Taj Mahal
#1of 9 places to visit in AgraAgra, Uttar Pradesh
Also known as Rauza-i-Munawwara · The Crown of Palaces
Quick answer
Opening hours: 06:00–18:30, closed Fridays. Entry: ₹50 Indian · ₹1,100 foreign. Allow 2.5 hrs. Best time: 06:00–08:00.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 5 min read
- Opening hours
- 06:00–18:30
- Closed Fridays
- Entry fee
- ₹50 Indian
- Ticket from
- Time needed
- 2.5 hrs
- Best time of day
- 06:00–08:00
- Best months
- Oct – Mar
- Address
- Dharmapuri, Forest Colony, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001
About Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal charges Indian nationals ₹50 and foreign nationals ₹1,100 for general entry as of 2026, with an additional ₹200 required to step inside the marble mausoleum chamber itself. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the tomb in 1632 for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631 while giving birth to their fourteenth child. Construction absorbed an estimated twenty thousand workers over roughly two decades and consumed white Makrana marble hauled 300 kilometres from Rajasthan quarries by a dedicated fleet of elephants and bullock carts. Pietra dura inlay covers the cenotaphs and lower dado panels: carnelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and malachite cut into floral motifs and set into the marble by hand, a craft still practised in a handful of Agra workshops descended from the original craftsmen brought from Persia, Central Asia, and Europe.
Best time of day: 06:00–08:00. At gate-opening, for the shortest queues and the pink-to-white shift in the marble as the sun clears the tree line.
Taj Mahal timings
Taj Mahal opens at 06:00 and closes at 18:30. Those hours hold on Saturday and Sunday too.
- Opening hours
- 06:00–18:30
Mon–Thu 06:00–18:30 Friday Closed Sat–Sun 06:00–18:30 - Opens 30 minutes before sunrise, closes 30 minutes before sunset (approx. 06:00–18:30, shifting seasonally); ticket windows at the Western and Eastern Gates open 1 hour before sunrise and close 45 minutes before sunset.
- Closed on
- Friday
Good to know: Night viewing operates on 5 nights per lunar month — the full moon night plus 2 nights before and 2 after — from 20:00 to 23:59 in eight 30-minute batches of 50 visitors each. Not available on Fridays or during Ramadan.
Opening hours compiled from tajmahal.gov.in and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Taj Mahal ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Indian visitors | ₹50 |
| Foreign visitors | ₹1,100 |
| Children | Free |
| Camera | Free |
SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals pay ₹540. An additional ₹200 ticket is required to enter the marble mausoleum chamber itself. Children under 15 enter free regardless of nationality. Tickets are sold only online at www.asiagracircle.in as of 2026; verify at the counter for any on-the-day changes.
Prices compiled from tajmahal.gov.in and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit Taj Mahal
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
06:00 – 08:00
Sunrise OpeningBest time to go
Gates open 30 minutes before sunrise. The first two hours see the thinnest queues of the day at both the Western and Eastern Gate, plus the clearest marble colour shift from pink-grey to white.
Quiet08:00 – 11:00
Tour Bus Peak
Domestic and international tour groups converge from mid-morning. The mausoleum-chamber queue for the separate ₹200 ticket can exceed 45 minutes.
Very busy11:00 – 15:00
Midday Heat
Most tour groups depart for lunch and Agra Fort by early afternoon. The unshaded marble platform surface can exceed 45°C underfoot in summer months.
Moderate15:00 – 18:00
Late Afternoon / Sunset
Photographers and independent travellers arrive for the changing light on the west-facing façade. Last entry is 45 minutes before sunset.
Busy
History of Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal's design is credited by Shah Jahan's court chronicles to Ustad Ahmad Lahori, though the attribution is debated among historians because Mughal building projects rarely named a single architect. Construction ran from around 1632 to 1653, with the mausoleum itself finished by 1643 and the surrounding charbagh garden, mosque, and guesthouse completed over the following decade. The four minarets flanking the plinth lean fractionally outward, a deliberate engineering choice so that in the event of an earthquake they would fall away from the central dome rather than onto it. Shah Jahan intended to build a mirror-image mausoleum in black marble on the opposite riverbank, a plan cut short when his son Aurangzeb deposed him in 1658 and imprisoned him in Agra Fort, from where he could only view the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna. He was buried beside Mumtaz Mahal after his death in 1666, his cenotaph the one asymmetrical element in an otherwise mirrored building. UNESCO inscribed the complex as a World Heritage Site in 1983.
