TAJ MAHAL in COVID

Wah TAJ!

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The Taj Mahal comes in top tourist places to visit in the entire world, simply because of its magnificent architecture and amazing history of Shahjahan’s love for her wife Mumtaz Mahal.

It comes in the new 7 wonders of the world list and is a UNESCO heritage site.

Taj Mahal has 4 gates but the east side gate is the main entry point.

Now to reach the Taj Mahal from your hotel, you can simply drive to the nearest parking area or take an auto/cab. We prefer the latter. Now from that point, you have to buy a ticket for a golf cart ride as the locals say but which in turn is an electric vehicle that charges you 10 INR and drops you right at the heart of Taj Mahal’s east gate entry.

Don’t be befooled like we were made to believe that other means of vehicles can reach there, they simply are not allowed and will unnecessarily charge you money claiming they can. This rule has been in place for quite some time as the road is now made of red stone & is maintained by Oberoi Amarvilas as well as Taj Hotel & convention center where we stayed.

Now, once you reach the entry gate, you can show your ticket which has to be bought only online on the link given below. An e-ticket will suffice your entry into the monument.

https://asi.payumoney.com/quick/taj

Travel Tip(s):
– Park your car at the hotel, take an Ola/Uber to the Taj Mahal gate and hire an e-rickshaw. Don’t take the hassle of driving inside Agra city.
– Book your ticket in advance as there are limited slots due to COVID 19 protocols

That’s exactly how it looked like. Big white wonder surrounded by SO many tourists.

BTW, can you spot Coronavirus in there?

Nevermind if you cannot or choose to ignore.

Now, once you enter the premises, you will simply be AWESTRUCK. The monument is huge and every step closer you will keep getting amused by it.

But for the photography enthusiasts to capture this beauty, there is only a certain point where you can fit it in a frame and beyond that you cannot, no matter what camera or device you hold. So hold your feet there!

We planned to cover two-three places the day we visited Agra but we couldn’t move our eyes away from Taj for so much time that we actually ended up covering only the Taj Mahal in one day.

And, that was not enough, so we visited on the last day of our trip again, sacrificing some sleep but not the breakfast at the Taj Hotel and Convention Centre, Agra. From there also we could see Taj, post coming soon on that.

You will find fewer visitors in the early morning hours(6 to 9 am) as compared to the afternoon. Also, Monday, Wednesday is when you can have more of the Taj to yourselves as it’s much less crowded.

There is also a place called Mehtab Bagh on the other side of the Yamuna river, it gives spectacular views of the Taj Mahal but it was closed due to Covid protocol and maintenance this time.

Well, that was it from our visit this year and back home with memories and this Instax image. Feel free to reach out and leave comments for any travel tips to Agra and the Taj.

Cost to visit

INR 245 FOR INDIAN TRAVELERS
INR 1100 FOR FOREIGN TOURISTS

~Appetitravel recommends~

Visit Taj both in the morning and afternoon slot to view it in different shades of a day.