We haven't been able to take payment
You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
Update payment details
Act now to keep your subscription
We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
Update payment details
Your subscription is due to terminate
We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account, otherwise your subscription will terminate.
Update payment details

Accessibility Links

Skip to content
Subscribe
INDIA

Best time to visit the Taj Mahal

Prepare to be dazzled by the Taj Mahal, India’s dazzling monument to love and loss — in reality, it’s even more spectacular than you’d imagined

Times Travel
The Times

You can visit the Taj Mahal at any time of year — but if you can, aim to see this incredible monument during the dry winter months from October to March. You’ll find that between April and May temperatures become almost unbearable. If you come during India’s monsoon season — May to September — you’re likely to get stuck in a downpour.

Main photo: visitors at the Taj Mahal (Getty Images)

The Taj Mahal reflected in the Yamuna river in the late afternoon — the best time to visit (Alamy)
The Taj Mahal reflected in the Yamuna river in the late afternoon — the best time to visit (Alamy)

When is the best time of day to visit?

Plan to arrive in the late afternoon. You’re never going to have the Taj to yourself, but the crowds will be thinning. The light, now coming over your left shoulder and quarter-lighting the dome, will be fabulous — and there’ll be no queues at either gate. Don’t bother with a guide. The flood of information detracts from the beauty and you can always find the history online. Don’t forget it’s closed on Fridays.

A popular night view is when a full moon occurs — viewings have been allowed since 2005, except during the month of Ramadan.

One of the most disappointing myths is the one about visiting the Taj early in the morning at dawn in order to beat the crowds and see the tomb in its best light. That was true in the days before the Taj attracted 70,000 visitors a day but, sadly, no longer.

Advertisement

The Taj Mahal under a full moon (Alamy)
The Taj Mahal under a full moon (Alamy)

How long do people spend at the Taj Mahal?

The Archaeological Survey of India, which runs the Taj, monitors visitor movements. The average tourist spends 35 minutes taking pictures, 25 minutes inside the dome and ten minutes in the mausoleum. Just five minutes on average are spent sitting and staring, so here’s the final trick for a sunset visit: take a seat at the centre of the gardens, put the camera away and ask yourself which you’ll remember more, the sweaty shuffle with the selfie snappers through the mausoleum, or the birdsong and fragrance of blossom as the setting sun paints the dome in shades of rose?

A visitor wearing shoe covers photographs the Taj Mahal’s carvings (Getty Images)
A visitor wearing shoe covers photographs the Taj Mahal’s carvings (Getty Images)

Anything else I need to know?

Shoes are not allowed at the Taj Mahal, so take shoe covers if you don’t want to go barefoot. The best gate for entry is the South or East Gate. Avoid entering via the West Gate — it’s the most crowded. Finally, always book your tickets online before you go to avoid the queues on arrival.

• When is the best time to visit India?
• Best places to visit in India
• Best hotels in Delhi

Take me there

Inspired to visit India but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Tui* and Virgin Holidays*.

Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.