The Golden Triangle at a slower pace: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur

Arrive in Delhi

Indira Gandhi International Airport to your hotel in New Delhi

• Welcome dinner
• Nuit : Delhi
• Environ 1 h de route

Soir

Many long-haul flights land late at night or early in the morning, so the day is yours to sleep, sit in the garden and get over the time change. In the early evening your See Sight Tours trip leader meets the group in the lobby for a short, seated briefing on the week: the one early start at the Taj, what to wear in mosques and temples, how the train days work and where to find a seat at each sight. Then we share a welcome dinner of North Indian cooking at tables, with dal makhani, tandoori breads and slow-cooked curries, and an early night.

Compris

• Pick-up at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), with porterage
• Welcome briefing with your trip leader
• Welcome dinner

Old Delhi by rickshaw, Humayun's Tomb

Chandni Chowk by cycle rickshaw, lunch, a rest, then Humayun's Tomb at 4

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Delhi
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Après-midi

We see the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India, from the foot of its steps (on a Friday, from the street only, as it closes to visitors for the midday prayers), then take cycle rickshaws, two guests to a seat with a hand up, along Chandni Chowk and into the spice lanes of Khari Baoli, so the sights come to you rather than the other way round. Lunch is at a sit-down restaurant, not a street stall. Back at the hotel by 1:30 for a rest through the warmest hours. At about 4 we drive to Humayun's Tomb, finished around 1570 and the model for the Taj. Its gardens are flat, with paved paths and benches, and the low sun turns the red sandstone warm.

Compris

• Old Delhi by cycle rickshaw: Jama Masjid from outside, Chandni Chowk and Khari Baoli
• Lunch at a restaurant in Old Delhi
• Humayun's Tomb in the late afternoon with your trip leader

Train to Agra, the Taj at sunset

Morning express train from Delhi to Agra, a free afternoon, then Mehtab Bagh

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Agra
• Environ 1 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we take a morning express train from Delhi to Agra, about two hours in reserved, air-conditioned seats, with a porter for your day bag and your trip leader alongside. We do not use the 6 am departures; ops chooses the train for your start weekday. Your suitcase travels by road with our driver, who meets the train in Agra with the vehicle.

Après-midi

Lunch is at the hotel, close to the Taj Mahal, and the afternoon is free: sleep, read or sit by the pool. At about 5 we drive across the Yamuna River to Mehtab Bagh, a Mughal garden laid out exactly opposite the Taj. It is level, with no queue, and from the riverside you watch the tomb turn gold and then grey across the water as the sun goes down. It is a calm first look at the Taj, and a second chance if tomorrow's sunrise is foggy.

Compris

• Express train from Delhi to Agra in reserved seats, with station transfers and porters
• Lunch at the hotel in Agra
• Mehtab Bagh at sunset

The Taj Mahal at sunrise, Agra Fort

Taj Mahal at opening, a free middle of the day, then Agra Fort

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Agra
• Environ 1 h de route

Matin

The gates open about half an hour before sunrise. Vehicles are kept away from the monument, so a battery bus takes us from the parking to the East Gate, tickets already bought. A licensed local guide walks you through the great gateway to the reflecting pool, where the marble turns from grey to pink to white, and there are benches along the water. Shah Jahan began the tomb for Mumtaz Mahal in 1632. The mausoleum stands on a raised marble platform reached by steps; go up with the guide or stay in the garden. Back for a late breakfast at about 9:30, then rest until 3. At about 3:30 we visit Agra Fort, Akbar's red sandstone citadel, entered by a long sloping ramp. You see the Diwan-i-Am, the pillared hall of public audience, and look back along the river to the Taj from the white marble terraces.

Soir

We end the day with dinner together.

