Golden Triangle tour packages for 6 days

6 days / 5 nights from ₹20,687 per person. Four days is the quickest loop: Delhi, a night in Agra, a night in Jaipur and back to Delhi. Five or six days gives Delhi its own half or full day, the Taj and Agra Fort without a rush, Fatehpur Sikri on the Jaipur road and two nights in Jaipur, ending there. Seven to ten days adds Mathura and Vrindavan, a Ranthambore safari, Amritsar, or Jodhpur and Udaipur, and the twelve and fifteen day plans go round the whole of Rajasthan.

3 plans: 6 Days Golden Triangle Ranthambore Wildlife Escape (6D/5N, from ₹20,687); 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Escape (6D/5N, from ₹22,424); 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon (6D/5N, from ₹24,424).

6 Days Golden Triangle Ranthambore Wildlife Escape6D/5N · ₹20,6876 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Escape6D/5N · ₹22,4246 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon6D/5N · ₹24,424

• Duration: 6 days; most travellers take 5 or 6.
• Price: from ₹20,687 per person, stays, local travel and the sightseeing listed on each trip page.
• Places: the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, Old and New Delhi from the Red Fort to Qutub Minar, and Jaipur's Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and City Palace, with Mathura and Vrindavan, Ranthambore or Amritsar on the longer plans.
• Travel: Every trip is private, in your own air-conditioned car with a driver. Most start with a pick-up at Delhi airport or railway station and end with a drop in Jaipur; the four-day plan loops back to Delhi, the Jaipur and Agra plan starts and ends in Jaipur, and the longer plans end where their page says. Flights or trains to the start city are not part of the package.
• Stay: hand-picked hotels in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur with breakfast, and in Mathura, Ranthambore or Amritsar on the plans that stop there.
• Best time: October to March is the season: dry days of 20 to 30°C for the monuments, with cold, foggy mornings in December and January that can hide the Taj at sunrise and delay trains.
• Weather: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur sit on the hot, dry northern plains.
• Trip type: private trips planned around your dates and your group.

6 Days Golden Triangle Ranthambore Wildlife Escape6D/5N · ₹20,6876 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Escape6D/5N · ₹22,4246 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon6D/5N · ₹24,424

These are the places Golden Triangle trips are built from. Each trip page lists exactly which of them it covers, and a private trip can swap one for another.

• Taj Mahal, Agra: The white marble tomb Shah Jahan built for Mumtaz Mahal on the bank of the Yamuna; best at sunrise, and closed every Friday.
• Agra Fort: The red sandstone fort of the Mughals, with the Diwan-i-Am, Khas Mahal and Shish Mahal inside and a view down the river to the Taj.
• Fatehpur Sikri: Akbar's abandoned red sandstone capital, about 40 km from Agra on the Jaipur road, with the towering Buland Darwaza, the Jama Masjid and the tomb of Salim Chishti.
• Sikandra and Mehtab Bagh, Agra: Akbar's tomb in its gardens on the Delhi side of Agra, and the garden across the Yamuna where people watch the sun set behind the Taj.
• Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi: The Mughal fort, the great mosque opposite it and the crowded bazaar lanes between them, for the street food.
• Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Lotus Temple, Delhi: The tall brick minaret of the Delhi Sultanate, the garden tomb that came before the Taj, and the white lotus-shaped Bahai temple.
• India Gate and Kartavya Path, New Delhi: The war memorial arch and the avenue up to Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the National War Memorial and Raj Ghat close by.
• Amber, Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts, Jaipur: The hilltop fort-palace with its mirrored Sheesh Mahal, Jaigarh with the giant Jaivana cannon above it, and Nahargarh for the view over the city.
• Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar, Jaipur: The pink honeycomb front of the Palace of Winds, the royal palace and its museum, and the stone observatory with its giant sundial, all in the old city.
• Jal Mahal and Panna Meena ka Kund, Jaipur: The palace standing in Man Sagar lake on the Amber road, and the old stepwell near Amber with its criss-cross stairs.
• Mathura and Vrindavan: The birthplace of Lord Krishna and the temple town next to it, with Banke Bihari, the ISKCON Krishna Balram temple and Shri Rangji; on the road between Delhi and Agra.
• Ranthambore National Park: The tiger reserve about four hours from Jaipur, with jeep or canter safaris and the old Ranthambore Fort on its hill inside the park.

Opening hours and tickets

The Taj Mahal is closed to visitors every Friday and is open on other days from about sunrise to sunset, so every plan keeps the Agra day off a Friday. Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and the Jaipur forts open daily; the Red Fort in Delhi is closed on Mondays. Opening hours and ticket rules change, so confirm on the official ticket site before you go.

What to eat

Old Delhi is the place for street food: parathas, chaat and jalebi in the lanes around Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid. Agra is known for petha, the sweet made from ash gourd, and a breakfast of bedai and jalebi. In Jaipur try dal baati churma, pyaaz kachori, ghewar and the lassi and dahi vada of the old city, or a Rajasthani thali; Mathura is famous for its peda. Vegetarian food is easy to find in all three cities.

Every trip is private, so the plan below is a starting point: the days, the hotels and the pace are set around you.

• Day 1: pick-up at Delhi airport or station; a half day in New Delhi: Qutub Minar, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the National War Memorial and India Gate.
• Day 2: the drive to Agra, about 230 km on the Yamuna Expressway; the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Akbar's tomb at Sikandra and Kinari Bazaar.
• Day 3: the drive to Jaipur, about 240 km; the City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Govind Dev Ji temple and the old city bazaars.
• Day 4: Jaipur's forts: Nahargarh, Jaigarh and Amber, then Panna Meena ka Kund, Jal Mahal and Birla Mandir; an optional Rajasthani dinner at Chokhi Dhani in the evening, paid separately.
• Day 5: the drop at Jaipur airport or railway station.

