India's Golden Triangle in Style

The journey

Overview

Unforgettable moments

Highlights

Your itinerary

Day by day

1. Day1
   Arrive Delhi. Afternoon city drive and welcome dinner+

   At 2pm, we set out for a panoramic drive through New Delhi. The wide, tree-lined avenues of the modern capital pass India Gate, the national war memorial, the Parliament buildings and the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s official residence. We stop at Gandhi Smriti, the house where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. His room has been preserved exactly as he left it, and the garden path traces his final footsteps to the spot where he was assassinated in January 1948.

   Back at the hotel, we gather for a welcome drink and dinner.

   StayThe Claridges Hotel (or similar 5-star)MealsDinner
2. Day2
   Old Delhi five-senses tour. Rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk+

   Today we explore Delhi through the senses, on a guided walking tour created by No Footprints. We begin in Old Delhi, where Mughal-era gateways, sandstone courtyards and centuries-old markets line narrow, busy streets. Surfaces underfoot can be uneven, but the pace is unhurried. We visit an ittar specialist, where tiny glass bottles hold concentrations of rose, sandalwood and musk, blended by hand using techniques that have barely changed in generations.

   From here, we take a rickshaw through Chandni Chowk, one of India’s busiest and most historic marketplaces. The smell of frying jalebis and sizzling parathas mixes with sacks of turmeric, chilli and cumin, while silk merchants call out from doorways barely wider than their bolts of fabric. Nearby, the sound of devotional music drifts from a Sikh gurdwara, a reminder of Delhi’s layered religious life.

   In the afternoon, we drive through New Delhi to see any landmarks not covered yesterday, rounding out the picture of a city that stretches from Mughal emperors to modern republic.

   The evening is free. Khan Market is a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel and has a good range of restaurants and street-food stalls, from kebab rolls at Khan Chacha to sit-down North Indian and Asian cooking. Lodi Gardens, even closer, is worth a stroll in the cooler evening air.

   StayThe Claridges Hotel (or similar 5-star)MealsBreakfast
3. Day3
   Train to Jaipur. Albert Hall Museum and free afternoon+

   An early start today. We leave the hotel at 6am for the six-hour train journey to Jaipur. It’s an authentic introduction to Indian rail travel, the landscape changing from Delhi’s sprawl to open farmland and then the drier, more vivid terrain of Rajasthan. At each station stop, chai wallahs pass milky tea through the windows in clay cups, and platform vendors offer samosas, boiled eggs and stacks of the morning papers.

   Arriving in Jaipur, Rajasthan's capital and one of India's most colourful cities. Known as the Pink City for the terracotta-hued buildings that line its planned 18th-century streets, it's a place where royal history and everyday bustle sit right next to each other. Our first stop is the Albert Hall Museum, the city's oldest public museum. The building itself is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, and inside you'll find Rajasthani jewellery, textiles, metalwork and carved ivory that give a useful grounding in the region's artistic traditions.

   The rest of the afternoon is free to explore at your own pace, settle in, or rest after the early start. We regroup for dinner at the hotel.

   StayHotel Taj Amer (or similar 5-star)MealsPacked Breakfast, Dinner
4. Day4
   Amber Fort. Free afternoon. Dinner at Rambagh Palace+

   This morning we visit the Amber Fort, the 16th-century seat of the Kachhwaha Rajput rulers and one of Jaipur’s finest landmarks. The approach is up a steep cobbled ramp (jeeps are included for those who prefer not to walk), and inside, the courtyards, decorated halls and the incredible Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) show Rajput craftsmanship at its most elaborate. The views from the ramparts across Maota Lake and the surrounding Aravalli hills make the fort’s defensive logic immediately clear.

   For early risers, there’s an optional hot air balloon ride over the Aravalli hills (bookable locally and weather dependent).

   The afternoon is yours. Jaipur’s bazaars are worth exploring for block-printed textiles, jewellery and spices.

   This evening is a highlight. We gather for drinks at the Polo Bar inside the Rambagh Palace, followed by dinner in the palace itself, the former residence of Jaipur’s maharaja. The architecture, gardens and sense of occasion make it a memorable evening.

   StayHotel Taj Amer (or similar 5-star)MealsBreakfast, Dinner
5. Day5
   Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jantar Mantar. Pink Tuk Tuk ride. Cooking class+

   A full day in Jaipur, mostly on foot with some steps and inclines at the historic sites. We start at the Hawa Mahal, the 18th-century Palace of Winds, whose honeycomb facade of 953 small windows allowed the women of the royal household to watch street life below without being seen.