Compris

• Taj Mahal at sunrise with a licensed local guide, mausoleum ticket and battery bus included
• Agra Fort with a licensed local guide
• Dinner together in Agra

Train to Jaipur

Agra to Jaipur by express train, a free evening in the Pink City

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Jaipur
• Environ 1 h de route

Matin

The highway from Agra to Jaipur is about 240 km and five hours, too long for this trip, so after a breakfast with no rush we take an express train west, about five hours in reserved, air-conditioned seats with a toilet on board and room to stretch. Ops picks the train for your weekday and we confirm it at booking.

Après-midi

The hotel packs lunch for the journey, and your trip leader rides with you while the driver takes the suitcases by road. Out of the window the flat Yamuna plain gives way to the low, rocky Aravalli hills of eastern Rajasthan. A vehicle meets the train in Jaipur and drives you to your hotel, your home for three nights, with a lift and a garden.

Soir

The rest of the day is free, and we have dinner at the hotel.

Compris

• Express train from Agra to Jaipur in reserved seats, with station transfers and porters
• Packed lunch on the train
• Dinner at the hotel in Jaipur

Amber Fort, the City Palace and Jantar Mantar

Amber Fort at opening, lunch, a rest, then the City Palace and Jantar Mantar

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Jaipur
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Matin

We leave at about 7:30 to be at Amber Fort as it opens at 8, because by mid-morning the heat and the tour buses arrive together. Raja Man Singh I began the fort in 1592 on a ridge above Maota Lake. A jeep carries us up the hill to the main courtyard, Jaleb Chowk, so there is no climb from the road and no elephant ride. A licensed local guide takes the gentlest way through the courtyards to the Diwan-i-Am, the hall of public audience, and the mirrored Sheesh Mahal, with a seat whenever you want one. On the way back we stop above Panna Meena ka Kund, a 16th century stepwell you see from the top.

Après-midi

After lunch together and a rest at the hotel, we start at about 3 at Jantar Mantar, where Sawai Jai Singh II built giant stone instruments in the 1720s and 1730s, before it closes, then walk next door to the City Palace, mostly level courtyards with four painted gates. Times are confirmed with your dates.

Compris

• Amber Fort at opening with a licensed local guide, jeep up to Jaleb Chowk
• Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell from the top
• Lunch together in Jaipur
• Jantar Mantar
• City Palace

Hawa Mahal and block printing in Bagru

The Hawa Mahal in the morning sun, a block printing workshop in Bagru, a free afternoon

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Jaipur
• Environ 2 h de route

Matin

The Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds, faces east, so its pink honeycomb front of 953 small windows is at its best in the morning. We arrive at about 8:30, with the sun already on it and the bazaar still quiet, and look across the road from a seat with a cup of chai. It was built in 1799 so the women of the court could watch street life without being seen. Then we drive about an hour to Bagru, a village known for hand block printing with natural dyes and mud resist. A family of printers shows how a block is carved and stamped, and you print a piece of cloth yourself, at a table with a chair. Nothing is for sale unless you ask.

Soir

We have lunch in Bagru and drive back to Jaipur; the afternoon is free for the pool, a nap or the bazaars, and in the evening we celebrate at a farewell dinner.

Compris

• Hawa Mahal in the morning, from across the road
• Block printing workshop in Bagru, printing your own cloth
• Lunch in Bagru
• Farewell dinner

Activités en option

• Nahargarh Fort at sunset, by vehicle to the ridge above the city, with your trip leader

Fly back to Delhi

Jaipur Airport to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) by domestic flight

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 30 min de route

Soir

Many long-haul flights leave Delhi in the evening or late at night, so the usual plan is a slow breakfast, a free morning and a midday or early afternoon flight. In Delhi our representative meets you and, if your flight home leaves from a different terminal, takes you across to it. If your flight leaves early in the day, or you would like to stay on, ask us to book an extra night in Jaipur or Delhi. Your trip leader stays with the group until you check in for the Jaipur flight, and helps with wheelchair assistance at the airport if you would like it.

Compris

• Transfer to Jaipur Airport
• Domestic flight from Jaipur to Delhi
• Meet and assist at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)