Everyone has seen the photos and knows some of the history, but the Taj Mahal is truly a sight that needs to be seen with your own eyes. The sheer size of the off white marble mausoleum is breathtaking. No photo will do it justice.
If you would like to visit the Taj Mahal at sunrise, make sure you enter via the east or west gate as the south gate does not open until 8am. Visiting at sunrise means you avoid the unbearable mid day heat and also the majority of the crowd. 
The Taj Mahal is one of the New7 Wonders of the World – and rightly so! Surrounded by gardens and a sandstone fort, the symmetry of the Taj is extremely satisfying. From the huge domed roof, to the four slightly outward tilting minarets, and the reflection of the front of the mausoleum in the pools is really very impressive.
It’s amazing to think this grand structure was built by one of the Mughal emperors to house the tomb of his favourite wife. And then for him to be kept imprisoned in the much less stunning (in my opinion) Agra Fort, just a couple of kilometres further upstream on the Yamuna river, by his own son!
We missed the train we had hoped to catch from Delhi as the system for foreigners to buy train tickets is extremely long and a bit old fashioned. We ended up on the 11:25am train which cost us 170 rupees (approx £2). This was the cheapest option with no air con. We thought this would be manageable on such a short journey. Unfortunately, due to a passenger sitting at the open train door and crushing their feet between the moving train and platform, we were delayed by one hour. The journey should have taken two and a half hours, but ended up taking three and a half. There are many different options for trains – different durations and costs.
