March 13, 2025 • 13 mins
Join us as we explore the majestic Taj Mahal in India, sharing essential tips for getting the most magical experience at this iconic bucket-list destination.
Visit the show notes for photos, tour guide recommendations, and more 👉 https://thebucketlistmermaid.com/visiting-the-taj-mahal-tips/
🔔 Stay tuned for the best insider tips for visiting the Taj Mahal and checking this off of your bucket list!
• Arrive extremely early before sunrise and be first in line at the East Gate for crowd-free photos
• Choose the East Gate for shorter lines; avoid the South Gate, which doesn't open until after 8 am
• Consider purchasing tickets online (approximately $15-18) or booking through Viator to skip lines
• Dress respectfully by covering shoulders and knees; consider wearing a traditional sari for a special experience
• Hire a guide or use an audio tour to appreciate the historical significance and symbolism
• Capture iconic photos from the entrance platform and explore unique angles as lighting changes
• Pack light for security checks and be mindful of the weather (summers can exceed 40°C/104°F)
• Visit nearby attractions like Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb, and Mehtab Bagh for sunset views
💗If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform so you don't miss another bucket list adventure.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Alexandra (00:00):
Hello, my wild adventurers.
My name is Alexandra andwelcome to Ticket Before you
Kick it the podcast where wetalk about everything that
should be on your adventurebucket list.
This week we are going to betalking about a very iconic one
visiting the Taj Mahal in India.
I'm going to be going over allthe tips and tricks that I have
learned from checking this offof my own bucket list so that
this can be a more comfortableand enjoyable experience for you
(00:23):
.
Again, learn from my mistakes.
That's why we're all here,because this can be a more
comfortable and enjoyableexperience for you.
Again, learn from my mistakes.
That's why we're all here,because this is on a lot of
people's bucket list and I cansee why.
So stay tuned for all of mytips and tricks, what I thought
about it and more.
Let's get started Now.
(00:46):
My number one tip is arriveearly for the sunrise magic.
Now, my first point withgetting there early is that the
sunrises are magical and theyalso have fewer crowds and
they're unforgettable because,as the light changes, it just
casts this beautiful hue on thewhite marble.
That is just unreal and justplain unforgettable.
Now, when I say go for sunrise,I also mean that you need to be
the very first person in theline.
Now I know that your eyes arerolling to the back of your head
right now because, honestly,mine were too.
(01:08):
I said come on, I know we'regetting up early, but do we have
to get there so early that I'mwaiting for like an hour to an
hour and a half on the street inIndia, just at this East gate,
just waiting there beforethey're even letting us in?
And the answer is yes, becausewhat did I get for my efforts?
I got me standing in a sariwith the Taj Mahal smack dab
(01:29):
right behind me, with zeropeople.
This is unheard of.
This is a very touristy place,it's a very crowded place and to
get this kind of photo ismadness.
How did I achieve it?
I got up early, as I said, Irolled my eyes to the back of my
head, I gritted my teeth and Ijust waited there in the street
(01:50):
for part of the night.
So, unfortunately, this is kindof what it takes to really,
really avoid the crowds.
And, as I said, even if you arelike the second or third group
in line, it still makes adifference, because that second
or third group is going to taketheir pictures and then they're
going to go towards the TajMahal and you're going to get
them in your photos.
So, if you want that magicphoto, get there early and be
(02:10):
the first person in line Now.
With that being said, most ofthe gates open about an hour to
45 minutes before the sunrise.
So, again, plan to be therebright and early.
Be prepared, and I was soshocked to see that a queue was
forming before the gates wereeven there.
So be prepared for thatchaoticness.
But is it worth it for that onephoto?
(02:33):
Yeah, kind of is.
Now number two choose the rightentrance gate.
There are three main gates.
There's the east, the west andthe south.
I would recommend the east gatebecause it has shorter lines
and it's closer to some of thebest hotels in Agra.
The one that I would recommend,the East Gate, because it has
shorter lines and it's closer tosome of the best hotels in Agra
.
