Delhi Airport to Agra and the Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is about 230 km south-east of Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), and the Gatimaan Express reaches Agra from Hazrat Nizamuddin station in 100 minutes, while the Yamuna Expressway takes 3.5 to 4 hours by car each way. This guide covers the train and the car, the Friday closure, the timings of a same-day trip and the airport hotels to start it from, as of September 2026; check the railway timetable and the monument’s opening days before travelling, because both change.
By train from Hazrat Nizamuddin
The Gatimaan Express (12050) is the quickest train: it has left Hazrat Nizamuddin at 8:10 am and arrived at Agra Cantt at 9:50 am, returning from Agra at 5:50 pm to reach Nizamuddin by about 7:30 pm, six days a week with no service on Friday. Fares are about ₹800 in the chair car and ₹1,500 in executive class, meals included, and seats sell out on weekends and in the winter season, so book on irctc.co.in or through the hotel travel desk in advance. The Shatabdi Express from New Delhi station at about 6:00 am and the Vande Bharat trains to Agra are the alternatives, each about 2 hours. Hazrat Nizamuddin is about 20 km from Aerocity, 40 minutes by cab at that hour for ₹500 to ₹700; New Delhi station is 20 minutes from Terminal 3 on the Airport Express Line, but the Gatimaan does not stop there. From Agra Cantt station the Taj Mahal is about 6 km, 20 minutes by prepaid auto-rickshaw or cab from the station rank.
By car on the Yamuna Expressway
A hired car with a driver from an Aerocity hotel takes 3.5 to 4 hours each way on the Yamuna Expressway from Greater Noida, with a toll of about ₹500 each way, and costs roughly ₹4,000 to ₹6,000 for the day through the hotel travel desks or the app-cab outstation services. It suits families and groups, allows a stop at Fatehpur Sikri or Mathura, and avoids the station transfers, at the price of seven or eight hours on the road; leaving Aerocity by 6:00 am puts the car in Agra by 10:00 am.
The Friday closure and opening hours
The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays to visitors, and the Gatimaan Express does not run that day either, so an Agra day falls on any other day of the week. The monument opens from sunrise to sunset, about 6:00 am to 6:30 pm, with a separate ticket for the main mausoleum, and the night viewing on full-moon nights needs a ticket bought a day ahead in Agra. Agra Fort, Itmad-ud-Daulah and Fatehpur Sikri stay open on Fridays.
A same-day plan
The train day runs: cab from Aerocity at 7:15 am, Gatimaan Express at 8:10 am, Taj Mahal and Agra Fort from 10:15 am, return train at 5:50 pm, Aerocity by 8:30 pm, in time for a late-evening departure from Terminal 3 the same night if the flight is after 11:00 pm, or a room for the night. The car day runs 6:00 am to about 9:00 pm. Passengers with a morning flight the next day do better with an overnight in Agra, returning on the morning train.
Airport hotels to start from
The JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity and the Roseate House New Delhi arrange cars and guides through their concierges; the Lemon Tree Premier, Delhi Airport, the Pride Plaza Hotel Aerocity and the ibis New Delhi Aerocity have travel desks and the early breakfasts a 7:15 am departure needs, the ibis from 4:00 am. For the return with a late flight, the Holiday Inn Express New Delhi International Airport T3 inside the terminal sells rooms by the hour for a shower before boarding; the day rooms guide lists the blocks and the airport to city guide covers the station transfers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get from Delhi Airport to Agra?
The fastest way is the Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin station, about 40 minutes by cab from the airport, which leaves at 8:10 am and reaches Agra Cantt at 9:50 am, six days a week except Friday. By car the Yamuna Expressway takes 3.5 to 4 hours each way from Aerocity.
Is the Taj Mahal closed on Fridays?
Yes, the Taj Mahal is closed to visitors on Fridays, and the Gatimaan Express does not run that day either. Plan the Agra day for any other day; Agra Fort and the other monuments stay open on Fridays.
Can I do the Taj Mahal as a day trip from Delhi Airport?
Yes, with an early start. The 8:10 am Gatimaan Express and the 5:50 pm return give about 7 hours in Agra, and a hired car on the Yamuna Expressway with a 6:00 am departure returns to Aerocity by about 9:00 pm. An overnight in Agra is easier with a late flight the next day.
Information last verified: September 25, 2026