Attractions
Attractions and heritage circuits, driven around the gates and the hours
The Taj Mahal opens before sunrise and closes on Fridays. Amber Fort has one gate for coaches and another for cars. Ranthambore assigns safari zones by lottery. A chauffeur who knows those things is the difference between a day at a monument and a day in a queue.
Circuits
Five itineraries the desk builds most
The Golden Triangle
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur over four to six days: the Taj at sunrise, Fatehpur Sikri on the way west, Amber Fort by car, the City Palace, and back to Delhi on NH48. One chauffeur, one vehicle, the hotels booked beside it.
Fares between the three cities →Rajasthan
Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur over a week or ten days. Palace hotels, desert camps and the long Thar roads in an SUV with the same chauffeur throughout.
Multi-day chauffeur →Kerala
Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, the Alappuzha backwaters and Kovalam. Tea estates, a houseboat night, an Ayurveda stay and the beach, with the jetty and the ghat road handled.
Munnar and the hills →Karnataka heritage
Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hampi and Badami. The palace, the Chamundi Hills, the ruins of Vijayanagara and the cave temples, on roads where an SUV and a patient chauffeur matter.
Bengaluru guide →Varanasi and Bodh Gaya
The ghats at dawn, Sarnath, and the road to Bodh Gaya. A chauffeur who knows which ghat the boat leaves from and when the evening aarti begins.
Varanasi guide →Wildlife
Ranthambore from Jaipur, Jim Corbett from Delhi, Kaziranga from Guwahati, Periyar from Kochi, Bandhavgarh from Jabalpur. Safari timings dictate the drive; the lodge and the gate are the pickup points.
Touring India →Directory
Attractions we drive to
51 attractions Each entry names the city and, where it is a day trip, the road from the nearest metro.
UNESCO World Heritage 15
- Taj MahalAgra, IndiaOpen from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes before sunset; closed on Fridays.
- Agra FortAgra, IndiaMughal red-sandstone fort on the Yamuna, a short drive from the Taj Mahal.
- Fatehpur SikriFatehpur Sikri, India · Agra 36-40 km west via NH-21Founded by Akbar in 1571 and capital for about 14 years; the Buland Darwaza gateway stands 54 m tall.
- Red FortDelhi, IndiaShahjahanabad citadel where the Prime Minister raises the flag on Independence Day.
- Qutb MinarDelhi, IndiaQutb Minar and its Monuments complex in Mehrauli.
- Humayun's TombDelhi, IndiaGarden tomb beside Hazrat Nizamuddin station.
- Jantar MantarJaipur, IndiaJai Singh II's observatory; Jaipur city itself is also inscribed as a World Heritage city.
- HampiHampi, India · Hosapete 13 km; Bengaluru 350 km; Vidyanagar airstrip 35 kmRuins of the Vijayanagara capital along the Tungabhadra.
- KhajurahoKhajuraho, India · Jhansi about 175 km southeastChandela temples built between 950 and 1050; about 25 survive, and the Khajuraho Dance Festival runs 20-26 February.
- Ajanta CavesAurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), IndiaRock-cut Buddhist caves with painted interiors.
- Ellora CavesAurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), IndiaBuddhist, Hindu and Jain rock-cut complex including the Kailasa temple.
- Sanchi StupaSanchi, India · Bhopal 46 kmGreat Stupa commissioned by Emperor Ashoka; the lion capital here became India's national emblem.
- Konark Sun TempleKonark, IndiaChariot-shaped temple; the Konark Dance Festival is held 1-5 December every year.
- Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)Mamallapuram, IndiaPallava shore temple and rock-cut rathas on the East Coast Road south of Chennai.
- Elephanta CavesMumbai, IndiaIsland cave temples reached by ferry from the Gateway of India.
Palaces & forts 6
- Amber (Amer) FortJaipur, India · Jaipur about 11 kmBastion of the Kachwahas, inscribed within the UNESCO Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
- Hawa MahalJaipur, IndiaPink-city facade of the City Palace precinct.
- City PalaceUdaipur, IndiaPalace complex on the shore of Lake Pichola.
- Mehrangarh FortJodhpur, IndiaRises from a hill 125 m above Jodhpur's skyline; the city dates its founding to 1459.
- Mysore PalaceMysuru, IndiaCentre of Mysuru Dasara, 11-21 October 2026, with the Jamboo Savari procession on the final day.