The one that I would avoid likethe Plague is the South Gate
because it doesn't open untilafter 8 am.
So if you're aiming for thatsunrise visit, steer clear of
(02:55):
the South Gate.
Now number three consider buyingyour tickets online to skip the
line.
Now there is normally a queueto get a ticket at the gate,
especially if you are visitingduring peak tourist seasons,
which is about from October toMarch.
I think I ended up payingaround $15 to $18, plus an
additional fee for entering themain mausoleum.
Fortunately, indian citizens dohave a separate lower pricing
(03:18):
tier.
Another thing that I wouldrecommend is just buying a
Viator tour.
These are really really cheap.
Cheap, and you might be able touse a guy, but we'll talk about
that later.
Yes, if you do want to see theViator Tours, I will link them
in the show notes for you topurchase directly from this
podcast.
Now next, dressed comfortablyand respectfully.
There wasn't really a strictdress code, however, it's just
(03:41):
respectful to cover yourshoulders and knees.
This is considered a holy site,so modest attire is appreciated
.
Now this brings me to my nextpoint, which me and a bunch of
friends we actually, beforevisiting the Taj Mahal, we went
to a little Indian shop thatmade saris for us.
If you don't know what a sariis, this is traditional Indian
(04:03):
clothing and you know, sometimesthis is a little controversial,
because sometimes people don'twant to dress in the cultural,
traditional attire when you arenot from there.
However, my experience with thiswas very, very positive.
Dressing like this in such aniconic spot was just epic.
(04:23):
And not only that, but itactually got me to talk to a lot
of locals, because a lot oflocals were at the Taj Mahal,
which was kind of cool.
I thought it would be like alltourists, but it wasn't.
There was a lot of people andthey were in saris themselves,
so I had a lot of peopleactually stop me and say, oh my
gosh, that's beautiful.
Thank you so much forrespecting my culture, and that
was really, really cool to me.
(04:45):
I did have a lot of people takepictures of me, so that is one
thing If you do dress in a sariat the Tasma Hall, you will get
your picture taken a lot.
I also had a lot of people askto take pictures with me, and a
lot of them were older Indianwomen who just really really
liked how my sari was made.
Now I hate to toot my own horn.
(05:06):
Actually, it's not even my hornthat I'm tooting, it's the
people who made the sari.
This sari is stunning, and whenI say stunning, it's incredible
.
It's made with this really rich, deep teal and gold, and I have
red hair and blue eyes and verypale skin.
So the contrast between thesari and my skin tone was just
(05:29):
absolutely incredible.
Now I do have some Indianfamily One of my second cousins
or whatever, married into anIndian family, so, as I said, I
felt comfortable.
I sent all the pictures to them.
They were in awe of this sari,so I'm not sure if they were
taking pictures because of theof me or just of the beauty of
(05:52):
the sari itself.
They killed it.
It was amazing and again, Iwould highly encourage you to go
to those show notes and look atthese pictures, because again
there's a picture of me in thissari with nobody in it, right at
sunrise looking over the TajMahal, and my jaw had to be
picked up from the floor afterseeing this, one of my favorite
travel pictures.
Please go give it some love.
Now, speaking of footwear, youdo need to remove your shoes or
(06:14):
use shoe covers inside of themausoleum, so just be aware of
that.
You might want to wear somelightweight slip-on shoes.
Now I had been doing this for awhile in India and I actually
cracked heels and I actually gotcellulitis, so I was walking
around the Taj Mahal with aninfection in my foot because of
this, so that made it a littleinteresting but still abided by
(06:35):
the rules.
Just wore some covers just tomake sure everything was safe.
Now number five.
My next tip is to hire a guideor use an audio tour.
A guide can just enrich yourexperience and I don't know, I
just feel like you appreciate ita whole lot more when you hear
the historical details andsymbolism of the Taj Mahal.
Now, I'm not going to go intothat, because it's not that type
(06:57):
of podcast Plus.
I just want you to goexperience it for yourself
rather than listen to me rambleon about it.
If you're not comfortabletaking a tour, there are
self-guided audio tours that cangive you independence but still
provide context.
