I took the train from Delhi to Agra and I met a Japanese world-traveller Takeshi.
As soon as you arrive in Agra Cannt, the train station, you are harassed by plenty of Tuktuk drivers that try to bring you to a hotel and get commission. Is recommended to book in advance your accommodation so you don’t get into this scam. If your accommodation is close to Taj Mahal you should not pay more than 100 INR, if it is in the city center should be maximum 50 INR.
I stayed close to Taj Mahal in a hotel called Friends Paying Guesthouse. The driver offered to spent the entire day with us the next day for 500 INR and accepted up to 4 people in the tuktuk. In Agra, different from Delhi and Mumbai there are no limitation of people inside the tuktuk.
After visiting the beautiful Taj Mahal we booked the next day with the driver to explore the other attractions. It is important to know that Taj Mahal closes at Fridays.
Ou first stop was Agra Fort train station to get the ticket to our next destination, Jaipur. We visited Agra Fort for about an hour, meanwhile the driver was waiting outside. Interesting thing is that when Taj Mahal is closed, Fridays, the other attractions have discounts. The entry cost 250 INR.
Our next stop was Baby Taj, build to the parents of the princess from Taj Mahal. We payed 100 INR for the entry.
It was a bit late and we were hungry, so we skipped the visit to Brjam gardem (great place to view the Taj Mahal from outside). We went to a restaurant and negotiated the price in the menu, getting a big package of chicken and chapati for 100 INR each. On the way back we saw many animals on the road, as usual.
The driver allowed me to drive the tuktuk and was really fun!