- Jaisalmer FortJaisalmer, IndiaLiving desert fort inscribed within the UNESCO Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
Temples & spiritual 7
- Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib)Amritsar, IndiaManaged by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
- Varanasi ghatsVaranasi, IndiaGanga aarti on the riverfront; the MV Ganga Vilas embarks from Ravidas Ghat.
- Tirumala Venkateswara TempleTirupati, IndiaHill shrine administered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
- Meenakshi Amman TempleMadurai, IndiaGopuram-crowned temple at the heart of Madurai.
- Mahabodhi TempleBodh Gaya, IndiaUNESCO World Heritage site of the Buddha's enlightenment.
- SarnathVaranasi, IndiaAncient Buddhist site of the first sermon, on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
- RishikeshRishikesh, IndiaGanga-side yoga town; nearest railhead for Auli, about 250 km.
Nature & wildlife 8
- Ranthambore National ParkSawai Madhopur, IndiaOnce a private game reserve of the royal House of Jaipur, now a tiger reserve.
- Jim Corbett National ParkRamnagar, IndiaIndia's first national park, established 1936, on the Kumaon foothills.
- Kaziranga National ParkKaziranga, IndiaUNESCO World Heritage park on the Brahmaputra, home of the one-horned rhinoceros.
- Periyar Tiger ReserveThekkady, IndiaBoat safaris on Periyar Lake in the Cardamom hills.
- Bandhavgarh National ParkUmaria, IndiaReached via Umaria, with road links from Katni, Jabalpur, Shahdol and Bhopal.
- Sundarbans National ParkCanning, IndiaUNESCO World Heritage mangrove delta and tiger reserve south of Kolkata.
- Gir National ParkSasan Gir, IndiaThe only wild home of the Asiatic lion.
- Rann of KutchDhordo, IndiaWhite salt desert; Rann Utsav Tent City at Dhordo runs 1 November 2026 to 7 March 2027.
Beaches & backwaters 5
- Kerala backwatersAlappuzha, IndiaHouseboats board at the Punnamada Finishing Point; the Nehru Trophy Boat Race is on Punnamada Lake.
- Goa beachesPanaji, IndiaNorth Goa strip from Candolim to Vagator; IFFI runs in Goa 20-28 November 2026.
- Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), AndamanPort Blair, IndiaRadhanagar Beach island reached by ferry from Port Blair.
- Marina BeachChennai, IndiaUrban beach along the Bay of Bengal.
- KovalamThiruvananthapuram, IndiaLighthouse beach south of the Kerala capital.
Modern icons 10
- Statue of UnityEkta Nagar (Kevadia), India · Vadodara about 90 km; Ahmedabad about 200 km; Surat about 160 km182 m statue with a viewing gallery at 153 m on the Narmada.
- Gateway of IndiaMumbai, IndiaApollo Bunder arch and the ferry point for Elephanta.
- Marine DriveMumbai, IndiaThe Queen's Necklace promenade along Back Bay.
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj TerminusMumbai, IndiaUNESCO World Heritage station and start line of the Tata Mumbai Marathon.
- Victoria MemorialKolkata, IndiaGalleries open 10 am to 6 pm; closed on Mondays and national holidays.
- Howrah BridgeKolkata, IndiaCantilever bridge linking Howrah station to the city.
- CharminarHyderabad, IndiaBuilt by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591; its minarets are 48.7 m high.
- Lotus TempleDelhi, IndiaBahai House of Worship in south Delhi.
- Swaminarayan AkshardhamDelhi, IndiaOpened 6 November 2005 on the Yamuna bank.
- India GateDelhi, IndiaWar memorial arch at the end of Kartavya Path.
The Taj Mahal day
Delhi to Agra and back, done properly
Leave Delhi at three in the morning, arrive at the east gate as the ticket office opens, see the monument in the first hour of light before the coaches arrive, breakfast at a hotel with a view of the dome, Agra Fort at mid-morning, Fatehpur Sikri on the way home if the day allows, and back on the Yamuna Expressway before the evening traffic. The car waits at each gate; the chauffeur handles the parking that the monument keeps far from the entrance. Fridays are closed; full-moon nights have their own tickets.
Primary sources
Tourism authorities
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible IndiaOfficial destination information and tourist statistics.
- Archaeological Survey of IndiaOpening hours and ticketing for the Taj Mahal and the protected monuments.
- UNESCO World Heritage, IndiaThe inscribed sites listed above.
56 countries RUTZ.IN chauffeurs across India, Limousine Association International affiliates everywhere else
Book
Book a day trip or a circuit
Day trips price as an outstation day hire. Circuits of two days or more are quoted by a coordinator with the hotels alongside.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.