Delhi-Agra day trip: pay for a tour or do it on my own?

I've been in India for six months and I'm returning to the US this Friday -- but I can't leave without seeing the Taj! There are tour companies that arrange everything for the tourist: pickup at your hotel in the morning to go to train station, a/c car on train, a/c car upon arrival in Agra, lunch at five-star hotel, English-speaking guide, etc. The price is pretty high by India standards: for a single person (that's me), it's $108, not including the entry fee to the Taj.

So my question is: Has anyone done a tour like this? Is it worth it? With the heat here right now, the idea of having everything pre-arranged is quite appealing.

The only downside I can see is that the tour includes only two hours at the Taj. It does also include the Agra fort and Fatehpur Sikri.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
Debbie

It sounds as though you could do most of this yourself at a fraction of the cost.

You could book the train ticket yourself, either at the station or online. It would then be a simple matter to get a taxi to the station and another taxi from Agra station to the Taj. Do you need lunch at a 5-star hotel? Does the tour offer priority admission to the Taj, or do you still have to wait in line like everyone else?

Two hours at the Taj is probably about right. There's not a lot to see, and there's a limit to the length of time you can stare at a building, no matter how beautiful it is.

Basically, it comes down to how much you're willing to pay for the convenience of having everything done for you. There's no right answer.

But you're not planning to do this on Friday, right?

This forum has made me aware that the Taj is shut on Fridays but what about Agra Fort? I ask as its likely that we will be travelling fom Delhi to Agra on the first Friday in October and leaving the following day for Jaipur.

dephil13 - I'm not seeing it as closed on Fridays in my 2 year old Guide Book which also shows Taj as closed. It's open sunrise to sunset.

The Taj is closed on Fridays for religious reasons.

The Fort is open as usual.

Many thanks for the information. Left my Lonely Planet Guide in our holiday apartment and have to wait for its return!

Sounds expensive. You could get a night at a hotel, plus two days driving for that price!

Rent an A/C car and driver - Rs 1200-1500
Go to Maya for lunch. (It's a driver magnet, they get commission/food, but they have good thalis and it's close and comfortable) - Rs 250
Get a guide at the gate - Rs 150

And don't miss Fatehpur Sikri. As every one said it could be done at much cheaper price.

Hello all,

Thanks for your quick responses -- very helpful. I've decided to take the train and deal with hiring a guide when I get there. The train comes to 900 rupees total. It's more of a hassle, but 1) I'd rather spend the money on something else, and 2) it's pretty much the last thing I'll have to deal with in India before going back to the US.

-Debbie

Debbie - you can do this without hiring a guide too, you know. Just have a list of the places you want to go there and take an auto to each place. If you do hire a guide, be very careful re rates etc. I know here a guide for a full day is around 400 - 500 rupees. Half a day, around 250 rupees maximum.

Huh. I was going to post something similar. Except, possibly I might be nuts.

See, I'm going to be in India from 21 Dec - 5 Jan. I was going to try to day trip on 4 Jan to Agra, but I'm arriving to Delhi by an overnight train, and well, I don't want the stress of trying to worry if I'll make it in time to see everything and then get to my flight home. I would certainly be more acclimated by then and braver about negotiating my own way; however, trains can be late. My flight on 5 Jan is at like 3:30 in the morning. I figure I'd just see more of Delhi while I wait and then chill in the hotel or something.

So instead I was thinking that, I arrive in Delhi on the 21st at the ridiculous hour of 01:30. I was thinking I would get a hotel transfer from my tour company (I'm doing a low maintenance backpacker tour type deal for my first trip to India, since I'm a woman traveling alone for only 2 weeks, and would like slightly lowered stress levels) so I wouldn't have to have the brainpower to negotiate the taxi situation. But then I was thinking of getting a paid tour from the hotel (after a nap) to Agra, hitting all the main sites that would bring me back to my hotel in time for dinner.

I suppose I could ask the hotel desk to call me some kind of cab or auto to get me to the Shabti Express on time (and buy it ahead of time on the internet when that day opens) and then take autos and such when I get to Agra and then somehow get back.

I'm just afraid I will be too brain fried to deal with that on my first day. If it was like my second day, I could probably deal with it. I don't normally like the cushy sort of luxury tour environment. But, in this case, if it helps me fit the Taj and Fort and other Agra sites on my trip (the main trip I picked had other awesome things but not that), when otherwise I might fumble and not make the right train, I'm willing to compromise my usual low maintenance credo.

So, what I was going to ask is, what day trip companies do people know of that are ethical that can be pre-paid from the U.S.?

Or, alternatively, please give me encouragement to do it the cheaper, more sensible way, and tell me why I can still do that after my ridiculous plane ride . Perhaps a good train suggestion for the way home?

An auto driver will take you everywhere you want to go, and will charge you a daily rate. Oh, and he'll drive you nuts with wanting to stop at his cousin's shop... but some of them are really nice fellows, and you have to shop somewhere, right?

djkittycat - I think to arrive at that hour in Delhi, then take a day trip to Agra, is all too much. Can your tour company incorporate a trip to Agra towards the end of your travels? this would be the easiest option and then you would reach Delhi at the time you want, not a scheduled time by train (which can be late).

Well basically, the last thing on the itinerary is to take an overnight train from Varanasi to Delhi, arriving (if all is well) on 4 Jan. My flight is at 3 am on 5 Jan, so I have that day to bum around Delhi, but that's about it. As a teacher, I couldn't really take an extra day on either end.

The only other solution I can think of is to truly solo it and either:

a) Take an overnight train to Agra instead of Delhi by myself, and possibly a day earlier just in case, and seeing stuff and maybe crashing in Agra somewhere, then returning to Delhi the next morning and meeting up with everyone if at all possible.

b) Take an overnight train to Delhi a day earlier than others and use that as my base of operations, and do the day trip thing.

But in either case, the woman at the tour company said that if I left the tour, which I could as a person who makes a choice do, I would have to sign a release, because they could not be responsible for what happened to me. Makes sense, from their point of view, but still, ack.

I guess I could have booked the other tour, which had all the standard tourist destinations to it, but this one seemed much more interesting to me, and I really wanted to see the Golden Temple.

Oh well. I have actually been talking to another woman who is confirmed on the same tour as me, and she might be coming earlier, and who knows she might agree to go with me on a day trip and wake me up when necessary . If she agrees to go with me, I can get the rate for the minimum 2 people. So, I guess I'll play it by ear.

Otherwise, I can either decide to go for it at the end of the trip, or just decide to come back some day!

Thanks for your kindness!

Oh, forget the end of your tour! I say be brave! Check where the train from Varanasi stops (I expect it will stop in Agra but honestly don't know- check the train forum) and just get off at Agra, spend the day there and get a train or taxi back to Delhi in the evening, maybe even straight to the airport if you're feeling adventurous (you're going to need to get to the airport for midnight or so, meaning leaving Agra at 8pm at the latest, if going by car).

If the thought of getting off the train alone in Agra and negotiating a taxi/tuktuk makes your blood run cold, pre-arrange a car and driver to meet you there and take you round Agra; just make sure it's a recommended company. Unfortunately I can't think of any based in Agra but there must be some.

As for pre-paying for a tour from the US (should you choose that kind of pre-arranged trip) is the pre-payment really crucial for you? General advice is don't do this. Plenty of places will accept payment on arrival, or 50/50 payment beginning/end of tour, or 100% payment at the end. Pre-paying means you have no leverage if the tour turns out bad.