Taj Mahal

[coccinelle]

I want to visit the Taj Majal but not really interested in visiting India. Are there tours which incorporate the Taj Mahal with other places? Ideally I would go to Sri Lanka and why not the Maldives or something else....

[KARL]

The Taj Mahal is in India - you cannot see it without visiting India.

[jno]

I don't think so - most tours that visit the Taj incorporate other bits of north India, especially Delhi and Jaipur (Delhi's a bit exhausting, but Jaipur is nice). I don't know about the Maldives; it seems a long way just to go to a beach.

But there are companies that will tailor-make you a holiday wherever you want to go, eg Cox and Kings

http://www.coxandking...e/indian-subcontinent

Trailfinders can probably do it too; they arranged a tour of Cambodia for me this year

http://www.trailfinders.com/

They won't be as cheap as a standard package, though.

[Jemisa]

Although it looks beautiful in pictures films, it really is a scruffy place close up & not nice at all. My neighbour has not long been back & said he was v.disappointed.

jem

[jno]

the Taj Mahal is scruffy? No way!! It is gorgeous (quite a lot bigger than you expect, and every bit as beautiful). Agra is not exactly the world's tidiest town, though.

[Jemisa]

I don't know jno I've never been. I can't see why my neighbour would tell us so if he hadn't found it so. Perhaps they're not maintaining it as well now. He was there in May.

jem

[coccinelle]

Thanks for your answers. I do know theTaj Mahal is in India but I'm only interested in seeing that and nothing else (however will look into Jaipur). Will look into Cox and Kings and also trailfinders. I do know people have said it's not in a nice location and there are lots of beggars around but is really worth the visit to see the palace. I've been advised to say overnight to see the sunset and sunrise over it.

[KARL]

The TM is a bit of a walled oasis in an otherwise fairly smallish typical Indian town which has lots of poorly or unplanned development - by western standards much/most of India is scruffy in the extreme and if that is likely to upset you then you should not go there. It is an extremely busy tourist destination and it shows on some of the garden areas, etc. In the short street leading to the main public entrance there are (or were when I was there) lots of souvenir stalls and their touts pester you fiercely as you make your way to the gates. The best way to handle them is to politely but firmly tell each one once to go away and from thereon ignore them totally. To me this is the worst aspect of the actual TM visit. If you at all want to see things in the flesh then go with that aim mind, otherwise make do with images on screen or in print if for you that is as good as making the effort of being there. Of course, the surroundings and experience are part of the reality. I wouldn't mind seeing the sights of Sydney but I am disinterested in going to Australia and images are enough. On the other hand I would happily go to Japan, the depths of Africa and South America even though (perhaps because) these are places that are very different from my home turf.

[237SJ]

Taj Mahal is "do-able" with a driver from Delhi. You could fly into Delhi with someone like Kingfisher Airlines. It`s not expensive to get a driver for the day in India. It`s about 4 hours` drive from Delhi. The traffic can be bad if you go at the wrong time. You could have a night there then get Sri Lankan airlines to Sri Lanka.

[coccinelle]

Thank you to you both. I do really want to visit the palace as this is a life long dream, just seeing it in pictures isn't enough. Thanks for that idea 237 could be the best way. Will look into getting a good reliable driver.