Agra

Agra is a huge city with several district articles that contain information about specific sights, restaurants, and accommodation.

Agra (Hindi: आगरा Āgrā, Urdu: آگرہ Āgrā), a city around 200 km from Delhi, is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. There are also many other buildings and tombs from Agra's days of glory as the capital of the Mughal Empire, as well as the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri outside town, itself a World Heritage Site.

Besides these three World Heritage Sites, the city has little else to recommend it. Similar to Delhi, pollution is rampant in Agra, especially smog and litter. Visitors are pestered by swarms of touts and hawkers at every monument, besides the inner Taj Mahal which, once you are in, is free of scams and touts. The sites are some of the wonders of the world, and no trip to India is complete without at least one visit to the Taj. For the vast majority of visitors, a single day in Agra is more than enough.

While the heyday of Agra (AHG-rah) was as the capital of the Mughal Empire between 1526 and 1658, the city was founded much earlier. There has been much debate regarding the origin of the city's name. The most commonly-held theory is that it comes from the Hindi-Urdu word agar (अगर), meaning "salt pan", referring to the region's brackish soil; salt was once made in the area by evaporation. Others derive it from the ancient epic, the Mahabharata, claiming that the name comes from Sanskrit agravana (अग्रवन), meaning "grove forest", indicating the first of the many small forests where Krishna frolicked with the gopis of Vrindavan.

In the Mughal era, Agra was also known as Akbarabad, which was given by emperor Shah Jahan to honour his grandfather Akbar.

The recorded history of Agra begins around the 11th century, and over the next 500 years, the city changed hands between various kings, both Hindu and Muslim.

In 1506, Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, moved his capital from Delhi to Agra. His son Ibrahim Lodi was the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, as he was defeated in 1526 by Babur, the first Mughal ruler, in the battle of Panipat. Agra fell too, and became the capital of the Mughals, whose rule over Agra was uninterrupted except for a brief period between 1540 and 1556. In 1540, Sher Shah Suri overthrew Humayun and became the ruler of much of North India, including Agra. After Sher Shah Suri's death, his descendants proved unequal to the task of ruling the kingdom, and Hemu, a Hindu general of Suri, became the effective ruler who would later crown himself King Hemachandra Vikramaditya just as the kingdom was facing an assault from the reinvigorated Mughals. In 1556, Hemu was defeated and killed in the second battle of Panipat, and the Mughals regained Agra.

Mughals were great builders. Babur built the Aram Bagh (garden of relaxation) modelled after the garden of paradise, where he was eventually buried after his death. His grandson Akbar refurbished the Agra Fort and built the Fatehpur Sikri, an entire city just on the outskirts of Agra. Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan would give Agra its most famous monument, the Taj Mahal, which is the mausoleum of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj is constructed in white marble. It took 20 years to construct, and it is now universally known as a monument to love. Legend has it that Shah Jahan wanted a replica of the Taj constructed in black marble that would be his final resting place. There is no support for this theory, but even if it were true, it would have been unlikely to be undertaken. His son Aurangzeb was austere and pious, and had no time or inclination for the ostentation of his forefathers, preferring to spend his money on wars in South India. In any case, even during Shah Jahan's reign, which was the period when the Mughal empire was at its height, the construction of the Taj put a strain on the resources of the empire and caused a mini-famine around Agra. Shah Jahan was eventually buried in the white Taj, next to his beloved Begum.

Shah Jahan, in addition to giving Agra its greatest claim to fame, was also responsible for beginning its decline, as he decided to shift his capital to Shahjahanabad, in 1658. Though Aurangzeb ordered a move back, this too was short-lived, as he moved his headquarters down south to Aurangabad (present-day Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) to focus on his wars. Agra declined, and so did the Mughal Empire. The city was eventually captured by the Marathas, who renamed it Agra. In 1803, it came under the British, who situated the Agra Presidency there, and when India gained independence, the city was incorporated into the state of Uttar Pradesh, and did not gain even the limited honour of being the state's capital, that distinction going to Lucknow, further east. It is now a tourist town, known for the Taj and a couple of other monuments.

The climate is similar to, but not identical, to the one of Delhi. Similar to Delhi, Agra is also notorious for their thick winter fog, which reduces visibility to almost zero. On the other hand, the city becomes scorchingly hot during late spring and early summer.

