Booking choice: The Keeper Landwey tour, from $99 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The Taj Mahal is closed every Friday, it opens 30 minutes before sunrise, and foreign visitors pay a separate fee to enter the main mausoleum. Get those three facts into your plan and the rest is easy.
The details below come from the official Taj Mahal site, the tour listings and what guests report.
The quick answer
The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so never start a tour that visits it on day 2 on a Thursday. It opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes before sunset. A foreign adult pays Rs 1,100 plus Rs 200 for the main mausoleum; the ticket includes shoe covers, a half-litre bottle of water and the battery bus. Food, drones, tripods and chargers are not allowed.
Is the Taj Mahal open on Fridays?
No. The Taj Mahal is closed every Friday, because the mosque inside the complex is used for prayers.
On most four-day tours the Taj visit is on day 2, the morning after you sleep in Agra. Start on a Thursday and that morning is a Friday. Private operators can shuffle the days, but check the itinerary for your date before you pay rather than hoping they notice.
Picking a start date? Avoid Thursday and the Agra morning stays free of the Friday closure.
Check dates for the Hello India 4-day tourWhat time does the Taj Mahal open for sunrise?
The gates open 30 minutes before sunrise and close 30 minutes before sunset; ticket windows open an hour before sunrise.
Sunrise moves through the year, so the opening time does too. Your guide will set the hotel pickup for your date. Tours that sleep in Agra on night one, as most four-day tours do, make the sunrise slot easy: you are a short drive from the gate, not four hours away in Delhi.
How much is a Taj Mahal ticket for foreigners?
Rs 1,100 for a foreign adult plus Rs 200 to enter the main mausoleum, so Rs 1,300 in total; the online ticket is Rs 50 cheaper.
Visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries pay Rs 540 and Indian citizens Rs 50, and children under 15 enter free. The foreign ticket comes with shoe covers, a half-litre bottle of water, an Agra map and the battery bus or golf cart from the parking area. The mausoleum fee is worth it: without it you see the building only from outside.
Want the sunrise slot without the planning? Keeper Landwey schedules the Taj at sunrise and includes the battery van to the gate.
Explore the Keeper Landwey tourWhat can you not take into the Taj Mahal?
Drones, food of any kind (even toffees), tobacco, tripods, headphones, chargers and electrical goods other than a camera are not allowed.
Large bags slow you down at security, so carry a small day bag and leave the rest in the car. Photography is fine in the gardens but not inside the mausoleum. For clothing and a full packing list, see what to wear on the Golden Triangle.
Is sunrise worth the early start, and what about fog?
Usually yes: guests describe fewer crowds and cooler air at dawn, but December and January mornings can be foggy around Agra and may hide the dome.
From October to March the light is soft and the air mild; in April to June the early start is what makes the heat bearable, as one guest on a May visit put it. In the foggy weeks, ask your guide whether a later visit the same morning or an afternoon view from Mehtab Bagh is the better bet.
Can you see the Taj Mahal at night?
Yes, on five nights a month around the full moon, except Fridays and during Ramzan, in 30-minute slots between 8 PM and midnight.
There are eight batches of up to 50 people, and a foreign adult pays Rs 750. Tickets are booked online through the Archaeological Survey of India, so plan ahead and tell your operator: your Agra night must fall on one of those dates. The other way to see the Taj late in the day is from Mehtab Bagh, the garden across the Yamuna (Rs 300), which the Driver India tour visits on its first evening.
Want the sunset view as well as sunrise? The Driver India tour adds Mehtab Bagh on day 1.
Check dates for the fees-included tourHow do the 4-day tours schedule the Taj Mahal?
Most sleep in Agra on night one and visit the Taj on the morning of day 2 before driving to Jaipur.
| Tour | Taj day | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Keeper Landwey | Day 2 | Sunrise, in the itinerary |
| Driver India | Day 2 | Sunrise, in the itinerary; Mehtab Bagh the evening before |
| Hello India | Day 2 | Morning, about 3 hours |
| Creative India | Day 2 | Morning |
| Maria Tours (Ranthambore) | Day 2 | Morning, then on to Sawai Madhopur |
| steps to india | Day 2 | After the drive from Delhi, so daytime |
| India Caravan (3 days) | Day 2 | Morning, then on to Jaipur |
What if you only have one day?
Take the private sunrise day trip from Delhi: about 12 hours with the Taj Mahal at sunrise and Agra Fort, back in Delhi the same evening.
Guests report pickups around 3 AM for the sunrise option, so it is a long day, and the same Friday rule applies. Monument tickets and lunch are included if you choose that option; one guest without the lunch option advises bringing a snack.
Only one free day in Delhi? The sunrise trip covers the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort with a private car and guide.
Explore the sunrise day tripFrequently asked questions
Is the Taj Mahal closed on Friday for everyone?
Yes, for sightseeing. Only people attending Friday prayers at the mosque are admitted, so plan your Agra day for any other day of the week.
Do I need to book Taj Mahal tickets in advance?
Not for day visits: your guide can buy them at the counter, and the online foreign ticket is Rs 50 cheaper. Night viewing must be booked online in advance.
How long do you need at the Taj Mahal?
The tour itineraries allow 2 to 3 hours, which is enough for the gardens, the mausoleum and photos.
Can I take my camera inside the mausoleum?
You can bring a camera into the complex, but photos are not allowed inside the mausoleum itself.
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
4-Day Private Golden Triangle by Car
- Private air-conditioned car with chauffeur, tolls, parking and fuel
- Government-approved local guides in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur
- Tuk-tuk ride in Old Delhi and the battery van to the Taj Mahal gate
Private Golden Triangle: Fees Included
- Private air-conditioned car with WiFi and bottled water
- Monument entrance fees and taxes as listed in the itinerary
- Taj Mahal at sunrise, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Chand Baori at Abhaneri
