5-Day Historical Golden Triangle Tour of India-All Inclusive (from $270.88) in Delhi

Private, which changes the pace more than the price

Every version of this itinerary exists as a coach tour. The difference here is that the car, the driver and the guide are yours: if you want another hour at Jantar Mantar or to skip a shopping stop entirely, you say so and it happens.

Delhi

Qutub Minar, begun in 1193 — the tallest brick minaret anywhere, with the 1,600-year-old iron pillar in its courtyard that has never rusted and still puzzles metallurgists.

Humayun's Tomb, built in the 1560s by the emperor's widow: the first Mughal garden tomb in India, with the four-part charbagh layout and double dome that the Taj repeated sixty years later at greater scale.

India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan from the road, and Old Delhi's Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk.

Agra

The Taj Mahal at sunrise — grey, then pink, then white, with mist on the Yamuna in winter and a fraction of the mid-morning crowd.

Agra Fort: Akbar's red sandstone city of 1565 with Shah Jahan's marble palaces inside, and the Musamman Burj, the octagonal tower where Aurangzeb held his father prisoner for the last eight years of his life, with the Taj in view.

Fatehpur Sikri between Agra and Jaipur — Akbar's capital of 1571, abandoned after fourteen years when the water ran out, and complete because of it.

Jaipur

Amber Fort, the City Palace, Jantar Mantar with its 27-metre sundial, and the Hawa Mahal facade of 953 windows. Evenings in the bazaars.

Three options

Car, driver and guide alone; or with a three-star or five-star hotel included.

Practical

The Taj is closed on Fridays. Around 700 km of driving in total, on good highways, in a private air-conditioned vehicle.

Entrance fees and meals are separate unless your option states otherwise.