DELHI STOPOVER TOUR WITH TAJ MAHAL

ITINERARY:

Day 01 - Arrive Delhi –  Arrive Delhi
Meeting and greetings on arrival at Delhi’s international airport and transfer to the booked hotel for overnight stay.

Day 02 – At  Delhi
Morning after buffet breakfast at the hotel met your driver at hotel lobby and proceed for a combined tour of Old and New Delhi. 
Old Delhi visiting Red Fort - The red sand stone walls of Lal Quila, the Red Fort extend for 2 km and vary in height from 18m on the river side to 33m on the city side. Shah Jahan started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and it was completed in 1648. The Red Fort dates from the peak of Mughal power. The Mughal reign from Delhi was a short one. Aurangzeb was the first and the last emperor to rule from here. Jama Masjid- the Great Mosque of Old Delhi was both the largest and the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan. Begun in 1644, the mosque was not completed until 1658. It has three gateways, four angle towers and two minarets standing 40m (133ft) high constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble. The courtyard of the mosque can hold 25,000 people. Take a rickshaw ride to Chandni Chowk - the main street of Old Delhi - the colourful shopping bazaar just opposite the Red Fort and visit Raj Ghat - the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi after his assassination in 1948.

New Delhi visiting Qutab Minar – 234 feet high tower. The Qutab Minar itself is a soaring tower of victory that was started in 1193, immediately after the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom in Delhi. It is nearly 73m(243ft) high and tapers from a 15m(50ft) diameter base to just 2.5m(9ft) at the top. The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone, the fourth and the fifth of marble & sandstone. Also visit the Tomb of Mughal Emperor Humayun. Built in the mid-16^th century by Haji Begum, the Persian-born senior wife of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, this is a wonderful early example of Mughal architecture. The elements in its design – a squat building, high arched entrances that let in light, topped by a bulbous dome and surrounded by formal gardens – were to be refined over the years to the magnificence of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Drive past India Gate (War Memorial), President’s House, which was once the Viceroy’s Palace, Parliament House and Secretariat buildings. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 03 – Delhi – Agra – Delhi – by train
Early morning at around 5.30 AM met our representative alongwith driver and car and transfer to New Delhi Railway Station to board Shatabdi Express train for Agra departing at 6.15 AM.  Meeting on arrival at Agra Railway Station at 8.12 AM and proceed to visit Fatehpur Sikri 40 kms (25 miles) from Agra - a cultural and imperial capital conceived and built by Emperor Akbar in 1569 and later abandoned due to scarcity of water. See the graceful buildings within the city including Jama Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chisti and Panch Mahal.

Return to Agra and visit the world famous Taj Mahal (if not visited on previous day) built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, whose death in childbirth in 1631 left the Emperor so heartbroken that his hair is said to have turned gray overnight. Construction of the Taj, begun in the same year, was not completed until 1653. In total 20,000 people from India and Central Asia worked on the building. The Taj Mahal is like a silent rhapsody that you will carry in your heart. Enjoy horse cart ride. Also visit Agra Fort, constructed by Emperor Akbar in 1695 on the banks of the Yamuna River. Initially the fort was a military structure, but during Shah Jahan’s reign it had partially become a palace. 

Later in the evening transfer to Agra Railway Station to board Taj Express train for Delhi at 6.55 PM.  Meeting on arrival at Nizamuddin (Delhi) Railway Station at 10 and transfer to the hotel White House for overnight stay.

Day 04 – Depart Delhi
Transfer to the Airport intime to board flight for onward destination.

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