Would 100% recommend thisbecause it's just more
meaningful that way and youlearn something.
Now, if you aren't goingthrough a thing like Viator or
anything like you're just goingfrom somebody off the street
(07:19):
because there are a lot ofpeople on the street that are,
you know, going to be likehaggling you for giving you
tours and all that stuff,because it's India and that's
what makes India beautiful, justmake sure that you agree on a
price with your guide in advanceif you are hiring a guide on
site, just to avoid anymisunderstandings.
I have heard of some peoplegetting into a little bit of
trouble with this, so just havea clear price and go for it or,
(07:42):
honestly, just use one of theViator tours that I have linked
in the show notes.
That might be a little safer.
Now, next, some photography tips, because, in addition to being
an adventure blogger, I alsotalk about photography.
So some of the best angles aretaken right from the entrance
gate, at that platform, rightabove the main garden and the
riverbanks.
Again, this is where thaticonic photo of me and that sari
(08:03):
is taken from, again with nopeople.
It was worth waking up early.
There it is, so that's going tobe the most iconic photo that
you are going to get Again.
If you do want to get thatphoto with no people maybe with
no people get there early,because it can get very, very
crowded, especially if you'retaking it from that angle.
However, I would also try toventure to get more unique
(08:25):
angles.
Maybe try see if you can find aspace with no people and then
go there and try to get it andthen just hope that your
Photoshop skills forPhotoshopping people out of
there is on par.
For example, I actually, oncethe sun came out and started
really shining brightly on thatwhite marble.
I ended up going a little bitto the side and I took a picture
of me sitting down with thesari Again, you can see that in
(08:48):
the show notes, but that wasanother good thing, and there
wasn't that many people there.
It was still morning.
So there are ways to do it.
Now just be mindful of the rules.
Tripods and drones are notallowed.
You can bring like a compactcamera bag or your smartphone
and, of course, just berespectful.
When photographing othervisitors.
I try to avoid that unless Ihave strict permission from them
(09:13):
.
Be aware of your surroundings.
If you don't want to bephotographed, probably other
people won't either.
And seven pack light and beready for the security checks.
This is a very highly regulatedtourist area and that means
that security can be prettytight.
They do not allow large books,bags, snacks or anything that
might be considered distractingto the atmosphere, so only bring
(09:34):
essentials.
You might be able to bring awater bottle, but just double
check that everything that youare bringing in will be
permitted at the gate.
As I said, I was one of thefirst people in here, so
security was pretty much abreeze, but I still did have to
go through a security check.
Now, number eight be mindful ofthe weather.
India has very hot and humidsummers.
Agra summers can get I'm goingto use the word sweltering Ooh
(09:57):
vocabulary, but it is sweltering.
It can rise above 40 degreesCelsius.
It's like 104 degrees.
So if you visit during thistime, again that early morning
is going to be key and lateafternoons are going to be your
friends.
Just avoid midday.
Funny story I have never passedout because of the heat, but I
did pass out in Delhi and it wasso weird because I've just
(10:19):
never done it before, I've neverfainted or anything like that
before India did it for me.
I actually did pass out.
I was there in June, so veryhot and humid, felt like a
convection bake oven the entiretime.
Cold water was so hard to comeby, but I would literally rather
have cold water than food.
So let that be your guide towhether you can handle the hot
(10:40):
summers.
Now, if you are going in winterbetween like December and
January, there can be fog earlyin the morning and this can
sometimes obscure the taj untilthe sun burns it off around
mid-morning.
But maybe that's what you'regoing for, like you're going for
those like spooky, eerie photos.
If you are a photographer, Ican vibe with it.
Go for it Now.
Next, just be respectful of theculture and spiritual importance
(11:01):
of this site.
You know like, don't touch thewalls.
The marble is delicate andprotected, so just avoid
touching surfaces becausesometimes the oils from our skin
can degrade the stones overtime.
And then also, if you do decideto go into the mausoleum, just
keep your voices low.
Be respectful.
