The city of Agra is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in the northern region of India and is a part of the great northern plains. Situated on the west bank of river the Yamuna, Agra is 204 km south of the capital city of India, Delhi.

Agra is famous as being home to one of the Seven Wonders of the world- the Taj Mahal, which was established in 1475 by Badal Singh. The coming of the Mughal dynasty to power heralded a new era which was to see Agra at its zenith during the reign of Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan. During the rule of the famous Mughal dynasty, the city witnessed a frenzied building activity and it was during this time when the symbol of love Taj Mahal was built. Mostly all the monuments that stand today in and around the city were built during the reign of the Mughals.

An overcrowded town with a comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble and soapstone by craftsmen who are descendants of those who worked under the Mughals. Agra is also known for carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes.

There are various resorts and hotels in Agra that provides its guests with luxurious comforts and excellent services and beautiful view of the magnificent Taj, in addition to being symbols of elegance and hospitality. 

Agra offers the whole range of hotels, from expensive and luxurious five stars to comfortable three stars and affordable budget hotels and resorts, suiting all pockets and budgets.

In case your budget allows you to stay in one of the five star deluxe hotels in Agra you will get to enjoy the uninterrupted Taj Mahal view. These hotels offer great mouth watering delicacies from Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines.

Five star deluxe hotels in Agra are known for offering great and luxurious services to both vacationers as well as the business traveler. They provide ideal equipments for business meetings and conferences and banquet halls are also available for special occasions and ceremonies. Other major highlights of these five star deluxe hotels are swimming pool, gymnasium, spa, music and digital video discs.

At the five star hotels you can choose from deluxe rooms, superior deluxe rooms, executive suites, luxury suites and Kohinoor suites according to your requirement and liking.

If you are looking for slightly easy on the pocket options as well as comfort and style, you can opt for choosing from the four star hotels. These hotels offer marvelous accommodation facility to tourists visiting Agra and provide the perfect base to explore this age old city since they are located at the most convenient distance from the various sightseeing, entertainment and shopping districts of the city. Well equipped with all the finest modern facilities and luxurious amenities, the guests putting up at these hotels can also enjoy a large variety of culinary dishes, chit chat with a drink at the lounge bar, have a splash in the swimming pool or simply unwind in the comforts of the plush room at a four star hotel in Agra.

Personalized services are provided by four star hotels to gratify the needs of their esteemed guests and offer the ultimate luxury and comfort to them, thus ensuring that their stay at the hotel turns out to be one of the most pleasurable and memorable one. The restaurants offer an array of delectable culinary delights whipped up by the chefs from North Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines The various places of historical importance, sight seeing, entertainment and recreation are located at a convenient distance from the Four Star Hotels and the airport and railway station too are within easy reach..

These hotels also excel in catering to the corporate guests and offer fine business and conference facilities for them, featuring specialized business centers and conference halls, which are equipped with the most modern hi-tech facilities and services. A vast variety of recreational facilities provided by these hotels, like swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, tennis courts and golf courses feature in this category. In addition to recreation, facilities like sightseeing and hotel and airport transfers are also provided during the guest's stay at the hotel. The four star hotels are quite popular among business travelers.

If you have a specific budget for accommodation during your travel and both five and four star accommodations are not within your budget then you can try the three star hotels in the city as they may suit you better. These three star hotels have wonderful the wonderful features contented stay like comfortable rooms and suites along with the accommodation facilities like attached bathroom, air-conditioning, cable television, international dialing facility, hair dryer, mini bar, refrigerator, in room safe, running water and round the clock room service.

Excellent dining facilities are available at the restaurants which cater delicious delicacies from the international and local menus and there are coffee shops and bars for added enjoyments. 

Facilities for the business traveler include well appointed conference rooms and banquet halls, fax, projectors, internet facilities and secretarial services in these conference rooms which are large and can accommodate a large number of delegates and guests. You can also arrange business meetings and informal parties in these halls. The list of recreational and other facilities is exhaustive. The hotels have swimming pools, sight seeing tours, fitness centers, car hires, car parking, laundry, 24 hour travel desks, safe deposit lockers, on call doctor, 24 hour security, currency exchange, beauty parlors etc.

If you are traveling on a tight budget then the city has very affordable accommodation options –the budget hotels. Owing to its immense popularity because of the Taj Mahal – Agra is dotted with numerous hotels catering to lower budgets, which are just apt for those who wish to avail of modern comforts at great value for money.