Rules & etiquette at Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal closes entirely on Fridays for congregational prayers at the mosque inside the complex, a closure that catches a meaningful share of first-time visitors unaware. Security screening at both the Western and Eastern Gates prohibits food, tobacco, tripods, power banks above a certain capacity, and books; small bags are permitted but are physically searched. Shoe covers are handed out free at the base of the marble plinth and must be worn, or shoes removed entirely, before stepping onto the platform. Entry to the mausoleum's inner chamber requires the separate ₹200 ticket and moves in a single-file queue that can take 20–30 minutes at midday; photography inside the chamber is prohibited, though the exterior allows unrestricted photography. Licensed guides wear a numbered badge issued by the Ministry of Tourism and typically charge ₹700–₹1,000 for a 90-minute circuit in English.
Tips for visiting Taj Mahal
- 1
Taj Mahal's sunrise entry at the Western Gate rewards visitors with the shortest queues of the day and the particular colour shift in the marble as the sun clears the tree line. Night viewing operates on five nights each lunar month — the full moon night plus two nights before and two after, excluding Fridays and Ramadan — with tickets sold only 24 hours in advance for ₹510 Indian and ₹750 foreign, capped at 400 visitors across eight thirty-minute batches. Mehtab Bagh, on the opposite riverbank, gives an unobstructed view of the same façade without the crowd density of the main complex and is worth the short auto-rickshaw detour. Battery-powered buses and golf carts run free from the Shilpgram drop-off point to the ticket gates for foreign-ticket holders, since diesel vehicles are barred within 500 metres of the monument under a Supreme Court order protecting the marble from pollution.
How to reach Taj Mahal
The red star is Taj Mahal; the numbered pins are the 7 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.
Dharmapuri, Forest Colony, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001Directions in Google Maps
From Agra Cantonment Railway Station (AGC)
₹150–2006 km · 20–25 min
Negotiated auto); ₹300–400 (prepaid taxi
From Agra Airport (AGR, Kheria)
₹350–45013 km · 30–40 min
Prepaid taxi
From Agra Fort Railway Station (AF)
₹80–1203 km · 10–15 min
Auto, negotiated
Nearest airport
From Agra Airport (AGR, Kheria)
13 km, 30–40 minutes by road; limited domestic connectivity, so many travellers fly into Delhi (233 km, 3.5–4.5 hours by road or a 2-hour train).
Nearest railway station
From Agra Cantonment Railway Station (AGC)
6 km, 20–25 minutes by road.
Taj Mahal FAQs
Is the Taj Mahal closed on Fridays?
Yes. The Taj Mahal is closed to general visitors every Friday for congregational prayers at the mosque inside the complex. It reopens as normal on Saturday from 30 minutes before sunrise.
Do I need a separate ticket to enter the mausoleum chamber?
Yes. Standard entry (₹50 Indian, ₹1,100 foreign) covers the gardens and platform; a further ₹200 ticket, bought at the same counter, is required to walk inside the marble mausoleum chamber and view the cenotaphs up close.
How can I see the Taj Mahal at night?
Night viewing runs on five nights each lunar month — the full moon night, two nights before, and two after — from 20:00 to 23:59 in eight 30-minute batches of 50 people. Tickets (₹510 Indian, ₹750 foreign) go on sale only 24 hours ahead and are not available on Fridays or during Ramadan.
What items are banned inside the Taj Mahal complex?
No. Food, tobacco products, tripods, books, and power banks above a certain capacity are not permitted past the security check at either gate. Drones are banned nationwide at ASI monuments. Small bags are allowed but are physically searched at the gate.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
Places to visit near Taj Mahal
Straight-line distances from our map; times are estimates.
