The Taj Mahal needs no introduction. Shah Jahan built it between 1632 and 1648 for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Twenty thousand artisans worked on it under the Persian architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, and the white marble was hauled from Makrana in Rajasthan, 350 kilometres away.
The first sight from the great gatehouse, with the mausoleum perfectly framed and reflected in the long pool, is one of the genuine wow moments of travel. Walk slowly: the marble changes colour through the day, from soft pink at dawn through dazzling white at midday to gold and red at sunset. Look closely at the inlay work — birds, flowers, calligraphic verses from the Quran — and put your hand on the cool marble of the cenotaphs inside the tomb chamber. The actual graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz are in a smaller crypt below.
Entry is 1,100 rupees for foreigners (2024), plus 200 rupees more to enter the mausoleum itself. The west gate is much quieter than the south gate at sunrise. Closed Fridays. Allow at least two hours; many visitors come back for a second visit at a different time of day.