2 Days: Delhi and the Golden Triangle

Two days from a Delhi base covers the two closest Golden Triangle legs as express-train day trips: Agra’s Taj Mahal in the morning, Jaipur’s forts and bazaars the next, no overnight bags required. Want the extended loop with Fatehpur Sikri, Rishikesh and Amritsar? See the 3-day through 7-day versions of this same plan.

Book these before you go

Day Focus Distance from Delhi Train time
1 Agra: Taj Mahal + Agra Fort ~230km ~1h40min (Gatimaan Express)
2 Jaipur: Amber Fort, City Palace, Hawa Mahal ~293km ~3h37min (Vande Bharat)

Day 1: Agra and the Taj Mahal

Morning

Catch the Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin at 8:10am (it doesn’t run Fridays, when the Taj is closed anyway) and you’re in Agra by 9:50am, 1h40min covering the 230km. Head straight for the Taj Mahal at opening; foreigner entry runs ₹1,100 for the main complex plus ₹200 for mausoleum access, about ₹1,300 total, with a small ₹50 discount for booking ahead on the official ticketing site .

Afternoon

Agra Fort is a 10-minute auto ride away, foreigner entry ₹650 (₹600 on Fridays, when it’s open even though the Taj isn’t). If a longer Golden Triangle trip is on your radar, buy the ₹500 combined foreign-visitor toll ticket here (see the ASI’s official site for current rules), it covers Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s Tomb and Itimad-ud-Daulah on the same calendar day too.

Evening

Return on the 17:50 Gatimaan (or a Vande Bharat working the same route), back into Delhi by 19:30. Eat on the platform or wait until you’re back at your hotel rather than hunting for a sit-down dinner on a tight connection.

Day 2: Jaipur, the pink city

Morning

The Vande Bharat Express covers the 293km to Jaipur in 3h37min for around ₹1,050 including onboard catering, easily beating the 4.5-5 hour drive; book through IRCTC ahead of the October-February peak. First stop: Amber Fort (foreigner ₹1,000), best in the cooler morning light before the tour buses fill the courtyard.

Afternoon

City Palace and Jantar Mantar sit inside the old walled city; the Jaipur Composite Ticket (~₹1,500 for foreigners) bundles both plus Amber Fort and the Albert Hall Museum across 2 consecutive days, though on a single day trip you’ll likely pay per site instead. Hawa Mahal (foreigner ₹550) is a 10-minute walk from the Palace, best photographed from the street outside rather than the modest interior.

Evening

Bazaar time before your train: Johari Bazaar for jewelry, Bapu Bazaar for textiles and jootis. Catch a late train back to Delhi, the last useful connections run into the evening.

Is 2 days really enough for the Golden Triangle?

Enough for a first taste, not enough to slow down. Two express-train day trips get you the Taj Mahal and Jaipur’s headline forts without an overnight bag, but you’ll skip Fatehpur Sikri, a second Jaipur day, and anything further out like Rishikesh or Amritsar. If either of those interests you, the 4-day plan is the natural next step up.

Buy Agra and Jaipur train tickets the moment your dates are fixed, both routes sell out fast in the October-February peak, and this exact 2-day sprint only works if the trains are locked in before you land.