Jaipur to Taj Mahal trip with Get Your Guide – Review, what’s included, and how much to tip

I’d never been to India before this trip. High school geography had taught me it’s a big country, but when booking my flight to Jaipur from Kuala Lumpur, the Taj Mahal was not on my mind.

I think I was searching for things to do in Jaipur, because as is typical with myself, I often book things without knowing much/anything about the destination. Sometimes this approach pays off, and this was one of those times, as I discovered via Get Your Guide, that you can head to the Taj Mahal and back in the same day.

The journey was a relatively reasonable 4.5 hours each way, which considering how ginormous India is, felt doable. And it’s the Taj Mahal, one of the 7 wonders of the world. I felt I could make the effort. So, I booked the day trip, leaving at 7am (the latest you could choose if I remember correctly, I’m not a morning person), and paying around £80.

Which trip did I choose?

There are a number of options when you search for a Jaipur to Taj Mahal trip, and there were a few that all had similar reviews and ratings. I went for this one, as it was a little bit cheaper than the others, had great reviews, and perhaps most importantly, I’m a sucker for a hotel buffet, and this was included in the package I went for.

Here’s what was included:

Travel to and from your hotel in Jaipur (they pick you up wherever you’re staying if you’re in the main Jaipur city area).

Toll costs for the Indian roads

Entrance to the Taj Mahal

Tour Guide around the Taj Mahal

Stop at marble shop

Buffet lunch at the Marriot hotel in Agra

Entrance to Agra Fort

Tour Guide around Agra Fort

I felt for the price, a lot was included, and even though I have no doubts you could do it cheaper if you did the research, booked your own driver etc, I was happy with what I paid.

Here’s what is not included:

Drinks during your lunch

Any drinks/food you may buy during your stop on the way to the Taj Mahal

Photographs from an ‘official’ photographer at the Taj Mahal

Tips (I will share how much I tipped a bit later on in this post)

Any souvenirs purchased during your trip

How was the car journey?

If you haven’t been to India, then brace yourself, the roads and driving there are unlike anything you’ve probably seen before. It’s chaotic, yet organised, and loud, oh so loud.

Horns are used pretty much all the time, because anything really goes, and some of the bigger vehicles have custom horns that are an absolute attack on the senses.

The roads themselves are also bumpy in places, you may see cows wandering down highways, and if it means saving a bit of time, then a lot of drivers are happy to drive the wrong way down the road.

Some of the reviews had also shared that there was no seatbelt in the back of the driver’s car, which obviously was a terrifying thought, but I am happy to report that mine did. Success.

My driver Tanveer, was at my hotel ten minutes or so early, and the car was modern, air conditioned, and I was the only one on the journey, so I had the back to myself.

There were a few moments on the drive that raised eyebrows, but that was more to do with what I was witnessing outside, rather than a reflection of Tanveer’s driving. He provided water, asked me if I was comfortable throughout, and we stopped on the way at a nice place which had a bathroom, restaurant, snacks etc.

Overall, I was happy with the car and driver, and even though it’s a good few hours each way, it didn’t feel that bad. I got back to the hotel around 9pm ish, an hour or two after schedule, but understandable when looking at the roads, and how much we packed into the day.

The Taj Mahal

When you get to Agra, you’ll pick up the guide, he’ll introduce himself, and you’ll be dropped off at the West Gate entrance. It’s around a 500m walk to the entrance, and considering I made this journey in May it was insanely hot, so not ideal.

You’ll get to the main entrance, and you’ll see a swarm of people waiting to get in. Fear not, though, our trusty guide has the contacts, and you’ll be inside near enough straight away. My guide was also nice enough to get me a bottle of water (definitely needed), and the shoe covers you’ll need to enter the Taj Mahal.

Once inside, our guide introduced me to a photographer friend of his. I didn’t really want many images, explained this, and they were all chill with the arrangement. He quoted me 100 rupees per image, and they can send them to you digitally, or provide a physical copy if needed.

My photographer ended up being a bit trigger happy, which I suspect was his plan, and I ended up with 51 photos for 4000 rupees (Around £34/$46). This is way more than I would have wanted to pay ideally, but I’m weak, have little backbone, so paid it, and to be fair, he knew some good spots, and I got some really impressive photos.

Family, just a heads up, you will probably be getting framed photos of yours truly at the Taj Mahal for Christmas.

He has a USB so he can connect his camera to your phone, and you can have the images before you pay anything.

Also just as an FYI, the guide himself was great with taking photos. He often suggested to take one, without me prompting, and if you ever need one, he’ll be happy to oblige.

I don’t usually bother with tour guides, as my short-term memory is so bad after years of working in social media, but this was informative, and he clearly knew a lot about the building and history.

We went to the main points, got some great pics, and then it was into the Taj Mahal itself. Again, our guide knew a lot about the building, and added some very interesting titbits that added to the experience. You have to put on the shoe covers while inside, and you’re also not allowed to take photos, but being inside one of the most recognisable buildings in the world was a thrill.

You have to wear shoe covers for this part of the trip to the Taj Mahal

You come out on the other side, and you can see the river the Taj Mahal is built on, and you get some really cool additional views of the building.

I was there around midday ish, you can see there is barely any shadow on me as the sun was pretty much directly above, so we didn’t hang around too long after we’d been inside, but I’d say in total, it was around an hour-90 minutes at the Taj Mahal, which for me, was enough.

