went to the taj last feb booked all online from home takes a bit of time but well worth it for price aprox £150 per person

from goa to delhi with spice-jet indias version of ryan air cheap and chearful
hotel anjanta in delhi they will pick you up at the airport,stood there with our name on a board, booked asia rooms £37 per night
train from delhi to agra india railways site a bit awkward to navigate but well worth it booked first class £9 per person
be careful at delhi station a person tried to get us to go and get e ticket stamped this is not needed just a scam
booked puiship villa in agra taj view room £47 per night again with asia rooms.
picked up taxi with guide at agra station for £12 for the day took us to hotel waited for us to check in then took us around all the sights of agra with very good knowledge.
hotel aranged for transport back to agra station next morning 200 rps,then train back to delhi and taxi from station to airport 500rps
altogether a tireing trip but the taj blows your mind, it is a must if you are going to india.

Would love to do this trip again. Went with Daytripper and had a great time - well organised. Not cheap but well worth it. As stated by others if you have the time to make your own way you will save a few bob and experience a little bit more than we did.
I know there are quite a few touts about wanting to take 'proffesional photos' - let them, your photos will be ready when you leave the Taj, have a browse and if there are any that look good (which they all do) he will ask a price which will be high (haggle time). We bought 6 different shots for 200rps, all A4 size and impressive - you do not have to buy from them whatever they say to you.
When we got shut of him another guy jumped us and showed us round the grounds and where to stand to take the best angled shots of the Taj with flowered shrubs in the foreground (would have missed some good ones if it wasn't for him). Don't think he should have been doing this as he was looking very shifty when the gardeners spoke to him (paid him 100rps for his efforts - and to get shut of him).
Have a good time to all who are going.
Spike.
P.S Put plenty of mossie cream on if you are at Agra or Delhi railway station at evening time - got more than our fair share of nibbels on our trip.

Why not, instead of repeating a visit to the Taj Mahal, instead, go on a trip to see the Golden Temple at Amritser. I'm sure you wont be disappointed, We've visited them both, and found the Golden Temple a more stunning spectacle, both visually and spiritually. Unlike the Taj,the Golden Temple, is the heart of the Sikh Religion and a place of pilgramage, There are tourists visiting, of course, but in the main it's Sikhs from all over the world. In a lifetime of travelling, it's the place above all others, that will stay in our minds for ever, and moved us the most. It also allows you to visit the nearby border crossing at Whagga, to watch the sunset ceremony filmed by Michael Palin, on his travel series "Himalayas". From Goa it means a flight up to Delhi, and a five hour train journey through the Punjab to Amritser. This gives you an excellent chance to see what's known as the "breadbasket of India" It's essential to have a good guide for your visits to the Temple and the border, we were lucky in that the young guide that came with the Daytripper Package, spoke perfect English, and got us into all parts of the temple, and explained fully to us all we were seeing. I'm amazed that more people dont take the chance to visit the temple as it's not much more difficult to get to than the Taj and costwise not much dearer than a similar package to there. Alan

Gramps do you think it would be too much to do the Taj one day and try to get to the Golden temple the next day if you were to stay over night Amritser.if you know what I mean colleen

Not sure of all the Delhi- Amritser express train times, we went to Amritser on the 7.00am train arrived lunch time, checked in to our Hotel went to the border ceremony, then our first visit to the temple at sunset for abour 4 hrs. The next morning we went back to the Temple for a longer visit, got the train back to Delhi about 5.00pm or so, arriving in Delhi late evening. So really, to do the trip justice it means 2 nights in a hotel in Delhi, a budget hotel suffices, as you are only sleeping there, and on night in a better class hotel at Amritser Hope this helps. Alan

irishman and I will think more about this trip Gramps as we will stay in Delhi for 3 or 4 days so it might just be possible

I've emailed Namaste to get a rough idea of price, I know they are busy so might be a while. I've also added about going Amritser as after having it all told to me by Chilly and mike I can't miss the border crossing!

It sounds like a wonderful trip Gramps, I just wish I had time to organise it before leaving tomorrow but no time so I will just HAVE to go back in November to do the trip!!

Hi Celcat what dates did you ask for?
Pat

Grannypat

From 28th November Forgot to ask them if they also do Mumbai trips though

It's only to get a rough idea on price so I can start doing extra shifts!!

BTW Who did everyone fly with? UK - Delhi - Mumbai - Goa - UK ?

Hi we flew Virgin atlantic Heathrow/Mumbai and Kingfisher Mumbai /Goa
ann

we flew into Delhi and out of Mumbai with BA and used jet airways for Delhi-mumbai, mumbai-goa and back to mumbai.

finn-air manchester to mumbai via helsinki then spice -jet for internal flights in india

Gramps just a little update we will be going to Amritser in November we booked a 6 day trip last night 4 days in Delhi 1 in Amritser and 1 in Agra ....we will do agara and Delhi by car and go to Amritser on the train can you or anyone else on in forum please tell us what we should go and see while we are in Amritser besides the temple and the closing of the gate ..also does anyone know a good hotel in amritser ....colleen

Hi Colleen, If you have only one day in Amritser, you'll be pushed to see much more than the Temple which really deserves two visits and the Border. The other main place that everyone goes to is a place called Jallianwala Bagh, In this square a British Soldier, General Dwyer, in 1919, opened fire on an unarmed gathering, with machine guns and armoured cars, whilst blocking the only exit from the Square. 2000 died either from the gunfire , many of the woman jumped down a well to their deaths to avoid the bullets. It was one of the causes of support swelling for the freedon movement, from that time on. It's now a museum and as a Brit. one feels a bit uncomfortable when walking round the square and seeing the well, and the memorials errected to those killed Alan

Thanks Gramps we will deffo go to Jallianwala Bagh it sounds like the kind of place my hubby would love to see we shall go to the Border. the day we get there and I would love to be at the golden temple for sunrise how long do you think you would have to spend at the G/T is a few hours enough sorry for all the questions but I know you have been and will tell me what you think is the best way to enjoy our time in Amritser ...thanks again colleen

I'd go to the border for the sunset spectacle then go to the temple about 8.00pm, the important ritual with putting the Holy Book to bed takes place late evening, and the Temple looks fabulous by night. Next morning we went first to Jallianwala, then back to the temple again to visit places like the kitchens where free meals are made by helpers for many thousands of people dailly. A truly magical place.
Alan

IC
Have you done this yourself or with Namaste?

We went with Daytripper during our stay in Goa. The organisation was top notch, planned to the smallest detail. In particular the young guide to our time in Amritser was absolutley marvelous. It was just one of several big trips we've down over the years with Daytripper, from the far south to Cochin and the backwaters, to a couple of trips to the Taj, a visit to Mumbai, and a tour through Karnataka to visit Nagarhole game park and see the hundreds of wild elephants there at close quarter. Every trip was spot on, and when we're based in Goa, I would not use anyone else Alan