Self-Launched Delhi, Agra, Jaipur & Amritsar Backpacker Route
7 days · India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar)
Taj Voyages Tours charges £700
No-markup version: ~£405 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of the classic Golden Triangle-plus-Amritsar run, done on trains and shared transport instead of a private car and 5-star hotels. You'll hit the same headline sights — Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, the Taj Mahal at sunset, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and the Golden Temple — while staying in guesthouses and hostels and booking local guides only where they add value. Costs are approximate backpacker rates in GBP and exclude international flights and insurance.
Day-by-day
Delhi: Old Delhi chaos and Mughal monuments
New Delhi
Arrive at IGI Airport and take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (approx £1) — far cheaper than an airport taxi. Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse. Start in Old Delhi: walk through Chandni Chowk's spice lanes, see the Red Fort from outside (or pay the small entry fee and go in), and visit Jama Masjid (£1-2 entry, plus shoe cover). Take a cycle rickshaw between them (agree £2-3 first). In the afternoon head south for Qutub Minar (Metro + auto, around £3 total) and Humayun's Tomb (£3 entry). Finish at Raj Ghat and a drive-past of India Gate and the Presidential Palace on the way back. Book a licensed local guide for Old Delhi through GetYourGuide if you want context (approx £15-20 for a half day).
🚌Airport Express Metro from T3 (~£1), Delhi Metro day pass (~£1.50), autos/rickshaws (~£4)
🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Paharganj/Karol Bagh, private room approx £15-20/night
- →Red Fort (exterior or paid entry)
- →Jama Masjid
- →Chandni Chowk market walk
- →Qutub Minar
- →Humayun's Tomb
- →Raj Ghat
- →India Gate
Delhi to Agra: Agra Fort and sunset at the Taj
Agra
Take an early Gatimaan Express or Shatabdi train from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (approx £5-8 in a chair car, 1h50m) — book on IRCTC at least a few days ahead. Drop bags at a hostel in Taj Ganj. Visit Agra Fort (£6 entry) in the early afternoon with a self-guided audio tour or a local guide hired at the gate (~£12). Head to the Taj Mahal for the sunset slot (£11 entry, closed Fridays) — the ticket includes the main mausoleum and gardens. Eat dinner at a rooftop café in Taj Ganj with a view of the dome. Note: Taj tickets are cheapest bought on the official ASI website.
🚌Gatimaan/Shatabdi Express Delhi–Agra (~£5-8), autos in Agra (~£4)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Taj Ganj, private room approx £12-16/night
- →Agra Fort
- →Taj Mahal at sunset
- →Taj Ganj rooftop dinner
Agra – Fatehpur Sikri – Jaipur
Fatehpur Sikri / Jaipur
Optional sunrise Taj visit using the same ticket? (No — you'll need a new one.) Instead, take a shared taxi or local bus from Agra's Idgah bus stand to Fatehpur Sikri (approx £2-3, 1h). Explore the abandoned Mughal capital and the Jama Masjid with Buland Darwaza (£5 entry plus small camera fee) — you can walk it all yourself in 2 hours. Then bus or shared jeep on to Jaipur via Bharatpur (approx £4-6, 3h) or, if convenience matters more, take a shared cab (~£15). Check into a guesthouse inside the old city walls near Hawa Mahal (approx £15-20). Evening wander around Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar for textiles and bangles.
🚌Shared taxi/bus Agra–Fatehpur Sikri (~£2.50), bus/jeep to Jaipur (~£5)
🛏Old City Jaipur guesthouse/hostel, approx £18/night
- →Fatehpur Sikri & Buland Darwaza
- →Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri
- →Jaipur bazaar walk
Jaipur: forts, palaces and observatory
Jaipur
Hire a scooter or use autos to do the Pink City circuit yourself. Start early at Amber Fort (£6, or £8 with composite ticket) — go before 9am to beat the tour buses, and skip the elephant rides. Walk down to Jal Mahal for photos, then return to the city for Hawa Mahal (free from the street, £2 inside), City Palace (£8) and Jantar Mantar (£2.50). Late afternoon, take an auto up to Nahargarh Fort for the panoramic sunset view (entry ~£2, plus £4 auto round trip). A Jaipur day guide on GetYourGuide runs around £20 if you'd rather learn the history properly; the composite Jaipur ticket (~£10) covers Amber, Nahargarh, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar and is better value.
🚌Scooter hire (~£8/day) or autos (~£8 total)
🛏Old City Jaipur guesthouse/hostel, approx £18/night
- →Amber Fort
- →Hawa Mahal
- →City Palace
- →Jantar Mantar
- →Nahargarh Fort sunset
- →Gem Palace / jewellery district wander
Jaipur to Amritsar (travel day)
Amritsar
The operator flies you; you can fly cheaply too — IndiGo and SpiceJet run direct Jaipur–Amritsar flights from around £35-50 one way booked 3-4 weeks out. If the budget is tight, take a train to Delhi and overnight onward, but the flight saves a day. Land at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee airport and take an auto to a guesthouse near the Golden Temple (approx £3). Stay within the old walled city so you can walk to everything. Evening: first sight of the illuminated Golden Temple, then langar (free community meal) at the temple's dining hall — a genuinely worthwhile experience.
🚌Direct flight Jaipur–Amritsar (~£40), airport auto (~£3)
🛏Guesthouse/hostel near Golden Temple, approx £12-15/night
- →Golden Temple at night
- →Langar meal at the Golden Temple
- →Hall Bazaar evening walk
Amritsar: Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and Wagah Border
Amritsar
Early morning at the Golden Temple for the Palki Sahib ceremony (the Guru Granth Sahib is carried to the sanctum around 4:30-5am — free, just dress modestly, cover your head, and remove shoes). Then walk 5 minutes to Jallianwala Bagh memorial (free). Mid-afternoon, take a shared taxi or local bus to Wagah Border for the Beating Retreat ceremony (about 30km, ~£4-6 return by shared jeep; ceremony is free but you'll want to arrive 1-2 hours early and seat allocation is first-come). Back in town, eat at Kesar Da Dhaba or Brothers' Dhaba for a proper Amritsari kulcha (approx £3-5).
🚌Shared taxi/jeep to Wagah and back (~£5), local autos (~£2)
🛏Guesthouse/hostel near Golden Temple, approx £12-15/night
- →Palki Sahib ceremony at Golden Temple
- →Jallianwala Bagh memorial
- →Wagah Border Beating Retreat ceremony
- →Amritsari street food
Amritsar to Delhi and home
Amritsar / New Delhi
Morning visit to the Golden Temple for a second, quieter wander or the Partition Museum (£2) if it's open. Fly Amritsar–Delhi (approx £30-40 one way, ~1h15m) or take an overnight train if you've got time. From IGI you can connect straight onto an international departure, or take the Airport Express Metro into the city if you're staying another night. If you're lingering, Delhi's Dilli Haat craft market or a cooking class in Paharganj (~£20 on Klook) is a good last stop.
🚌Flight Amritsar–Delhi (~£35), Airport Express Metro (~£1)
🛏None included (onward travel day)
- →Golden Temple morning visit
- →Partition Museum (optional)
- →Dilli Haat or Delhi cooking class (optional)
Self-launched vs. Taj Voyages Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Taj Voyages Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£405 | £700 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £295 per person (42%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Taj Voyages Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£405
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Delhi, Agra, Jaipur & Amritsar Backpacker Route cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £405 per person for 7 days in India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Taj Voyages Tours?+
Yes — Taj Voyages Tours charges around £700 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £405 — a saving of roughly £295 (42%) per person.
How long is the India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar) trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, budget, backpacker trip through India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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