Official websites:

• Agra District
• Agra Municipal Corporation

Agra is 200 km southeast of Delhi and is one of the points of the tourist's Golden Triangle of Agra-Delhi-Jaipur. Agra is also very well connected via rail and road with other nearby cities and tourist destinations, and thus suitable for a day trip from Delhi or as a part of a larger itinerary.

• 27.157577.9608331 Agra Airport (AGR  ^IATA). Small domestic airport with direct flights from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Navi Mumbai.  (updated Feb 2026)

New Delhi (DEL ^IATA, HDO ^IATA and DXN ^IATA) is the nearest major hub with direct flights from more destinations.

	Note: As a part of the "Golden Triangle", the station is a massive tourist hub - so there are many quite aggressive tuk tuk/taxi drivers waiting outside, that will insist you go with them. They can take advantage of you not knowing the fair price of a ride. It is better to walk 50 metres away east of the main entrance, stand near the start of Mall Road and order a Rapido/Uber tuk tuk/taxi.

Agra is on the main railway line between the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Chennai routes, and many trains connect Agra with these cities every day. Some east-bound trains from New Delhi also travel via Agra, so direct connections to points in Eastern India (including Kolkata) are also available.

There are close to 20 trains to Delhi every day, and at least three or four to Mumbai and to Chennai. In late December and early January (the fog season), because of the reduced visibility, all trains slow down and travel time goes up. The New Delhi–Rani Kamalapati Shatabdi Express, for example, may arrive in Agra well after 10AM, and might return to New Delhi well after midnight. From a safety point of view, it is always preferable to travel by train during the winter. If you travel during the high season, you must book your tickets a few days to a few weeks in advance if you wish to make it a day trip, i.e. travelling early in the morning and coming back at a reasonable time at night.

Train tickets can be booked online through the Indian Railways website, paying by debit or credit cards, although those issued by foreign banks are often declined. For more information on how to book tickets online, visit the article Rail travel in India.

There are several railway stations in Agra, but tourists only need to be concerned about Agra Cantonment, Agra Fort and Idgah stations as almost all mainline trains call here.

• 27.15799277.9901532 Agra Cantonment  NCR  (code: AGC). Main station and lies southwest of the Taj and the Fort, both of which are a short ride from the station by car or rickshaw. Exiting from any of the gates at Platform 1, you will find an auto stand, and you may catch an auto-rickshaw if you walk a short way from the station, although the drivers may not speak English. There is a prepaid taxi stand right outside that charges a flat rate to any hotel in the city. The station has a food court that also sells cheap, hygienic takeaway snacks such as sandwiches and samosas. If you keep going and cross the road, you will find a bus terminal from where you can take a bus to the Taj Mahal. However, keep in mind that the bus service is unreliable, and the frequency may not be high. You can also hire government tours on air-conditioned luxury coaches run by UPTDC.  (updated Feb 2026)
• 27.18330878.01913 Agra Fort  NCR  (code: AF) (near Agra Fort, metro: Mankameshwar  Yellow ). Infrequently serviced by the interstate express trains. The station serves trains to the east (Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Howrah), as well as Jaipur to the west, some of which also stop at Agra Cantt. This is one of the historical railway stations of Agra because there was a spacious, octagonal Tripolia Chowk which existed between the Jama Masjid and the Delhi gate of the Agra Fort. This Tripolia was destroyed in order to create the railway station, which was also the first railway station of Agra and one of the oldest in the country.  (updated Feb 2026)
• 27.1726577.9978074 Idgah  NCR  (code: IDH). An alternative to Agra Fort.  (updated Feb 2026)
• 27.19381177.9966135 Raja ki Mandi  NCR  (code: RKM) (at the middle of the city). A small station. Some of the trains serving Agra Cantt also stop here. It has a laid-back and lazy atmosphere, but springs into life at the arrival of Intercity trains and the Taj Express trains.  (updated Feb 2026)
• 27.19457378.0157756 Agra City  NCR  (code: AGA). A relic of the metre gauge era, this station is not particularly useful, despite sounding like the city's main station.  (updated Feb 2026)

• Delhi to Agra — Close to 20 trains connect Delhi and Agra each day with journey times varying from 2-5 hr. The best options include the New Delhi–Rani Kamalapati Vande Bharat Express (fastest), New Delhi–Rani Kamalapati Shatabdi Express (departs New Delhi at 6:15AM arriving Agra Cantt at 8:12AM; departs Agra Cantt at 8:30PM arriving New Delhi at 10:30PM, daily except Friday; meal and water included in air-con carriage) and the Taj Express (departs Hazrat Nizamuddin at 7:15AM arriving Agra Cantt at 10:07AM; departs Agra Cantt at 6:55PM arriving Hazrat Nizamuddin at 10PM, daily).
• Agra to Jaipur - The journey to Jaipur (station code: JP) takes around 4 hr by train no. 2988 which leaves Agra Fort at 6:25PM and reaches Jaipur at around 10:20PM.

