3 Days: Delhi and the Golden Triangle

Three days extends the Agra-and-Jaipur day-trip sprint with a third day back toward Agra, this time for Fatehpur Sikri and the sites the first sprint skipped, all still running from a single Delhi base, no packing up and moving on. Need less time? See the 2-day version; need more, the 4-day through 7-day plans add Jaipur depth, Rishikesh and Amritsar.

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)
3 Fatehpur Sikri + the rest of Agra ~230km (Agra), 40km further by car/private driver

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). 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, worth it since Day 3 comes back to this exact list.

Evening

Return on the 17:50 Gatimaan (or a Vande Bharat working the same route), back into Delhi by 19:30 for the night.

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. Hawa Mahal (foreigner ₹550) is a 10-minute walk from the Palace, best photographed from the street outside.

Evening

Bazaar time before your train: Johari Bazaar for jewelry, Bapu Bazaar for textiles and jootis. Catch a late train back to Delhi.

Day 3: Fatehpur Sikri and the rest of Agra

Morning

Private car or taxi back out toward Agra, this time detouring 40km short of the city to Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s abandoned red-sandstone capital. Foreigner entry runs ₹550, and your ₹500 combined toll ticket from Day 1 covers it if you bought one.

Afternoon

Back in Agra proper, Itimad-ud-Daulah (the “Baby Taj”) and Mehtab Bagh, the garden across the river with the best sunset Taj view without fighting the crowds inside the complex, round out the sites Day 1’s sprint skipped.

Evening

Return to Delhi by car (3-4 hours) or catch a later train back from Agra Cantt, whichever your driver or ticket allows.

Is a third day back in Agra worth it, or should it go to Jaipur instead?

Worth it if Fatehpur Sikri and the quieter Agra monuments interest you specifically, the Baby Taj and Mehtab Bagh get a fraction of the Taj’s crowds. If your third day would rather go toward a second Jaipur day (Nahargarh Fort, more bazaar time), the 4-day plan swaps the emphasis.

Buy your combined Agra toll ticket on Day 1, not Day 3, it’s the only way this itinerary avoids paying for Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort separately.