It is a quiet zone and, as Isaid, I was really expecting a
bunch of tourists to be here,but it is a site of great
(11:23):
cultural and historicalsignificance.
So just be respectful at alltimes.
Be respectful of the locals whoare coming there to pay their
respects and going there forthose cultural reasons.
And next, if you do want somenearby attractions, here were
some things that I decided to dothat were really super cool.
So the Agra Fort is also nearbyand that's really cool.
And also, oh gosh, oh, thesepronunciations kill me, but
(11:48):
Itimad Ud-Dulaz Tomb, I'm goingto go with it.
It's sometimes called the BabyTaj or the Jewel Box.
I got a really cool picture ofme here meditating.
It was very, very cool.
Another idea if you don't wantto go into the craziness of Taj
Mahal.
There's this thing calledMetabah I'm going to go with
that and this is a beautifulgarden with views of the Taj
(12:10):
Mahal across the river and,honestly, this is a really cool
perspective of the Taj Mahal.
If you do want to get adifferent perspective and avoid
all the craziness of goinginside Now, pro tip, the sunset
views from this park offer atotally different perspective of
the Taj Mahal.
Just look it up on Google.
That will really get my pointacross of the amazingness of
(12:30):
this.
So now's the point.
I want to hear your thoughts.
If you want to contact me onsocial media, I am at the Bucket
List, mermaid.
I would love to hear if this ison your bucket list.
If you've already conqueredthis off of your bucket list,
what were your thoughts?
Was it overhyped?
Were you just in awe the entiretime?
I want to hear about it.
So definitely feel free to getin touch and I also just love
cheering people on when they'rechecking off their bucket list.
(12:52):
If you do want to see thosepictures, go ahead and check.
Go to the show notes.
It is onthebucketlistmermaidcom where
you can bookmark this for laterand you can do all these tips
once you're actually in India.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you did enjoy this podcastor you did find it helpful or
inspiring, it would mean theworld to this traveling mermaid
if you just subscribe on yourfavorite podcasting platform so
that you don't miss anotherbucket list episode.
(13:14):
Thank you guys again.
Keep adventuring and we willsee you next time.
Taj Mahal is just such a placeof beauty, history, emotion, and
it's just easy to see whypeople call it a monument to
love.
So just take your time, soak itall in and let yourself feel
transported just by its uttergrandeur.
This place blew my mind.
You see it in all thesepostcards and you just can't
(13:35):
really believe it's real.
And then you look at it andyou're like, oh my gosh, it's
huge.
It's just amazing from anarchitectural standpoint and
just from a cultural standpoint.
It's absolutely beautiful and Ido think that it is worth to
have on your bucket list.
Hello, my wild adventurers.
My name is Alexandra andwelcome to Ticket Before you
Kick it the podcast where wetalk about everything that
should be on your adventurebucket list.
This week we are going to betalking about a very iconic one
visiting the Taj Mahal in India.
I'm going to be going over allthe tips and tricks that I have
learned from checking this offof my own bucket list so that
this can be a more comfortableand enjoyable experience for you
(00:23):
.
Again, learn from my mistakes.
That's why we're all here,because this can be a more
comfortable and enjoyableexperience for you.
Again, learn from my mistakes.
That's why we're all here,because this is on a lot of
people's bucket list and I cansee why.
So stay tuned for all of mytips and tricks, what I thought
about it and more.
Let's get started Now.
(00:46):
My number one tip is arriveearly for the sunrise magic.
Now, my first point withgetting there early is that the
sunrises are magical and theyalso have fewer crowds and
they're unforgettable because,as the light changes, it just
casts this beautiful hue on thewhite marble.
That is just unreal and justplain unforgettable.
Now, when I say go for sunrise,I also mean that you need to be
the very first person in theline.
Now I know that your eyes arerolling to the back of your head
right now because, honestly,mine were too.
(01:08):
I said come on, I know we'regetting up early, but do we have
to get there so early that I'mwaiting for like an hour to an
hour and a half on the street inIndia, just at this East gate,
just waiting there beforethey're even letting us in?