Also train number 2965 from Agra Cantonment to Jaipur at 5:40PM. The train arrives at 10:15PM. ₹300 air-con carriage.

• The Luxury train — Palace on Wheels stops at Agra on its 8-day round trip of tourist destinations in Rajasthan and Agra.

There are several buses to Agra originating from Jaipur, Delhi, Ajmer, Lucknow etc.

The highways between Delhi and Agra have tolls, so most buses do not take it. Rather, they take the local roads, which makes the trip significantly longer than the express trains (4-5 hr). It is possible to make it by bus and minibus to Agra by the smaller roads, however you must ask around where the buses to Agra depart from, preferably from a trusted local or the staff at your hotel or hostel. Indian bus stations are, most of the time, either large pavement areas situated under flyovers, very crowded and without no further indications of which bus goes where or stands of private bus companies, which will offer a more comfortable trip at a higher price. This option is for those who feel adventurous, as your journey can be halted by a sudden breakdown of the bus or a road closure due to a local protest or other form of gathering. Note that this is by far the cheapest way to get to Agra, as it should not cost more than ₹60 for the normal "bus" and ₹200 for a more coach-type bus.

If you wish to travel with these government-run buses, you must insist to your rickshaw driver that they get you there. If you only ask for the buses to Delhi, they will probably take you to a private bus company, from which they get a cut. It will be slightly more expensive for you, and these buses tend to stop at random places and drop you at random places as well, as these buses are not direct.

There are two interstate bus stands:

• 27.1659777.995517 Idgah Bus Stand. The primary bus stand for travelling towards Rajasthan/Madhya Pradesh, in the heart of the city, 8 km from the Taj.  (updated Mar 2026)
• 27.20769477.9774728 ISBT, Transport Nagar (12 km from the Taj). Most of the buses pass through here, except for buses originating from Idgah Bus Stand and going towards Rajasthan.  (updated Aug 2026)

You can either book a taxi from the hotel or book one directly outside the railway station. There is usually a government-authorised taxi stand; however, it may be hard to find, and the locals present at the station (looking for gullible tourists) will not help you find it. ₹1500/day for 8 hours. It may be more costly to book through a hotel as hotels do have their in fares. It is better to negotiate with the driver directly or book through an online car rental portal.

• From Delhi:
  • Yamuna Expressway — Connects the 210 km distance from Greater Noida to Agra. The drive is typically 3.5 hours. The highway has a toll.
  • NH 44 — The primary access to the highway is along Mathura Road in Delhi but, if coming from South Delhi or IGI Airport, it is easier to take Aurobindo Marg (Mehrauli Road) and then work up to NH 44 via Tughlakabad. While the highway is divided, it is important to keep an eye out for trucks, cars, and bullock carts heading the wrong way.
  • In both cases, it is possible to hire a car with a driver (a big car for five persons from/to the Delhi airport costs ₹3500). Moreover, both online and offline options are available for tourists. But beware, if you need to get from Agra to the airport in order to catch a flight, ensure you have plenty of time for the trip, as traffic conditions may increase the drive time significantly. Also, it is wise to know your driver. There are situations when he may take over five hours to cover the distance, and you cannot force him to drive any faster than an auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk).
• From Jaipur: National Highway 11, a four-lane divided highway, connects Agra with Jaipur via the bird sanctuary town of Bharatpur & Fatehpur Sikri. The distance of around 255 km can be covered in around 4 hours.
• From Lucknow: The Agra-Lucknow Expressway connects the 302 km distance from the state capital Lucknow to Agra. The drive is very smooth and takes 3 hours. It is a tolled highway.
• From Kanpur: NH 19 continues to Kanpur (285 km, 5 hours) and from there to points east ending in Kolkata.
• From Gwalior: A distance of around 120 km, takes around 1.5 hours on the Agra-Mumbai Highway.

