Day 1: Arrive Delhi — Old & New
Airport pickup. Afternoon: Old Delhi rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk — red chili mountains, wedding-card alley, and silver street. Visit Jama Masjid and Raj Ghat (Gandhi’s memorial). Evening: New Delhi drive past India Gate, Parliament House, and Rashtrapati Bhavan. Welcome dinner. Overnight Delhi.
Day 2: Delhi to Agra — Mughal Majesty
Morning: Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb. Drive to Agra (3.5 hrs). Afternoon: Agra Fort — walk through the sandstone fortress where Shah Jahan spent his final years. Visit a marble inlay workshop to see artisans recreating the Taj’s pietra dura work. Evening: rooftop dinner with Taj views. Overnight Agra.
Day 3: Taj Sunrise, Fatehpur Sikri & Abhaneri
The day of wonders. Pre-dawn: Taj Mahal — experience the monument as the sun rises over the Yamuna, fewer crowds, the marble cool beneath your feet. After breakfast, drive to Fatehpur Sikri — Emperor Akbar’s abandoned capital with the 54m Buland Darwaza and Salim Chishti’s dargah. Continue to Abhaneri — step into Chand Baori, India’s deepest stepwell. Over 3,500 perfectly symmetrical steps descend 13 stories into the earth, framed by arched niches and carved panels. This 9th-century engineering marvel is one of Rajasthan’s most photogenic sites yet largely unknown to mass tourism. Continue to Jaipur (2 hrs). Overnight Jaipur.
Day 4: Jaipur — Pink City & Monkey Temple
Morning: Amber Fort by jeep — the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), Ganesh Pol, and sweeping views of Maota Lake. Afternoon: Hawa Mahal photo stop, City Palace museum, and Jantar Mantar — the world’s largest sundial. Late afternoon: Galta Ji (Monkey Temple) — a surreal temple complex in a mountain cleft where hundreds of macaques bathe in sacred water tanks, and the setting sun paints the rocks gold. Evening: optional cooking class or farewell thali dinner. Overnight Jaipur.
Day 5: Jaipur to Delhi — Departure
Morning: final Jaipur bazaar stroll — bangles, blue pottery, block-printed textiles. Drive to Delhi Airport (5 hrs, or optional flight). Depart with five days of India’s most essential experiences.