You can look forward to the finest facilities coupled with warm personalized service at charges are quite nominal yet do not compromise with the quality of services offered. The food served at the budget hotels is lip smacking. At reasonable charges you can savor the authentic flavors of North and South Indian cuisine along with delectable local specialties. The hotel feasts your taste buds with aromatic meals, snacks and beverages throughout the day. Besides good food, you can also enjoy several indoor and outdoor recreational activities at the budget hotels in Agra.

A number of budget hotels in the city also cater to the business needs of its guests. Not only are these hotels are well appointed with efficient business facilities ideal to host formal and informal gatherings but they also offer ample leisure options so that guests enjoy their stay in Agra to the hilt. Most of these hotels provide easy access to the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal as well.

The Taj which has stood as the epitome of love for several hundred years, is the primary reason that visitors from the world over flock to Agra for. The Taj Mahal is one of the most visited and most photographed places in the world. Built by Shah Jahan in the memory of his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal was the culmination point of Indo-Persian architecture. Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved wife of the Mughal Shah Jahan, died while giving birth to her fourteenth child, leaving the Emperor so shocked by her death that his hair turned grey over night. To commemorate his undying love for his wife, Shah Jahan created this inimitable poem in white marble in 1632 on the banks of the river Yamuna.

The red sandstone Agra fort, built principally as a military establishment by Akbar in 1565,  was partially converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time. The principle structure of the fort was built by Akbar but many more additions were made by his grandsons. The fort contains a number of exquisite buildings, including the Moti Masjid, Diwane-i-Am, Diwane-i-Khas and Musamman Burj, where the Emperor Shah Jahan died in imprisonment, besides Jahangir's Palace, Khaas Mahal and the Sheesh Mahal.

Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb - Agra 

This tomb belongs to the father of Mughal Empress Nur Jahan, who built it in memory of her father Ghias-ud-Din Beg, who was the Chief Minister of Emperor Jehangir. Made of white marble, the tomb may not be as big as the Taj but the inlay designs and carvings are no less than Taj if not more. Its passages have a remarkable marble latticework, which allows the light to enter the interiors. A similar tomb was built by Nur Jahan for Jehangir in Lahore, which was the first complete marble Mughal structure. 

Chini-Ka-Rauza - Agra 

This is a spectacular tomb of glazed tiles and another example of the marvel of Mughal architecture. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of poet-scholar and later the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz. 

Jama Masjid Or Jami Masjid - Agra 

This mosque is said to have been built by Shah Jahan in 1648, but inscription on the main gate says it was built by Jahanara Begum. Jahanara Begum was Shah Jahan’s favorite daughter and was imprisoned with him. The notable characteristic of this structure is the absence of minarets and the shape of the dome, which give it a distinguished character. 

Excursions in Agra 

Sikandra 

4 km from Agra is the mausoleum of Akbar, the greatest among the line of the illustrious Mughal emperors. The uniqueness of this mausoleum is the perfect blending of Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Jain motifs. 

Mariyam Tomb 

The red sand stone tomb dedicated to the wife of Akbar was built in 1611 and is on the Delhi- Agra highway. The exquisite carvings on the tomb of Mariyam-us-Zamani should be given a closer look. 

Fatehpur Sikri is a city predominantly in Red Sandstone and it lies 37 km away from Agra. This town was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who had planned this city as his capital but shortage of water compelled him to abandon the city and within 20 years the capital of Mughals was shifted to Lahore. 

When Babur, the first Mughal Emperor, came to India he laid the first Mughal gardens 500 m North of the Chini Ka Rauza. These well laid gardens are not even a fraction of what they used to be and it will perhaps need lots of imagination to picture how these gardens must have looked in 1558. 

Mathura 

Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu and one of the most popular of Indian Gods, was born in the town of Mathura, which is one of the major Pilgrimage for the Hindus. Mathura is only 58 Km from Agra and it comes before Agra if traveling from Delhi. Today the small town of Lord Krishna has grown vastly and is bursting to seams with a very large population. 

Visit India's most renowned water bird sanctuary the Bharatpur Bird sanctuary, only 60 km from Agra and lying in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan. This sanctuary is the winter home of the rare Siberian Crane and is approachable from Agra by road. A variety of accommodation is available, within and outside the National Park and the best time to visit is between October and February.