Agra is connected to Etawah by a 207 km (129 mi) long bicycle path.

Metro, electric buses, tongas (horse-drawn carriages) and e-rickshaws are readily available and the best way to get to the Taj Mahal. Camels are also available.

The Agra Metro ( Yellow ) runs between the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Tickets are ₹30 and trains run from 6AM to 10PM.

Auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available everywhere. Remember to agree on fares clearly in advance. Foreigners should bargain everywhere and bargain hard. Generally, things are available at 40% of the initially quoted fares. Normally, charges for e-rickshaws are ₹150-200 per e-rickshaw, which can accommodate up to 4 people. As a guide, an auto rickshaw from Agra Cantonment station to the Taj is about ₹200 (at least in off-season), and a cycle rickshaw from the Taj to Agra Fort is ₹40.

The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) operates some non-air-conditioned and air-conditioned buses, but they run only on specific routes.

The best way to experience the city is to take a walk on the Mall Road (Sadar). The street is full of handicraft and leather goods shops. You will also find plenty of food items quite unique to the city. You can also walk between the Taj and Agra Fort in about 30 minutes.

Individual listings can be found in Agra's district articles

Agra's top two sights by far are the incomparable Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

Individual listings can be found in Agra's district articles

Other than the monuments visits, one can also stroll in the local markets in old city area. It's a nice experience to have a walk in one of the oldest parts of the city.

Individual listings can be found in Agra's district articles

Agra has many shops selling stone products, from jewellery to small boxes and plaques with inlay work resembling that on the Taj. The best of these are wonderful, and even the run-of-the-mill ones are rather pretty. Agra is also famous for its leather goods. Consider spending time in Sadar Bazaar for some shopping and cheap food. These markets have gemstones, both precious and semi-precious, cut and polished but unset, and finished jewellery. You can also find chic boutiques, classy leather goods, culturally-designed clothing, and marble markets.

Beware of being overcharged. Do not let anyone lead you to a shop, lest the price go up to cover their commission, typically 50%. Be very wary of the promises these people make. Bargain hard. Be prepared to walk away, you can nearly always get the same items in another shop or order items you liked during your visit over the Internet after you return. Expect to encounter petty and greedy shopowners who will resort to every lie in the book to make a sale (with initial markups of 1,000-10,000%).

There are many local markets: Sadar Bazaar. a sophisticated market, Raja ki Mandi market, Sanjay Place for all the offices, Shah Market for electronics. All of these markets are situated on MG Road. Hospital Road Market and Subhash Bazar for clothes situated near Agra Fort railway station. Rawatpara market is for spices. Besides these there are many branded shops on MG Road.

Many wholesale marble products are available at Gokul Pura Market near Raja Mandi on M. G. Road which can be easily reached by auto rickshaw, the price of most items are nearly 25% in the retail market.

Be careful when buying jewels: lots of stones are fake and the price is comparatively high.

Individual listings can be found in Agra's district articles

Agra specialities are petha, a type of very sweet candy, and Dal Moth, a spicy lentil mix. Both are also popular souvenirs.

• Chaat - Agra is a heaven for any Chaat lover. Chaat can be of various types but there is one thing common among them all is that they are spicy and you will find crowd outside virtually every chaat stall, especially popular places like Double Phatak (near Sikandra) for Mangores. You'll find quality Bhallas and Panipuri at Sadar and Belangunj. Samosa and Kachori are found at every sweet shop that flood the city. Some typical chaat items are Aloo Tikki (made by roasting mess made out of boiled potatoes), paneer tikka (cubes of cottage cheese baked in a tandoor with spices), pani puri or golguppa (small round hollow shells filled with a potato-based filling and a spicy sweet blend of sauces), mangores, Samosaes, Chachori, etc. If you want to savour the typical Agra breakfast have a bite of one of those spicy Berahi and round it off with sweet Jalebies.
• Sweets - There are quite a few good sweets shops. The best for the famous petha of Agra are at Hari Parwat, a short distance from Agra Fort. Amongst the well-known shops are Panchi's, Bhimsain BaidyaNath and The Pracheen Petha store. There are many types of petha available but, for the authentic experience, try either the plain one (ivory white) or Angoori flavoured (rectangular and yellow pieces soaked in sugar syrup). Other shops in Agra include: Bikanervala, Deviram, Munnalal Petha, Gopaldas, and Ajanta Sweets, Kamla Nagar. You can round off your meal with a Joda (pair) of Pan unique to the city.
• There is also an abundance of Korean food.

