29 Best things to see & do in India’s Golden Triangle

India’s iconic landmark and one of the world’s most beautiful buildings readily matches, if not exceeds, the hype. Built in 1653 by the great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to entomb his wife, Mumtaz.

Experience the thrill of spotting one of the world’s last remaining wild tigers on a game drive in the Ranthambore National Park, one of India’s most picturesque and easily-visited reserves.

One of Rajasthan’s great maharaja fortress-palace complexes, dating back to the 16th century, set amidst a spectacular backdrop of stark hills.

Vast sandstone-walled fort with gardens, audience halls and royal apartments – a high point of Mughal military architecture.

One of India’s most celebrated empires and dynasties, which profoundly shaped the country’s history and culture, while leaving a distinctive and stunning architectural legacy.

A fascinating, and among the best-preserved palace complex in Rajasthan, set in the heart of Jaipur’s Old City.

A symbol of Mughal military might, this massive, rust-red fort, built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573, is an almost self-contained royal city.

Designed to lend seclusion to ladies of the royal court, the intricate lattice-screened and salmon-pink facade of the Hawa Mahal is among the most iconic of Jaipur’s buildings.

Britain’s rule from 1858 to independence in 1947 known as the ‘Raj’ was a defining period in India’s history.

An atmospheric ‘ghost city’ that provides a fascinating and unique insight into the Mughal court, and superb example of Mughal planning and architecture.

The most varied and cosmopolitan cuisine in India, served in every venue imaginable, from world-class restaurants to sprawling food markets.

An extraordinary modern temple complex, drawing on traditional religious architecture and design.

Vibrant Johari Bazaar encapsulates the city’s reputation as India’s main gemstone and jewellery centre, with artisans’ workshops dotting its lanes and alleys.

Superb and photogenic example of medieval step well architecture, a form once commonly used across Rajasthan and Gujarat states.

Completed in 1656 by Emperor Shah Jahan, this is one of India’s largest and most beautiful mosques.

The National Museum houses five millennia’s worth of Indian culture alongside an eclectic collection of its celebrated art forms.

Experience the Bollywood phenomenon at one of India’s most famous and flamboyant cinemas. It remains a Jaipur landmark and often screens movies to a full house.

One of Agra’s cheeriest markets is a fun and colourful Aladdin’s cave of everything from cosmetics and perfume to decorative knick-knacks and artefacts.

Stunning mausoleum and precursor to the Taj Mahal, with tranquil well-maintained gardens.

Sometimes referred to as the ‘baby Taj’, this outstanding 17th-century noble’s tomb with formal gardens showcases the kind of pietra dura inlay on white marble that reached its apogee with the Taj Mahal.

The former bungalow residence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is now a slightly macabre museum. Assassinated here in 1984 by her bodyguards, even that very spot remains spotted with blood.

Formerly a palace belonging to the Maharaja of Jaipur, the gallery is now a superb repository of Indian paintings, sculpture and even photography.

A little-visited lakeside summer resort and palace complex that was built in 1772 for the Jat kings of Bharatpur, as a luxurious retreat. Its architecture fuses Mughal and Rajput styles.

Hire a cycle rickshaw for a genuine, earthy experience of Old Delhi’s atmospheric backstreets.

A unique opportunity to experience traditional devotional music, performed in the courtyard of an ancient Sufi tomb-shrine in south Delhi.

Among Delhi’s quietest and leafiest parks, Lodi Gardens contain several 15th- and 16th-century tombs and monuments, most relating to the Afghan Lodi dynasty, which was eventually replaced by the Mughals.

Over 350 species of migratory birds winter in this former royal hunting ground,  formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Spread over thirty square kilometres, it’s classified as an internationally important wetland that’s also home to resident species.

A small, part-ruined medieval ‘ghost-town’ – reputedly one of India’s most haunted places – in picturesque countryside near Sariska Tiger Reserve.

A welfare centre that looks after and rehabilitates formerly captive and abused elephants, and an education centre that teaches the importance of elephant conservation.