How to see the Taj Mahal well

There are three gates. The east gate is closest to the luxury hotels of Taj Ganj and is usually the quietest at sunrise; The Oberoi Amarvilas is about 600 m from it. The west gate is used by most day-trippers and tour buses. The south gate opens onto the old Taj Ganj bazaar and is used mainly by walkers from nearby guesthouses.

Tickets are bought online or at the gate, with separate prices for Indian visitors, visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries, and other foreign visitors. An additional ticket is needed to enter the main mausoleum chamber. Foreign visitor tickets include a bottle of water and shoe covers. Prices change, so check current status before you travel; our guides carry the tickets for you.

Security is strict. You may carry a phone, a camera, a small bag, water and medicines. Food, tobacco, tripods, drones, large bags, knives and some electronic items are not permitted, and there are no lockers inside, only at the gates. Dress comfortably and modestly, and wear shoes you can cover easily on the platform.

Enter through the great red sandstone gateway, the Darwaza-i-Rauza, and pause in its arch: the Taj appears framed and floating, a view designed by its builders. From here the garden is laid out as a charbagh, divided into four by water channels, with the long reflecting pool running towards the mausoleum.

On the platform, look closely at the marble. The inlay of carnelian, jasper and other stones forms flowers and vines so fine they seem painted. The Quranic inscriptions around the arches grow larger towards the top, so that they appear the same size from the ground. The four minarets lean very slightly outwards, a detail often explained as protection for the tomb in an earthquake.

Inside the main chamber, the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan sit within an octagonal carved marble screen, the finest inlay in the building. The real graves lie in a lower chamber closed to visitors. Photography is not allowed inside, and the visit is short, so look rather than reach for a camera.

Before leaving, walk to the mosque on the west side and its mirror image, the guest hall, on the east. Both are in red sandstone and give fine side views of the dome, often with fewer people around.

The Taj changes with distance and angle, and some of the best views are from outside the complex. These also solve the Friday problem.

• Mehtab Bagh: the Mughal garden directly across the Yamuna, on the same axis as the Taj. Best in the last hour before sunset, open every day.
• Agra Fort: from the Musamman Burj and the terraces of the marble palaces, the Taj appears down the curve of the river, about 2.5 km away.
• Itmad-ud-Daulah: the riverside terraces of the Baby Taj give a distant view upstream across the water.
• The east bank by boat: when the water is high enough and local rules allow, short boat rides on the Yamuna near Mehtab Bagh give a low-angle view. Check current status before you travel.
• Your hotel: every room at The Oberoi Amarvilas faces the Taj, which lets you watch the light change from your balcony.

On the full-moon night and the two nights before and after, except Fridays and during the month of Ramadan, the Archaeological Survey of India opens the Taj for night viewing between about 8:30 pm and midnight. Visitors enter in batches of about 50 for 30 minutes and view the monument from the red sandstone platform near the gateway rather than up close.

Tickets are limited and are usually sold a day in advance at the ASI office in Agra, with identity documents required. Cloud and haze can soften the effect, and in winter fog can hide the dome entirely. It is a quiet, unusual experience rather than a dramatic one, and best treated as a bonus on a longer stay. Check current status before you travel.

Stay at least two nights. One night allows sunset and sunrise; two nights add Agra Fort, the Baby Taj and a margin for weather; three nights allow Fatehpur Sikri and a Friday without losing a Taj morning.

Stay in Taj Ganj, near the east gate. The Oberoi Amarvilas is the closest luxury hotel, with views from every room and a buggy to the gate. ITC Mughal, a few minutes' drive away, has large gardens and suits families and longer stays. The Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, also in Taj Ganj, offers Taj views at lower rates.

A sensible two-night plan looks like this. Arrive in the afternoon and go straight to Mehtab Bagh for sunset. Enter the Taj at opening the next morning, rest through midday, and spend the afternoon at Agra Fort and Itmad-ud-Daulah. Keep the second morning for a repeat visit if fog or crowds spoiled the first, or for Akbar's tomb at Sikandra on the way out of town. With a third night, add Fatehpur Sikri or a day in Vrindavan.

From mid-December to late January, dense fog often lies over Agra at dawn and may not lift until late morning. Sunrise can be lost entirely. We always keep a second morning free in these months and, if needed, return at midday when the air clears. The upside is that fog makes for quiet, misty photographs, and the crowds are smaller.

Weekends and Indian public holidays bring the largest crowds, and October to March is the busiest season. Weekday sunrises are the calmest. In April and May, temperatures pass 40 °C by afternoon, so sunrise becomes essential. During the monsoon, from July to September, the Taj under grey skies and green lawns has its own beauty, though humidity is high.

• Carry water, a hat and sunglasses; there is little shade in the gardens.
• Use the shoe covers provided rather than removing shoes on hot or cold marble.
• Ignore touts offering guides or shortcuts at the gates; book a licensed guide in advance.
• Allow two to three hours for a relaxed visit.