indian citizen they charge Rs.25/ only as entry fees.there is no charge for camera. Movie camera is not allowed at the main area of Taj.you have to deposit at the locker. Keep there .no problem. Take only your camera ,lens and water bottle.keep your cell ph in switch off cond,other wise if they catch u they’ll fine Rs.5000/.Remember security is very strict at Taj.

Abhay27

thank you again.. i'm carrying an slr camera. its not movie. i'll leave my mobile in the hotel and go. thank you for the heads up

BeHappy

What about a digital camera that can also take movies? Is that allowed? Thanks.

smartjakes

I also have the same question. My camera is a Nikon D90 dslr with option of shooting movies....

mousourik

Actually these are pre-historic rules which have loopholes. The law-makers and those who enforce the law are obviously ignorant of this feature. And who doesn't know that ignorance is bliss ? Also, don't carry any cable inside.

OceanTragic

Across all places I've visited I'd say that the following applies:
- If you have a camera that looks like a camera you'll pay any camera fee applicable - but they're normally free.
- If you have a camera that looks like a camcorder you'll pay any camcorder fee that's applicable.

The people at the monuments are unlikely to know that what you've got is a D90 and that D90's can take videos.

Regarding the long queues, we got to the Taj at 6:30 (sunrise was at 6:11 that day) to find a queue of 20 women and 0 men. When we left a couple of hours later, the queues were 0 women and 0 men.

puchu

I asked the same question to the security guard at Taj but they didn’t have any answer. I think OCEANTRAGIC has given a good explanation. another thing ,Tripod is also not allowed at Taj. So take only camera to avoid harassment.