And the answer is yes, becausewhat did I get for my efforts?
I got me standing in a sariwith the Taj Mahal smack dab
(01:29):
right behind me, with zeropeople.
This is unheard of.
This is a very touristy place,it's a very crowded place and to
get this kind of photo ismadness.
How did I achieve it?
I got up early, as I said, Irolled my eyes to the back of my
head, I gritted my teeth and Ijust waited there in the street
(01:50):
for part of the night.
So, unfortunately, this is kindof what it takes to really,
really avoid the crowds.
And, as I said, even if you arelike the second or third group
in line, it still makes adifference, because that second
or third group is going to taketheir pictures and then they're
going to go towards the TajMahal and you're going to get
them in your photos.
So, if you want that magicphoto, get there early and be
(02:10):
the first person in line Now.
With that being said, most ofthe gates open about an hour to
45 minutes before the sunrise.
So, again, plan to be therebright and early.
Be prepared, and I was soshocked to see that a queue was
forming before the gates wereeven there.
So be prepared for thatchaoticness.
But is it worth it for that onephoto?
(02:33):
Yeah, kind of is.
Now number two choose the rightentrance gate.
There are three main gates.
There's the east, the west andthe south.
I would recommend the east gatebecause it has shorter lines
and it's closer to some of thebest hotels in Agra.
The one that I would recommend,the East Gate, because it has
shorter lines and it's closer tosome of the best hotels in Agra
.
The one that I would avoid likethe Plague is the South Gate
because it doesn't open untilafter 8 am.
So if you're aiming for thatsunrise visit, steer clear of
(02:55):
the South Gate.
Now number three consider buyingyour tickets online to skip the
line.
Now there is normally a queueto get a ticket at the gate,
especially if you are visitingduring peak tourist seasons,
which is about from October toMarch.
I think I ended up payingaround $15 to $18, plus an
additional fee for entering themain mausoleum.
Fortunately, indian citizens dohave a separate lower pricing
(03:18):
tier.
Another thing that I wouldrecommend is just buying a
Viator tour.
These are really really cheap.
Cheap, and you might be able touse a guy, but we'll talk about
that later.
Yes, if you do want to see theViator Tours, I will link them
in the show notes for you topurchase directly from this
podcast.
Now next, dressed comfortablyand respectfully.
There wasn't really a strictdress code, however, it's just
(03:41):
respectful to cover yourshoulders and knees.
This is considered a holy site,so modest attire is appreciated
.
Now this brings me to my nextpoint, which me and a bunch of
friends we actually, beforevisiting the Taj Mahal, we went
to a little Indian shop thatmade saris for us.
If you don't know what a sariis, this is traditional Indian
(04:03):
clothing and you know, sometimesthis is a little controversial,
because sometimes people don'twant to dress in the cultural,
traditional attire when you arenot from there.
However, my experience with thiswas very, very positive.
Dressing like this in such aniconic spot was just epic.
(04:23):
And not only that, but itactually got me to talk to a lot
of locals, because a lot oflocals were at the Taj Mahal,
which was kind of cool.
I thought it would be like alltourists, but it wasn't.
There was a lot of people andthey were in saris themselves,
so I had a lot of peopleactually stop me and say, oh my
gosh, that's beautiful.
Thank you so much forrespecting my culture, and that
was really, really cool to me.
(04:45):
I did have a lot of people takepictures of me, so that is one
thing If you do dress in a sariat the Tasma Hall, you will get
your picture taken a lot.
I also had a lot of people askto take pictures with me, and a
lot of them were older Indianwomen who just really really
liked how my sari was made.
Now I hate to toot my own horn.
(05:06):
Actually, it's not even my hornthat I'm tooting, it's the
people who made the sari.
This sari is stunning, and whenI say stunning, it's incredible
.
It's made with this really rich, deep teal and gold, and I have
red hair and blue eyes and verypale skin.
So the contrast between thesari and my skin tone was just
(05:29):
absolutely incredible.
Now I do have some Indianfamily One of my second cousins
or whatever, married into anIndian family, so, as I said, I
felt comfortable.