The sun in India hits different. It was hot

On the way back, we got a golf cart to the exit which was definitely appreciated, and we were soon back into the air-conditioned car.

Trip to the Marble Shop:

I've had another look and this stop is not in the official itinerary. I thought lunch was next, but instead we stopped at a marble shop where you’re shown how they make what they make, and shown around the shop. The guy who gave the talk at the shop was nice enough, and nothing was too pressured, but I could have probably done without it.

If you do want a marble souvenir, then you’re in luck! And to be fair, the craftmanship was amazing, so if you’re thinking of buying something, you’re in the right place. For me though, as someone who travels a lot and has limited extra space, I knew I wouldn’t be getting anything, and to be honest, I just wanted lunch. I think if you explained you weren’t interested, there’d be no issue, and you can get to that buffet spread a lot sooner.

Buffet Lunch at the Marriot:

Finally, lunch time! Despite having no real sense of smell or taste, I still get incredibly excited about food, and lord do I love a buffet, so this combined two of my favourite things.

The hotel was beautiful, and you’re taken in, and then left alone on a table which to be honest was nice after a lot of information at the Taj Mahal. There was a load of food on offer (salads, curry’s, desserts, vegetables etc), and I enjoyed my food. As mentioned earlier, you do pay separately for your drinks, and my Pepsi Max was 225 ish rupees I think (if it wasn’t exactly that price, it’s in that ballpark).

Trip to the Agra Fort:

This was a nice addition to the day trip, and it’s maybe a ten-minute journey after the Marriot to the destination.

There’s a lot going on when you get there, you’re swiftly out of the car, but yet again, you skip the queues and you’re taken straight in. I didn’t know a jot about the Agra Fort (I told you I don’t do research!), so it was interesting to learn a bit about it, even if I struggled to remember much of it post food/standing in insane heat.

The fort was massive, with some really interesting colours both inside and out. You also get another vantage point of the Taj Mahal, and I felt our guide really came into his own at this point.

He pointed out a really fascinating optical illusion involving our star of the day (the Taj Mahal just in case that wasn't clear), and also demonstrated a cool sound trick in one of the rooms. This is the stuff I love to get from a guide, rather than just regurgitating a Wikipedia entry, and it definitely picked up the energy, as I was certainly flagging in the heat.

I think we probably spent an hour here, and our guide was great here with his photo taking. Again he knew the good spots, and he was the one prompting me to give him my phone for a picture. I was really happy with the ones he took. Travelling solo can make getting photos tricky, and I’m not a selfie fan, so it was nice to have someone on hand to take pics, rather than having to awkwardly ask people.

My guide took some great photos at the Agra Fort

How much should you tip your Taj Mahal Tour Guide:

I hate tipping, mainly because I’m British and such things make us incredibly awkward. And to clarify, I don’t hate tipping because I’m losing money. If someone has gone above and beyond, then I am happy to tip, and it’s nice to reward someone for a job well done.

I just get incredibly awkward regarding amounts to pay etc, so you best believe I was googling before we dropped our tour guide off on usual rates etc. He also mentioned that tips aren’t included, and in the end I settled on a figure of 1,000 rupees (£8.48/$11.45).

He showed me around for nearly 2-3 hours, and as mentioned, took some wonderful photos, so that to me felt like a good amount. He seemed happy with it, and that was that. I think 500 rupees would have been plenty as well to be honest, but I went with 1,000, and that’s also what I tipped the driver, and he also seemed happy with the amount.

My driver had been on the road a lot, was great with checking in, and I found out he was actually travelling back to Agra, so he had something like 16 hours of driving in a day. 1,000 felt like the least I could do.

Is the Jaipur to Taj Mahal trip with Get Your Guide worth it?

Here’s the big question, and for me, it absolutely was. I was dropped off back at my hotel, my driver was great, and the Tour Guide was very knowledgeable. Throw in the lunch, and that is me convinced.

There is a lot included, and it’s nice to know that when you’ve paid, there are only really the tips you need to think about on the day. Unless you’re a sucker like me who got played for photographs, and that is my only real regret of the day. There were a lot of photos I knew I wouldn’t want, but still took them all, and I should have had a proper look, and specifically selected the ones I wanted, heat be damned.

I paid for the privilege of looking like this in a photo. I didn't even do the pose right!

Instead I took them all, and a lot of them will just go to waste. As mentioned, I personally could have done without the marble shop visit, but objectively it was impressive to see the levels of detail that goes into these stones, even if I knew I wouldn’t purchase anything.

If you just stick to what’s offered in the tour, you really won’t go wrong. The Taj Mahal is absolutely worth the trip from Jaipur, and when you set eyes on it properly for the first time, it feels like a bit of a special moment. You don’t have to wait in lines, you’re given a detailed history, and as mentioned, the guide being able to take good photos was a big plus, whether you’re travelling on your own or with someone.

So yes, I’d recommend it, and if you want to book the same one I did, you can book through this link.

And if you do book through here, you’ll be helping to support the website, so a big thank you in advance.

Enjoy these photos, and as per, if you have any questions or comments, just drop me a message and I will get back to you!

And if you do go, let me know how you find it! The Taj Mahal speaks for itself, but the Agra Fort was a really nice addition. I found the trip great value considering how much was involved in the day.

Reminder, here’s a link to the exact same trip I took (you can even see my name in the reviews!):