India is steeped in history and culture! You could probably spend an entire lifetime in India and still not see everything this incredible country has to offer. For me, my biggest India bucket list was to visit what is famously known as the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle consists of the cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. This post covers what to see and do in each of these cities and how to spend 4 days in India.
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Table of contents
Introduction to 4 Days in India
If you regularly read my blog, you will definitely notice that this is a bit of a different post. My blog is generally all about helping people travel independently, without joining a tour. However, I highly recommend a private tour for your 4 day days in India visiting the Golden Triangle.
What Does a Private Tour Entail?
The private tour I booked arranged for all the hotels, private tour guides and a driver who drove us along the Golden Triangle for 4 days. All of these were included in the price of the tour.
Why a Private Tour?
The tour company will arrange and sort out all the details. All you need to do is to show up. If you need a visa for India, they will also give you a letter with all the details like hotels and a local contact person.
The private driver is also great as you don’t have to then think about transportation. Our driver was always punctual and picked and dropped us off at the hotel or place we were visiting.
We stayed in 5 star hotels and the hotel rates if I had to book them on my own, were actually a lot higher. The tour company gets a discount which is then passed down to you.
Perhaps my favorite part about a private tour was having tour guides all to ourselves. This was so much easier than having to find these guides on your own at each city (tour guides are a MUST in my opinion for the Golden Triangle)
Recommended Private Tour
I highly recommend the tour below. We had a tour coordinator from the get go and he communicated very clearly and promptly with me. I was even able to customize the tour a bit. Our driver for the entire trip and our tour guides at each location were fantastic. The guides were very passionate and knowledgeable and eager to take pictures or answer questions.
The tour offers a choice between 4 or 5 star hotels (at different price points) and we selected the 5 star hotels and those were great too! Service and hospitality from the front desk to the dinning rooms were fantastic.
The tour coordinator was available via WhatsApp throughout the trip and responded almost immediately each time.
One thing to note is that with most tours, you maybe asked if you want to visit various shops but you can say you are not interested. If this is the case, let your tour coordinator know ahead of time.
I recommend this tour with no hesitation!
When to Visit?
The best time to visit is between October and April (ideally November to March). The months outside this time are usually either scorching hot or rainy due to the monsoon. Sometimes, there can be fog at the Taj Mahal early morning in December and January but most people will counter this by visiting in the afternoon. Taj Mahal is spectacular during sunrise and sunset.
How to Spend 4 Days in India
Day 1 – Delhi
Spend day 1 of these 4 days in India in the capital city, Delhi. Delhi is huge and thriving and it takes a bit of time to travel from one place to another. My recommendation is to start early.
Qutub Minar
No visit to the Golden Triangle in India (even for 4 days) is complete without a visit to the Qutub Minar and its adjacent monuments. This 73-meter-high tower began construction in the 12th century and was built as a victory tower to mark Islamic rule over the area. The monuments nearby consist of mosques and tombs of sultans from this period of Islamic rule in Delhi. There are also some elements of Hindu architecture as some of the monuments got built over existing Hindu monuments. Qutub Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Agrasen ki Baol
This stepwell from the 14th century is a popular tourist destination. It has been used in scenes in Indian films which makes it an even more popular place to visit.
Lotus Temple
The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship is shaped like a lotus flower and is one of the notable sites in Delhi.
Chandni Chowk and Khari Boali
Established in the 17th century Chandni Chowk is the oldest and busiest market in Delhi while Khari Boali located nearby is Asia’s largest wholesale spice market.
India Gate
This war memorial was built in the 1930s and commemorates the Indian soldiers who died in WWII. India Gate is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Delhi.
Other places you can add:
The tour drives past the Red Fort in Delhi but you could ask to add it if you wanted to visit.
The tour includes the Jama Majid, which is one of the biggest Sunni mosques in India and was built in the 1600 by Shah Jahan. Unfortunately, we ran out of time (hence my recommendation to start early).
After touring Delhi, make your way to Agra so that you can get an early morning in Agra on day 2 of your 4 days in India.
We stayed at The Roseate New Delhi the night before and it was incredible! I can definitely recommend this hotel if you are coming to Delhi early and need a place to stay.
Day 2 – Agra
Start your day early in Agra and make the Taj Mahal the first thing that you do (fog dependent).
Taj Mahal
I don’t think the Taj Mahal needs an introduction! This mausoleum was commissioned by the 5th Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a final resting place for his 2nd and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Her name means the exalted one of the palace. Together, they had 14 children with 7 surviving to adulthood. Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their 14th child, leaving Shah Jahan devastated. The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build and is made out of white non-porous marble. It is decorated with inlay art using semi-precious stones, carvings and lattice work. I couldn’t take picture inside but the inside to me was even more impressive than the outside.