I sent all the pictures to them.
They were in awe of this sari,so I'm not sure if they were
taking pictures because of theof me or just of the beauty of
(05:52):
the sari itself.
They killed it.
It was amazing and again, Iwould highly encourage you to go
to those show notes and look atthese pictures, because again
there's a picture of me in thissari with nobody in it, right at
sunrise looking over the TajMahal, and my jaw had to be
picked up from the floor afterseeing this, one of my favorite
travel pictures.
Please go give it some love.
Now, speaking of footwear, youdo need to remove your shoes or
(06:14):
use shoe covers inside of themausoleum, so just be aware of
that.
You might want to wear somelightweight slip-on shoes.
Now I had been doing this for awhile in India and I actually
cracked heels and I actually gotcellulitis, so I was walking
around the Taj Mahal with aninfection in my foot because of
this, so that made it a littleinteresting but still abided by
(06:35):
the rules.
Just wore some covers just tomake sure everything was safe.
Now number five.
My next tip is to hire a guideor use an audio tour.
A guide can just enrich yourexperience and I don't know, I
just feel like you appreciate ita whole lot more when you hear
the historical details andsymbolism of the Taj Mahal.
Now, I'm not going to go intothat, because it's not that type
(06:57):
of podcast Plus.
I just want you to goexperience it for yourself
rather than listen to me rambleon about it.
If you're not comfortabletaking a tour, there are
self-guided audio tours that cangive you independence but still
provide context.
Would 100% recommend thisbecause it's just more
meaningful that way and youlearn something.
Now, if you aren't goingthrough a thing like Viator or
anything like you're just goingfrom somebody off the street
(07:19):
because there are a lot ofpeople on the street that are,
you know, going to be likehaggling you for giving you
tours and all that stuff,because it's India and that's
what makes India beautiful, justmake sure that you agree on a
price with your guide in advanceif you are hiring a guide on
site, just to avoid anymisunderstandings.
I have heard of some peoplegetting into a little bit of
trouble with this, so just havea clear price and go for it or,
(07:42):
honestly, just use one of theViator tours that I have linked
in the show notes.
That might be a little safer.
Now, next, some photography tips, because, in addition to being
an adventure blogger, I alsotalk about photography.
So some of the best angles aretaken right from the entrance
gate, at that platform, rightabove the main garden and the
riverbanks.
Again, this is where thaticonic photo of me and that sari
(08:03):
is taken from, again with nopeople.
It was worth waking up early.
There it is, so that's going tobe the most iconic photo that
you are going to get Again.
If you do want to get thatphoto with no people maybe with
no people get there early,because it can get very, very
crowded, especially if you'retaking it from that angle.
However, I would also try toventure to get more unique
(08:25):
angles.
Maybe try see if you can find aspace with no people and then
go there and try to get it andthen just hope that your
Photoshop skills forPhotoshopping people out of
there is on par.
For example, I actually, oncethe sun came out and started
really shining brightly on thatwhite marble.
I ended up going a little bitto the side and I took a picture
of me sitting down with thesari Again, you can see that in
(08:48):
the show notes, but that wasanother good thing, and there
wasn't that many people there.
It was still morning.
So there are ways to do it.
Now just be mindful of the rules.
Tripods and drones are notallowed.
You can bring like a compactcamera bag or your smartphone
and, of course, just berespectful.
When photographing othervisitors.
I try to avoid that unless Ihave strict permission from them
(09:13):
.
Be aware of your surroundings.
If you don't want to bephotographed, probably other
people won't either.
And seven pack light and beready for the security checks.
This is a very highly regulatedtourist area and that means
that security can be prettytight.
They do not allow large books,bags, snacks or anything that
might be considered distractingto the atmosphere, so only bring
(09:34):
essentials.
You might be able to bring awater bottle, but just double
check that everything that youare bringing in will be
permitted at the gate.
As I said, I was one of thefirst people in here, so
security was pretty much abreeze, but I still did have to
go through a security check.
Now, number eight be mindful ofthe weather.
India has very hot and humidsummers.