Individual listings can be found in Agra's district articles

A bottle of Indian beer costs around ₹70-100 in a hotel, but there is virtually no nightlife in Agra outside of cultural shows at some of the larger hotels and restaurants. After getting off the streets of Agra and into your hotel, you will not want to go back anyway.

Individual listings can be found in Agra's district articles

Thanks to heavy competition, Agra's five-star hotels are good value compared to most other cities in India.

• Don't leave cash or any valuables in the hotel room. Cross check all hotel, restaurant and lounge bills for errors.
• Never pay anyone for anything upfront, including taxi drivers.
• Beware of pickpockets.
• If you decide to purchase anything, beware that most items are cheap replicas of original items and not likely to last long. The toys are really poorly put together so do not buy them!
• During the winter season, the weather of Agra is unpredictable and temperature may go as low as freezing; be well prepared.
• Some unscrupulous dealers of carpets use the classic 'bait and switch'. If you buy something, insist on carrying it yourself else what arrives in the post might not be what you bargained for. A carpet shop named 'Kanu carpets' is particularly infamous for this. It is prudent to steer clear of shady looking establishments.

Agra experiences moderate to unhealthy air quality throughout the year, resulting in smog that potentially harms the health of all residents and causes a few flight delays due to low visibility. Air quality tends to be the best in the monsoon because of the prevailing winds and frequent rainfall, and it is worst during the summer and winter, especially around the crop burning season of September–November.

Keep an eye on air quality data^{[dead link]}. Have masks (single-use surgical masks are okay), tissues, and eyedrops ready when going out.

There are only a handful of hospitals in Agra compared to Delhi. Refer to the hospitals in Delhi in emergency.

• 27.1705878.0106591 Agra District Hospital.  (updated Aug 2026)

There are several Internet cafés for sending email or uploading digital photos.

• Sify Iway also offers broadband connectivity at different locations spread all over the city.

Many cheap cafés, such as the Taj Café, offer free Wi-Fi.

• Bharatpur is about 56 km from Agra and houses the famous bird sanctuary in which you can see thousands of rare birds including Siberian Crane. The Lohagarh Fort remained invincible despite several attacks by the British. Just 32 km from Bharatpur is the Deeg Palace. This strong and massive fort was the summer resort of the rulers of Bharatpur and has many palaces and gardens.
• Fatehpur Sikri ghost city is a UNESCO world heritage site about 40 km from Agra. Built in the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, the "City of Victory" was the capital of the Mughal Empire for a brief decade and was abandoned in 1586 due to inadequate local water supplies and proximity to the Rajputana areas in the North-West, which were increasingly in turmoil. It includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid. Full of well preserved palaces and courtyards, it is a must see for anyone visiting Agra. In order to get a full idea of this site it is better to take a guide (₹450 for 2h for its free entry part) or have a good printed guide. Entry to the site of the mosque (even to the yard) is only without wearing footwear. The vehicle parking is about a kilometre away and Agra Development Authority (ADA) runs some rickety non air conditioned buses to the site entrance, fare is ₹10 per person one way. Entry to the fort area where the palaces are located is ₹610 for foreigners.
• Mathura is said to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna. There are many beautiful temples in Mathura, including the one built at Shri Krishna's birthplace.
• Nandgaon was the home of Shri Krishna's foster father, Nand. On the top of the hill is the spacious temple of Nand Rai, built by the Hat ruler Roop Singh. The other temples here are dedicated to Narsingha, Gopinath, Nritya Gopal, Girdhari, Nand Nandan, and Yasodha Nandan, which is half-way up the hill. Nandgaon springs into action every year around March for the festival of Holi, when many tourists flock to the city for the famous "lath mar holi".
• National Chambal Sanctuary, (70 km away) is a natural sanctuary and the home of the endangered Indian gharial (a relative of the crocodile) and of the Ganges River Dolphin (also endangered).
• Vrindavan is also a religious place around 50 km from Agra, and quite close to Mathura. There are many temples here devoted to Lord Krishna, a few of the more famous of which are Banke Bihari and the Iskcon Temple.