Golden Triangle packages start at ₹20,687 per person: ₹20,687 for 6 days. That covers the hotels with breakfast, a private air-conditioned car and driver for every drive and transfer, the pick-up and drop, and the sightseeing each trip page lists. Flights or trains to the start city and back from the end city are not included, monument tickets are paid separately on every plan, and lunches and dinners are extra unless the trip page names them.

What moves the price is the season, the hotel grade, the size of the car and the group size. October to March is the season and costs the most, with Diwali, Christmas and New Year the dearest weeks; April to September is cheaper. A family or two couples sharing one car brings the per-person price down. The 5% GST is added to the package price, and monument tickets and anything not named on the trip page stay out of the fare.

Ranthambore sits between Agra and Jaipur, about four hours by road from Jaipur, with jeep or canter safaris in the tiger reserve and the old fort on its hill inside the park. One plan runs Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore and Jaipur in six days; the other does Delhi and Jaipur first and comes back through Fatehpur Sikri and Agra in eight. Whether the safari is in the price is on the trip page or your quote, and the core zones usually close from July to September.

1 trip on this page, from ₹20,687 per person: 6 Days Golden Triangle Ranthambore Wildlife Escape (6D/5N, from ₹20,687).

6 Days Golden Triangle Ranthambore Wildlife Escape6D/5N · ₹20,687

Couples: 1 plan with the quieter stays and private transfers, from ₹24,424: 6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon (6D/5N, from ₹24,424).

Families and couples take the private trips: the same places at your own pace, with the room category and the car chosen for your group.

6 Days Delhi Agra Jaipur Honeymoon6D/5N · ₹24,424

Best time

October to March is the season: dry days of 20 to 30°C for the monuments, with cold, foggy mornings in December and January that can hide the Taj at sunrise and delay trains. April to June is fierce summer heat of 40 to 45°C, and July to September is the humid monsoon, cheaper but wet.

• October to November, 15 to 32°C: The best weeks: clear, dry days for the forts and the Taj, before the winter fog. Diwali falls in this window and is one of the busiest weeks.
• December to February, 5 to 25°C: Cool, pleasant afternoons and cold mornings; fog in December and January can hide the Taj at sunrise and delay trains. Christmas and New Year are the dearest dates.
• March to June, 20 to 45°C: March is still pleasant, with Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan (the date moves each year). From April it turns very hot, and sightseeing works only early in the morning and late in the day.
• July to September, 25 to 35°C: The monsoon: humid days with heavy showers, green gardens and lower prices; the main Ranthambore safari zones are usually closed.

What to pack

Light cotton for the day from March to October, with a sun hat, sunglasses and strong sunscreen. From December to February add a warm jacket and a layer for the morning, because Delhi and Agra drop to about 5°C and the winter fog keeps the early hours cold. Comfortable shoes that slip off easily for the Taj platform and the temples, clothes that cover shoulders and knees for Jama Masjid and the temples, and a small day bag only: security at the Taj Mahal stops food and most larger items, so leave them in the car.

Getting there

From Hyderabad, fly to Delhi, about two hours, or take the train, which is about a day. Most of our Golden Triangle trips start with a pick-up at Delhi airport or railway station and end in Jaipur, which has flights back to Hyderabad; the Jaipur and Agra plan starts and ends in Jaipur. The flight or train is not part of the package.

From Bengaluru, fly to Delhi, about two and a half to three hours; the train takes well over a day. The trips start with a pick-up at Delhi airport or station and most end in Jaipur, so book the return from Jaipur; the Jaipur and Agra plan begins and ends in Jaipur.

From Chennai, fly to Delhi, about two and a half to three hours, or take the train, which is well over a day. Your car and driver meet you at Delhi airport or station, and most plans drop you in Jaipur at the end; the Jaipur and Agra plan starts in Jaipur instead.

Permits and fees

No permit is needed for Indian travellers on these routes; carry a photo ID, which the monuments and hotels ask for. Tickets for the Taj Mahal and the other protected monuments can be bought online in advance and cost more for foreign nationals. Ranthambore safaris are booked ahead with each traveller's ID details, and the trip page or your quote says whether the safari is in the price; the core zones usually close from July to September for the monsoon, so confirm before you book.

Golden Triangle or Rajasthan? The Golden Triangle is the short version: the Taj Mahal, Delhi and one Rajasthan city, Jaipur, in four to six days from Delhi. A Rajasthan trip leaves out Agra and Delhi and goes further west to Udaipur's lakes, Jodhpur's Mehrangarh and Jaisalmer's fort and dunes. Pick the Golden Triangle for a first trip to North India or a short holiday; pick Rajasthan, or a plan here that joins the two, if you have a week or more.

Golden Triangle or Shimla and Manali? Both usually start in Delhi, but they are different holidays. The Golden Triangle is monuments, palaces and bazaars on the plains, best from October to March. Shimla and Manali are the hills, cool in the summer months when the plains are too hot, with snow in winter. One plan on this page joins them: Shimla and Manali first, then a day trip from Delhi to the Taj.

This page answers one question. The hub lists the whole Golden Triangle catalogue — every length, every departure city, group departures and private trips — with the same prices.