Agra summers can get I'm goingto use the word sweltering Ooh
(09:57):
vocabulary, but it is sweltering.
It can rise above 40 degreesCelsius.
It's like 104 degrees.
So if you visit during thistime, again that early morning
is going to be key and lateafternoons are going to be your
friends.
Just avoid midday.
Funny story I have never passedout because of the heat, but I
did pass out in Delhi and it wasso weird because I've just
(10:19):
never done it before, I've neverfainted or anything like that
before India did it for me.
I actually did pass out.
I was there in June, so veryhot and humid, felt like a
convection bake oven the entiretime.
Cold water was so hard to comeby, but I would literally rather
have cold water than food.
So let that be your guide towhether you can handle the hot
(10:40):
summers.
Now, if you are going in winterbetween like December and
January, there can be fog earlyin the morning and this can
sometimes obscure the taj untilthe sun burns it off around
mid-morning.
But maybe that's what you'regoing for, like you're going for
those like spooky, eerie photos.
If you are a photographer, Ican vibe with it.
Go for it Now.
Next, just be respectful of theculture and spiritual importance
(11:01):
of this site.
You know like, don't touch thewalls.
The marble is delicate andprotected, so just avoid
touching surfaces becausesometimes the oils from our skin
can degrade the stones overtime.
And then also, if you do decideto go into the mausoleum, just
keep your voices low.
Be respectful.
It is a quiet zone and, as Isaid, I was really expecting a
bunch of tourists to be here,but it is a site of great
(11:23):
cultural and historicalsignificance.
So just be respectful at alltimes.
Be respectful of the locals whoare coming there to pay their
respects and going there forthose cultural reasons.
And next, if you do want somenearby attractions, here were
some things that I decided to dothat were really super cool.
So the Agra Fort is also nearbyand that's really cool.
And also, oh gosh, oh, thesepronunciations kill me, but
(11:48):
Itimad Ud-Dulaz Tomb, I'm goingto go with it.
It's sometimes called the BabyTaj or the Jewel Box.
I got a really cool picture ofme here meditating.
It was very, very cool.
Another idea if you don't wantto go into the craziness of Taj
Mahal.
There's this thing calledMetabah I'm going to go with
that and this is a beautifulgarden with views of the Taj
(12:10):
Mahal across the river and,honestly, this is a really cool
perspective of the Taj Mahal.
If you do want to get adifferent perspective and avoid
all the craziness of goinginside Now, pro tip, the sunset
views from this park offer atotally different perspective of
the Taj Mahal.
Just look it up on Google.
That will really get my pointacross of the amazingness of
(12:30):
this.
So now's the point.
I want to hear your thoughts.
If you want to contact me onsocial media, I am at the Bucket
List, mermaid.
I would love to hear if this ison your bucket list.
If you've already conqueredthis off of your bucket list,
what were your thoughts?
Was it overhyped?
Were you just in awe the entiretime?
I want to hear about it.
So definitely feel free to getin touch and I also just love
cheering people on when they'rechecking off their bucket list.
(12:52):
If you do want to see thosepictures, go ahead and check.
Go to the show notes.
It is onthebucketlistmermaidcom where
you can bookmark this for laterand you can do all these tips
once you're actually in India.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you did enjoy this podcastor you did find it helpful or
inspiring, it would mean theworld to this traveling mermaid
if you just subscribe on yourfavorite podcasting platform so
that you don't miss anotherbucket list episode.
(13:14):
Thank you guys again.
Keep adventuring and we willsee you next time.
Taj Mahal is just such a placeof beauty, history, emotion, and
it's just easy to see whypeople call it a monument to
love.
So just take your time, soak itall in and let yourself feel
transported just by its uttergrandeur.
This place blew my mind.
You see it in all thesepostcards and you just can't
(13:35):
really believe it's real.
And then you look at it andyou're like, oh my gosh, it's
huge.
It's just amazing from anarchitectural standpoint and
just from a cultural standpoint.
It's absolutely beautiful and Ido think that it is worth to
have on your bucket list.
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