Agra & the Taj Mahal

Currency budget India

Exchange at a bank or an authorised dealer, never on the street. Cards are widely accepted in hotels and restaurants but not at the smaller shops. Keep small notes for tips and rickshaws, and check that any note you are handed is not torn.

ATMs & cards

SBI, HDFC and ICICI machines inside bank premises are the reliable ones. Many cap withdrawals at 10,000 rupees and charge per transaction. Avoid standalone machines near the monuments.

Use machines inside bank premises. Withdrawals are usually capped at 10,000 rupees with a fee each time, so plan around fewer, larger ones.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety all of India

Violent crime against visitors is rare, but Agra has a persistent and practised scam industry: unofficial guides, gem shops, and drivers who take you somewhere you did not ask for. Book guides through the ticket office. Women travelling alone should expect staring and unwanted attention and are usually better off with a pre-booked driver. The Taj closes on Fridays.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa India visa rules

Health & emergencies all of India

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Mughlai food is the local tradition — try dal Agra and petha, the local sweet. Eat where there is a queue of locals, drink only bottled or filtered water, and give street food a few days before trying it.

Nightlife

There is not one, and that is the honest answer. Agra is a town people arrive in at night and leave at dawn.

• Taj Ganj — rooftop restaurants looking at the dome
• Sadar Bazaar — the evening market, and the eating

Closing: 23:00, and the town is quiet well before it.

A beer in a bar: ₹150–300

The Taj is closed on Fridays, and sunrise entry means being at the gate before it opens.

Getting around

• Uber and Ola — cheap, metered and the simplest way to avoid the fare argument entirely
• Auto-rickshaw — agree the price first; the Taj’s east and west gates both have fixed-rate stands
• Electric rickshaw — the only vehicles allowed within 500m of the Taj, so the last stretch is always one of these
• Gatimaan Express — the fast train from Delhi, 100 minutes, far better than driving
• Airport: most visitors arrive by train from Delhi rather than flying

Internet speedall of India

Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for India, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026

Must-see

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Hindi

• HelloNamastena-mas-TAY
• PleaseKripyaKRIP-ya
• Thank youDhanyavaaddhan-ya-VAAD
• Yes / NoHaan / Nahinhaan / na-HEEN

Namaste with palms together works everywhere in the north and is never wrong. In Goa, Konkani is the local language but Hindi and English are both understood.

Religion

Hindu majority, with large Muslim and other communities

Around 80% Hindu and 14% Muslim, plus Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and Jain communities. Remove shoes at every temple, and at many shops. The Taj Mahal is a working mosque on Fridays, when it closes to tourists.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Eat and give with the right hand — the left is considered unclean
• Remove shoes before entering temples, and often before entering a home or a shop
• Dress modestly outside beach areas: shoulders and knees covered, and more conservative for women
• Accept that the head wobble means yes, agreement, or acknowledgement, depending entirely on context

Don't

• Do not show public affection beyond hand-holding; it draws stares and in places open disapproval
• Do not photograph people, religious ceremonies or cremation grounds without permission
• Do not touch anyone with your feet, and apologise if you do it by accident
• Do not assume "yes" means yes — a reluctance to disappoint often replaces a direct no