ジャイプールからのタージ・マハールとファテープル・シークリの日帰りツアー

When in India a week ago, although I was staying with a friend and his family in New Delhi, they didnt have time to take me to Taj Mahal, so they booked me a private tour with this agency. Honestly, at first, I was really skeptical to travel to Agra all by myself (it takes 3 and a half hours by car in one direction), however I was all wrong to be skeptical. In addition, the driver picked me up at 6 am in front of my friend’s home. The driver was really nice and kind and he gave me plenty of sweets and snacks to have while traveling. He was constantly asking if I need some cold water or would I like him to get me a coffee. I felt very comfortable and I slept almost the entire time while in car. When we got to Agra, the guide joined us, and we went together to Taj Mahal. The guide was very interesting and communicative. Honestly, I never went anywhere ever by myself (I am just not that type of a person), therefore obviously I had my doubts regarding me spending the entire day by myself, however, the guide made me feel as we really know each other and as I came to see Taj Mahal with a really knowledgeable friend. As I said, he was very interactive and fun, and was also taking a lot of pictures for me (so I ended up having some amazing photos of me in front of the Taj Mahal). He really tried it hard and I really enjoyed the visit to Taj Mahal. After we were done here, we went to a place where they sell goods made of the same stone Taj Mahal was made of and with the same technique, however although it was interesting to see the place (there are few guys who show how they actually make it) it felt like I am supposed to buy something (and I did buy a little box which I LOVE, it’s beautiful, however I saw almost identical one at the Delhi airport for three times less money literally, so be careful when buying there they do give prices that are too high because you are a tourist). The same thing happened when we went to the store with some Indian jewelry, clothes, etc, they told me very high prices, just this time I knew that it is not supposed to cost that much so I didn’t buy anything. However, I am a person who literally has no idea how to bargain, as I am always shy to ask for a lower price, so if you are an expert give yourself a chance maybe it would be a cultural experience too to bargain in Agra and actually get the real prices 😊 Also I didn’t really like that this store with Indian jewelry, clothes, etc, was really for tourists only (I mean I know I am a tourist obviously, but I would rather go to a store which can show me some cultural authenticity and would love to give money to a place like that, but to come to a store which is obviously open only for tourists and no local would ever go in). After this we also went for a lunch which was included in the overall price and the food was nice as well as the restaurant itself. Another place that I visited is the king’s palace in Agra, which was also very fun (thanks to the amazing charming guide) and you will have a chance to see king's harem there which is really interesing. At the end, the same driver took me back to New Delhi, he was very very nice and in place, the only thing is that at one point he started talking about his salary and how many kids he has (which I don’t mind), however, I tipped him 30 euros as I felt really really bad because of his earnings and then a friend of mine that I was staying with in New Delhi told me that he lied to me as he couldn’t possibly have a salary that low (my fiend is a local). However, even though he lied I don’t really feel bad for tipping him as much as he was extremely nice and kind and gave me really a lot of sweets and snacks while traveling. All in all, I LOVED this tour, it really made me feel very safe and comfortable, and I had a lot of fun throughout the entire day, and the best thing out of all of them is that you skip the entire line in front of Taj Mahal, which is HUGE and you come in in only few minutes which trust me is worth every penny because I think that other people who just came would wait in front for several hours. Also, important to note, the things that I noted in my comment regarding buying things and tipping have nothing to do with the agency and the tour itself, its just an advice so you would not spend more money than you need to without any reason. The tour itself was AMAZING, the guide was adorable and funny and eloquent and interesting and very fluent in English. I loved it all <3