Agra - The Taj Mahal, rising costs, warnings.

Best time to see the Taj?


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old Jan 20th, 2004, 02:08   #1
Dreaming of India...
 
sam371's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: New York
Posts: 377
Question Best time to see the Taj?

Hey everyone:

What would you guys say is the best time of day to see the Taj? Best time to avoid the crowds, touts, etc?

Appreciate everyone's help.
sam371 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 20th, 2004, 02:57   #2
Member
 
feanel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Hamburg
Posts: 24
Most probably even if you go there in the early morning there will be loads of people around. But then I also heard rumours that many tourists boycotted the Tay for the "high" entry fee - at least it was like this some months ago.
To see the changing colour of the marble during the day a good option could be to find a roof top hotel opposite to the Taj. Of course definitely not the same as being inside but perfect if you need a rest after a long trip in buses or trains or else for recovering after a Delhi belly.

One more thing: heard that the Taj is in danger because of the heavy air pollution. To diminish this people shouldn't take auto rickshaws but cycle rickshaws in the Tja area.

Enjoy your trip!
__________________
viva la vida!
feanel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 20th, 2004, 06:49   #3
bunder
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Minneapolis, MN, US
Posts: 153
Send a message via AIM to Shannon
I was there two weeks ago -
if you're going in the winter, don't bother with trying to see the sunrise...it's WAY too foggy. We found that 10-noon was a good time. After noon, there were many more tourists.
Shannon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 20th, 2004, 07:28   #4
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 20
I went at dawn, in March last year and it was awesome! It was quite cool and a bit misty, but there was hardly anyone esle around, so it was really quiet.
goldfish is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 20th, 2004, 13:35   #5
Maha Guru Member
 
radz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: India
Posts: 748
Best time to see Taj,early morning,or evening sunset time But if you are going to winder ,try to see evening,morning coun't see anything with fog .
__________________
My Photo gallery
radz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jul 25th, 2004, 07:36   #6
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Melbourne Australia
Posts: 47
Thanks for the tips about the time to see the Taj in winter. Any suggestions for a good family hotel - hot showers and clean toilets! near the Taj - preferably with a view of the Taj?
Thanks
P/CWitton
Peter/Chris Witton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jul 25th, 2004, 07:54   #7
the only "end" is "you"
 
Ikuru's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: infront of the screen
Posts: 1,913
I was there on a january morning I belive, first it was pitch black then it was good and amazing....
Acording to Hotels etc...
theres a really good lasie in agra thats about it... go to the taj and leave agra behind after that.
__________________
http://www.ikuru.se My art.
Ikuru is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jul 26th, 2004, 12:38   #8
Member
 
swami upanunda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Australia
Posts: 19
Best time to see the Taj was pre 1984
You used to be able to jump the fence at night and go in after hours
The Taj with no one around and a good moon
Absolutely incredible
Then Indira was killed and security happened
swami upanunda is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 17th, 2005, 14:58   #9
a.k.a Sanyasin - the Wandering Aesthetic
 
nomadelmundo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Ohio, USA
Posts: 149
Send a message via ICQ to nomadelmundo Send a message via MSN to nomadelmundo Send a message via Yahoo to nomadelmundo
We saw it on Jan 9th, 2005 in late afternoon until sunset... most of the 1-day tourists had already left for their shatabi express back to delhi.... we saw the beautiful change of color of the building from the reflection of the horizon... no fog no pollution... our driver for the day said we were lucky.. he said in a few weeks the smog will pick up again, and it won't look as good...
will
p.s. been to lot of beautiful places, this is definatly a must of a life time
__________________

Visit my forum for backpackers, trekkers & hikers where you can share stories, discuss trails, and upload unlimited amount of travel photos for FREE...
@ PlanetNomads.com

nomadelmundo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Nov 12th, 2005, 14:35   #10
Member
 
chaoyi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Taipei ,TAIWAN (NOT China)
Posts: 7
weekday or weekend?

Will there be more tourists on weekend then weekday? Or just doesn't matter? Because we maybe arrive Delhi on Fri. night (late Jan.) and don't know go Agra on weekend or go Udaipur first?

Thanks.
chaoyi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Nov 12th, 2005, 15:04   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: austria/chandigarh(punjab)
Posts: 169
Quote:
Originally Posted by chaoyi
Will there be more tourists on weekend then weekday? Or just doesn't matter? Because we maybe arrive Delhi on Fri. night (late Jan.) and don't know go Agra on weekend or go Udaipur first?

Thanks.
i`ve the same question as well.i assume the sunday will be more busy then monday.any advice?
malvin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Nov 12th, 2005, 16:18   #12
Senior Member
 
imhere0905's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 199
Was there this morning, it was lovely, not a brilliant sunrise though. It was busy but not too crowded and I am pretty sure I got there for approx 6.30-6.45am, there was a big line up outside when I went past again at approx 10.00 on my way to the fort, hope this helps. Not going to get to sunrise so can't comment on that.
imhere0905 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Feb 3rd, 2006, 10:54   #13
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 30
TAJ Sunrise/ Sunset

When is sunrise and sunset in the last week of Feb. when I am looking forward to seeing this gr-8 monument? I have heard in winter it may be misty in the AM would that be likely the last week of Feb-- Would you recommend the rising or setting sun?? Advice appreciated-- Thanx in advance!!
MEETLC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Feb 3rd, 2006, 11:01   #14
re-member
 
lotus blossom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: revolving around the sun standing still
Posts: 1,890
not sure if friday is still a free entry day, but i went thursday, late day, and then again, friday morning. the two different times of day offered a completely different view and feeling.
__________________
Not all who wander are lost
lotus blossom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Feb 3rd, 2006, 11:06   #15
re-member
 
lotus blossom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: revolving around the sun standing still
Posts: 1,890
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter/Chris Witton
Thanks for the tips about the time to see the Taj in winter. Any suggestions for a good family hotel - hot showers and clean toilets! near the Taj - preferably with a view of the Taj?
Thanks
P/CWitton
i'm not a lonely planet traveler, but i went to agra with a group of students who were reading from it and telling me about all of the agra scams. one such scam is deliberate food poisoning at restaraunts necessitating the need for hospitilization. apparently, it's a grand conspiracy between the food eateries and hospitals. So, we stuck to the recommendations from the LP and had a pretty decent hotel (don't recall the name) and ate at a fabulous restaraunt that had some of the tastiest food i had in india. amazing pakoras and sag paneer.

so, if it were me, i'd check out the LP for the best places.
lotus blossom is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Should i help them next time ? lonelyaztec Chai and Chat 52 Aug 12th, 2005 05:32
Well it's about time. Butturcup Introduce Yourself 6 May 16th, 2005 00:04
Best time to go! cp5 Health and Well Being in India 1 May 9th, 2005 11:33
First time here...first time going to India Terry Introduce Yourself 9 Jul 1st, 2004 03:06
do I have enough time ? lorenza Domestic India Flights 1 Mar 24th, 2004 04:06



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.1.0
indiamike.com ©2001-2008

Syndicate this content on your website with rss or javascript data feeds.