   From here, we visit the City Palace, still partly occupied by Jaipur’s former royal family, and the Jantar Mantar Observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the early 1700s. Its oversized stone instruments for measuring astronomical positions are still accurate today.

   Next, we ride through the Old City by Pink Tuk Tuk, driven by women trained through the Pink City Rickshaw Company, an initiative supporting over 200 women in gaining independent income. Our route ends at the Birla Temple, a modern white marble structure known for its detailed carvings.

   The afternoon is free. An optional walking tour of Old Jaipur’s havelis and temples is available.

   This evening, we join a cooking demonstration and dinner with a local family. It's a relaxed, hands-on introduction to a mix of Indian and Rajasthani home cooking including paneer dishes and fresh chapatis.

   StayHotel Taj Amer (or similar 5-star)MealsBreakfast, Dinner
6. Day6
   Chand Baori stepwell. Lunch at Laxmi Vilas Palace. Continue to Agra+

   Today we drive from Jaipur to Agra (around five and half hours total, broken with stops). Our first is the village of Abhaneri, where the 9th-century Chand Baori stepwell drops 13 storeys below ground. More than 3,500 narrow steps are arranged in precise geometric patterns down three sides of the well, designed to store water and provide a cool gathering place during Rajasthan’s fierce summers. Visitors view the well from the upper levels, and the scale and symmetry are quite extraordinary.

   We continue to Bharatpur for a relaxed lunch at Laxmi Vilas Palace, a heritage property that marks the transition from Rajasthan’s dry plains to the greener landscape around Agra.

   Arriving in Agra in the afternoon, we check in to our hotel. The city was the capital of the Mughal Empire, and tomorrow morning brings the trip’s defining moment.

   StayHotel Tajview (or similar 5-star)MealsBreakfast, Lunch
7. Day7
   Taj Mahal at sunrise. Agra Fort, Itmad-ud-Daulah and Mehtab Bagh+

   An early start, and worth every minute. The Taj Mahal at sunrise is one of those experiences that lives up to the reputation. Built in the 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, its white marble changes tone with the light, from soft pink to warm gold. In the quiet of the early morning, before the crowds arrive, there’s time to take in the symmetry, the inlaid semi-precious stones and the sheer ambition of the building. It took over 20,000 craftsmen more than two decades to complete.

   From here, we visit Agra Fort, a vast red sandstone complex where Mughal emperors lived, governed and plotted. It's a full day on foot across several sites, with steps and uneven ground at each. Then on to Itmad-ud-Daulah, sometimes called the 'Baby Taj', a smaller, more intimate mausoleum with early examples of the marble inlay work that would later define the Taj Mahal.

   Late afternoon, we cross the Yamuna River to Mehtab Bagh, the gardens directly opposite the Taj. Get your cameras ready. The straight-on view across the water is the best perspective of the monument in its full setting.

   This evening, we'll round off our day by enjoying sundowners on the hotel’s rooftop Sky Deck, with the Taj Mahal on the horizon, followed by dinner.

   StayHotel Tajview (or similar 5-star)MealsBreakfast, Dinner
8. Day8
   Return to Delhi via Qutab Minar. Farewell dinner+

   We drive back to Delhi today (approx. five hours), stopping en route at the UNESCO listed Qutab Minar complex. The tower itself rises 72.5 metres, one of the tallest brick minarets in the world, built in the 12th century and carved with verses from the Quran. The complex around it contains the remains of some of Delhi’s earliest structures and gives a real sense of the city’s age compared with the modern capital that has grown up around it.

   Continuing into Delhi, we check in to our final hotel. This evening, we gather for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant, a relaxed way to swap stories from the trip and raise a glass to everything from rickshaw rides to sunrise at the Taj.

   StayHotel Suryaa (or similar 5-star)MealsBreakfast, Dinner
9. Day9
   Tour ends in Delhi+

   Your tour ends this morning after breakfast. Hotel check-out is midday.

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   MealsBreakfast

Accommodation

Where you stay

Hotels are as planned; occasionally similar alternatives are used.

Peace of mind

What's included

• ✦8 nights’ accommodation
• ✦Meals Included: breakfast daily, 1 lunch and 6 dinners
• ✦Itinerary as described
• ✦Services of guides and local representatives
• ✦Flights from the UK can be added — ask your adviser