A few things to note when you visit the Taj Mahal:
- Buy your tickets in advance (tickets counters are available on-site but why waste time).
- You will have to buy a ticket for the morning or afternoon. If you buy a morning ticket, then you will have to exit prior to noon or face fines.
- The Taj is closed on Fridays.
Red Fort
Built in the 1500s by a Mughal emperor, this 94 acre fort was the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638. The Red Fort was even occupied by the British! Today, it is partly occupied by the Indian army while some sections are open to tourists. The tourist sections offer a glimpse into Mughal life where you can see various rooms, courts, halls and gardens that were occupied by the Mughal rulers and their families. Shah Jahan was placed under house arrest and lived in this fort in his later years.
Baby Taj Mahal
This Mughal mausoleum is considered to be a draft of the Taj Mahal. It was built in the 1600s as a tomb for I’timād-ud-Daulah.
Day 3 – Jaipur
We got to explore the colorful and historically significant city of Jaipur on day 3 of these 4 days in India. Don’t get me wrong, the Taj Mahal was a sight to behold but Jaipur was my favorite place on this tour. Jaipur is often known as the pink city as most of the buildings in the old town is painted pink…well..more like coral. It was initially painted pink in 1876 for the visit of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband and has remained this color to this day.
Jaipur is historically significant as one of India’s earliest planned cities based on a grid system. It was also home to the Rajputs, the warrior class royals of India who made significant impacts to art, architecture, and literature of the city of Jaipur.
Hawa Mahal
If you Google the word “Jaipur”, you will probably see a picture of the Hawa Mahal! Built in 1799 from red and pink sandstone, the Hawa Mahal or Wind Palace was the resident of queens. The most interesting thing about the palace you see from the outside is that this magnificent facade is actually the back of the palace. Visit here first thing in the morning to beat the crowds. While you can visit inside, the most impressive part is considered to be the outside.
Panna Meena Ka Kund
This 1000+ year old stepwell in Jaipur is worth a quick visit!
Amber Palace
The Amber Fort and Palace was hands down my favorite from this 4 days in India itinerary. This fort and palace was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas and their families. Made out of red sandstone and marble, it showcases Rajput architecture. It was completed in 1592 and used as a palace until the king moved the residence to the City Palace in the 1700s. I honest don’t have words to describe how beautiful this place is, so I am going to leave you with some pictures that will hopefully inspire you to visit!
Jal Mahal
This palace was originally built in 1699 on the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city. It was later renovated and enlarged in the early 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber. You can’t go inside the palace but can see it from across the lake and it is still a beautiful sight to see!
City Palace
The Royal residence and administrative capital of Jaipur, the City Palace is still used today by the king of Jaipur. It was built from 1727 to 1732 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II who moved the royal residence from Amber Palace to this palace. You can visit the royal residence which is well worth the extra ticket price.
Yantra Mantra
This place was absolutely fascinating! Yantra Mantra is an astronomical observation site built in the early 18th century. It has larger than life sized instruments, used to measure the positions of the planets and the sun. It also houses the world’s largest stone sundial.
Other places you can add:
Gatore Ki Chhatriyan
Old crematorium of the Rajput clan that ruled this area. The location was designed by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur.
Patrika Gate
This was anther one of my favorite places in Jaipur! This magnificent gate was actually built in recent years by a newspaper. Patrika gate is full of murals and art and is a myriad of colors. The place gets very crowded with wedding photographers and if you want to take a picture you have to just go for it!
Day 4 – Jaipur
If you are planning this trip on your own, you can take day 3 easy and split the places to see between day 3 and 4. If you take the tour above, then today is an easy half day followed by travel back to Delhi (if you are flying out of Delhi). The tour is customizable, so you can easily add more places to see on day 4 and plan on leaving on day 5 instead of day 4.
What to Wear
If you are traveling during the inter months of December and January , then you may need to bring a jacket and some layers. Day time temperatures are still comfortable but the temperatures do drop at night.
Outside of this time, you can wear light cotton clothing. You may want to avoid clothing that is too revealing to avoid unwanted attention.
Indian Visa
Depending on your nationality you may need a visa to visit India and you maybe able to apply for an eVisa online. Checkout this LINK for more!
Cash
You may need cash to pay for attraction sites and tips. You can get cash from an ATM of a local bank in India. Withdrawing money from a local ATM is always the best rate that you can get.
NOTE – If you are from a SAARC country, you may be able to purchase discounted tickets at some of the attractions! The discount is pretty steep, so ask your tour guide ahead of time if you are from one of these countries.
Staying in Touch
If you don’t need talk and text (and you won’t with a guided tour as everything will be arranged for you), then check out Airalo’s eSims. They are data only and so easy to install. This LINK gets you a 10% discount!
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