Visiting the Taj Mahal by Moonlight involves bureaucracy, tight security, the risk of fog in January and February and you aren’t even allowed to get very close, but the silvery gleam of the white marble and the shimmer of precious inlay stones through the darkness makes it all worthwhile.
The Taj Mahal is open at night for five nights a month when there is a full moon, and for 2 days before and 2 days after except on Fridays when it is always closed for prayer and during the month of Ramzan (Ramadan).
You have to apply for tickets the day before you want to go, you cannot buy them for the same day. To get there you go to the Shilpgram parking lot (from the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal it’s past the Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel) between 10am and 6pm, and from where you will be collected and taken by van to the office. You will need to take your passport so that your name, date of birth, nationality and passport number will be recorded, tickets cost 750 Rupees and are not transferrable. Each evening, 400 people in 8 groups of 50 are allowed to the first platform which is about 350 metres away from the main building, for 30 minutes between 8.30pm and 12.30am, but you must get there half an hour before the time on your ticket for security checks and x-rays. You can bring binoculars and cameras but not video cameras, handbags, tripods, tobacco, matches, food or mobile phones.
Full moon dates in the 2016 are as follows, so you can apply to see the Taj Mahal by moonlight on these dates plus 2 days before and 2 days after;
23th January 2016
22nd February 2016
22th March 2016
21st April 2016
21st May 2016
19th June 2016
19th Jul 2016
17th August 2016
16th September 2016
15th October 2016
14th November 2016
13th December 2016
11th January 2017
10th February 2017
If you would like to visit the Taj Mahal by moonlight but are not able to buy tickets 24 hours in advance, ReadyClickAndGo can arrange the entry tickets for you as part of their selection of private day trips in Agra with your own guide, car and driver. If you are not staying in Agra you can book a same-day Agra tour from Delhi, and a comfortable, air-conditioned car will pick you up from your hotel in Delhi and take you to Agra where you meet your guide for the day. After exploring Agra Fort and the ‘baby taj’ you can enjoy viewing the Taj Mahal before returning to your hotel in Delhi. Email Tara Today at tara@readyclickandgo.com
Frequently asked questions:
Q:What are the visiting hours of the Taj Mahal and when it remains closed?
A:Visiting hours of the Taj Mahal are sunrise to sunset & it remains closed on Friday. You can visit other monuments of Agra from sunrise to sunset.
Q: Are there any timings for night viewing of the Taj Mahal?
A: Yes, night view is allowed between 20:30 to 00:30 hours only and the duration of visit is 30 minutes.
Q: What is the limit of batch allowed to view the Taj Mahal?
A: The maximum no. of people allowed are 400, divided in 8 batches of 50 people each.
About the author: Tara
The travel professional with years of experience in the travel industry – in guiding, reservations, operations, contracting, customer service and product development – and have travelled extensively in Asia and Eastern Europe not just on holiday but also for work, inspecting hotels, visiting attractions and seeing exactly what each destination has to offer. The only way I could do this properly was with my own guide, car and driver and this inspired me to create my own range of customised private day tours for other people to be able to explore in-depth and learn to love their destination as much as I do.
Website: www.readyclickandgo.com
Website: http://www.readyclickandgo.com
