4 Days: Delhi and the Golden Triangle

Four days keeps the Agra-then-Jaipur spine but slows the Jaipur leg down to two days instead of a rushed one, adding Nahargarh Fort and real bazaar time on top of the express-train sprint. Coming from the 3-day version? This just adds Day 4. Want Rishikesh or Amritsar too? See the 5-day through 7-day plans.

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
4 Second Jaipur day: Nahargarh Fort, Jal Mahal, bazaars ~293km (already there)

Day 1: Agra and the Taj Mahal

Morning

Catch the Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin at 8:10am 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 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. 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 day, which Day 3 uses.

Evening

Return on the 17:50 Gatimaan, back into Delhi by 19:30.

Day 2: Jaipur, the pink city

Morning

The Vande Bharat Express covers the 293km to Jaipur in 3h37min for around ₹1,050, book through IRCTC ahead of the October-February peak. This time, stay the night, so start at Amber Fort (foreigner ₹1,000) without watching the clock for a return train.

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, the better value now that you’re staying over. Hawa Mahal (foreigner ₹550) is a 10-minute walk from the Palace.

Evening

Check into a Jaipur hotel rather than racing back to Delhi, this is the change from the 2 and 3-day versions that buys you Day 4.

Day 3: Fatehpur Sikri and the rest of Agra

Morning

This day works as a side trip from either Delhi or Jaipur depending on your route; most people run it from Delhi before heading to Jaipur, or loop back through Agra en route. Foreigner entry to Fatehpur Sikri runs ₹550, covered by your Day 1 toll ticket if you bought one.

Afternoon

Itimad-ud-Daulah (the “Baby Taj”) and Mehtab Bagh, the garden across the river with the best sunset Taj view, round out the Agra side of the trip.

Evening

Continue on to Jaipur or back to Delhi depending on how you sequenced the day, both are reachable by the same train and car options already covered.

Day 4: A second day in Jaipur

Morning

Nahargarh Fort is the move if you didn’t already use the Composite Ticket’s second day, a steep drive or hike above the city with the best sunrise or sunset view over Jaipur’s pink rooftops.

Afternoon

Jal Mahal is a photo stop only, the palace itself is closed to visitors, then back into the bazaars, Johari Bazaar for jewelry, Bapu Bazaar for textiles and jootis, for anything you skipped on Day 2.

Evening

Train or car back to Delhi to close out the trip, or push straight on if Rishikesh or Amritsar are next on your list.

Is a second Jaipur day better spent there, or on a Rishikesh side trip instead?

Depends what you’re after. A second Jaipur day adds Nahargarh’s view and real shopping time without a new destination to plan around. Rishikesh instead trades that for a completely different pace, the Ganga aarti and yoga rather than another fort. If Rishikesh wins that call for you, the 5-day plan builds it in directly.

Book the Composite Ticket in Jaipur on Day 2, not Day 4, it only pays off across 2 consecutive days and this itinerary’s second Jaipur day is exactly that second day.