Delhi airport to Agra

I arrive with my friend at Delhi airport in the early afternoon. We are thinking of going striaght to Agra so that we can see the taj at sunrise.

So, any advice on how to get from the airport direct to agra?

Is it better to go into central Delhi and catch a train, or howabout catching a taxi from the airport to Agra?

Thanks for any help.

I have the same question. How to better reach Agra from Delhi airport in the evening (January 1st)?
Many thanks
sky

This shouldn't be any problem, as there are a lot of trains travelling from Delhi to Agra, and the express trains do it in about three hours. Agra Station will be alive and teeming with autorickshaw drivers no matter what time you arrive, so once you have chosen your hotel, you will find transport easy; choose a hotel near the Taj, so that you do the trip across town (the Taj is a long way from the main railway station) the night before; that way you'll be ready for the sunrise visit, a good time to go because you will be sharing the sight with twenty people and not twenty thousand.

The first thing you need to do is to find out which Delhi Station the train of your choice is departing from. We arrived at Delhi Airport about 6 p.m., and the best train for us to catch -- about 2 1/2 hours later (you need to allow yourself that much time to arrive comfortably, as finding your train, and then your seat, can be a bit of a hassle until you've had some practice) -- departed from Nizamuddin Station, which was quite convenient as it isn't too far from the airport and the trip between the two avoids some of the busiest areas. If you get to the station early, there is a good restaurant adjacent to the entrance.

You wouldn't want to miss out on a seat on the train and have your carefully-made plans come to naught, so you might be wise to book rail tickets on-line as soon as you've chosen the best train. If you want a good hotel near the entrance to the Taj (so that you can sleep in until 5:30 and still be at the gate before the 6 a.m. opening), I would recommend the Hotel Sheela, which is no more than 50 metres from the eastern gate.

Good luck!

Thanks jarman.

I'm a little bit worried about reserving a seat as I might lose it if my flight turns out to be late. If I turn up at the station late in the late afternoon, early evening, would I be able to get a seat on the first express train?

Also any have an idea about how much a taxi would cost from Delhi airport to Agra?

jarman ah - thank you! the exact info I needed.... Can you please suggest the best transport option to get to Nizamuddin from Airport - taxi, bus, rikshaw?
Thanks and BR
sky

If I recall autorickshaws can't go to the airport and a bus would be a real hassle in the Delhi Bus system. Cab it to N..

you might consider using a travel agent to work all this out for you, since it's your furst day and all.

Any recommendations for a travel agent bijapuri?

Namaste India tours will stitch it all together, but their hotel selection in Agra ain't the best. However, I'm sure Jawahar will be happy to book you into any hotel you come up with. Any suggestions, IMers?

The problem in Agra in mid-range and certainly budget hotels is roaches. It is a city-wide issue. Not to gross anybody out but it is true and if you have stayed there you know it. We recently returned from a reconaissance mission there and Deedar-e-Taj is still the best option in our opinion for a mid-range choice. It has a view of the Taj which many people request. Ofcourse, the smog is usually so bad you can't actually SEE the Taj, but technically the view is there!! Agra Ashok is also a resonable choice.

Agra is a good place to splurge on a more expensive property but still you do not get alot of bang for your buck.

We also are happy to hear of hotels in AGra that have private bath, TV, AC and marble floors (no carpet!! yuck!!) and a low roach count for around USD$20. Good room service is important too. Because the ones we stayed in last week did not exceed Deedar-e-Taj in our opinion.

Hi, sky!

I didn't know that autorickshaws couldn't officially go to the airport... regardless of the regulations, they certainly do, anyway! We walked out of the domestic terminal and went no more than 40 metres before we came upon several. Maybe they come in to drop passengers at departure... anyway, they're there. I always think they are the best transport option, because they weave in and out of traffic in peak times, they can fit in smaller breaks in the traffic than can taxis or buses, and they are very negotiable in price. And the drivers take such amazing chances with your life and their own, that it's a bit like a Disneyland ride for real!

I can't remember how much our autorickshaw cost us to go to Nizamuddin, but it certainly wasn't more than a couple of dollars. We arrived at Nizamuddin with so much time to spare that we were able to find out which platform, etc, and then go and have a leisurely meal at the nearby restaurant. Of course, we were lucky -- our plane was only about twenty minutes behind schedule -- I guess plane delays, not road traffic or distance, are the main thing to be considered before you go ahead and book a train seat and a hotel!

However, from my (admittedly limited!) experience in India, I certainly wouldn't just turn up "cold" at the railway station and ask for a ticket on the next available express! Just buying a ticket can take quite a long time -- there's often a queue, and even if you're at the head of the queue, you will be amazed at how locals will simply push in front of you and start talking to the clerk.... with the language difficulty, it's not so easy to demand your rights, and the clerk won't care! My advice is...leave yourself a fair amount of time for airport-station transfer, and then take the chance and make your booking. You can always get PART of your fare back if you miss the train, and, anyway, unless you're travelling 1st class air-conditioned, the tickets won't cost very much, anyway.... really, the cost of train travel in India will not constitute a very large slice of your holiday budget, so you can afford to "risk it".

Thank you, jarman_ah! Very useful info!
I am actually planning to buy all tickets on my arrival day to India, when I am in international airport. I would prefer to loose little money if the plane is delayed, rather than queueng in the station

How much is a taxi to from Airport Delhi to Agra one way?

Would that be more comfortable?

Thanks, Meike

I paid around IR2000.

Comfortable?

The journey took around 4 hours and was noisy and very tiring. I'd recommend going by train.

Thank you, drumbrake. (When did you do that?)

Is it more comfortable to take a taxi to the noisy Delhi Railway station, to find out the next train, to fight for train tickets, to wait for that train, to take a taxi at Agra railway station ...

Is it really? I´m really asking...