Self-Launched Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra & Jaipur on a Budget

Start early to dodge the heat. Take the Delhi Metro (Airport Express or Yellow Line, ~£1) to your hostel in Paharganj or Karol Bagh and drop your bags. Book a GetYourGuide/Klook half-day Delhi highlights tour (~£18-25 per person for a small-group version, or ~£35 for a private guide) covering Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and Lodhi Garden, or do it yourself with the Metro plus audio guides (~£10 total in entries: Qutub Minar £3, Humayun's Tomb £3). In the afternoon, walk to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (free, cover your head, volunteer at the langar kitchen if you like) and Agrasen ki Baoli stepwell (free, best light late afternoon). Finish with a cycle-rickshaw loop through Chandni Chowk and Khari Baoli spice market — negotiate ~£3-4 for 30-45 minutes. Lotus Temple is free but closed Mondays; Jama Masjid is free (small camera fee).

🚌Airport Express / Delhi Metro ~£1; walk + auto-rickshaw (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm or private room, Paharganj / Karol Bagh (e.g. Madpackers, Zostel Delhi) ~£12

• →Qutub Minar (entry ~£3)
• →Humayun's Tomb (entry ~£3)
• →Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (free)
• →Agrasen ki Baoli stepwell (free)
• →Chandni Chowk cycle-rickshaw ride (~£3-4)
• →Khari Baoli spice market wander

Book the Gatimaan Express (08:10 departure, ~1h40, ~£7-9 second class AC) or a Vande Bharat service from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt. Drop bags at a Taj Ganj guesthouse, then explore Agra Fort (~£6 entry, allow 1.5-2 hours; hire a licensed guide at the gate for ~£8 if you want the stories). Walk or auto to Itimad-ud-Daulah, the 'Baby Taj' (~£3), then catch the Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh across the river at sunset (~£3 entry) — a far cheaper and less crowded view than the monument itself. In the evening join a small-group street-food walk in Agra (~£12-15 on Klook/GetYourGuide) or DIY it: petha sweets, bedai-jalebi near Kinari Bazaar, and chaat for under £5.

🚌Train ~£8; auto-rickshaws in town ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj with rooftop Taj view ~£14

• →Gatimaan Express train Delhi–Agra
• →Agra Fort (entry ~£6)
• →Itimad-ud-Daulah / Baby Taj (~£3)
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset Taj viewpoint (~£3)
• →Agra street-food tasting (~£5-15)

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online in advance (~£12, includes shoe covers and water; the east gate is usually quietest at opening, 30 minutes before sunrise). Get there for first light — the mausoleum is closed to visitors on Fridays. Afterwards wander Agra's wholesale sabzi mandi near the station if you want the non-touristy side of town, then take an auto or bus (~£2-3) to Fatehpur Sikri (entry ~£6) — reachable by local bus from Agra's Idgah bus stand for ~£1 or by shared taxi. Continue to Jaipur by bus (~£4-6, 4-5 hours) or train from Fatehpur Sikri/Agra Fort to Jaipur (~£4-7). Check into a guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal or in Bani Park.

🚌Auto + local bus/shared taxi ~£6; Jaipur-bound bus/train ~£6

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur ~£14

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise (~£12)
• →Agra vegetable market wander
• →Fatehpur Sikri (~£6 entry)
• →Local bus / shared transport to Jaipur

Take a local bus or auto to Amber Fort (~£1-2; entry ~£6, or a combined composite ticket ~£10 covering Amber, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Nahargarh and Albert Hall over two days — great value). Skip the group jeep and walk up the ramp or take the public shuttle. On the way back stop at Jal Mahal for photos (free) and climb to Jaigarh Fort (~£2) for the sunset view over the Pink City. In the afternoon see City Palace (~£8) and Jantar Mantar (~£3, or covered by composite), and photograph Hawa Mahal from the street or from the café opposite (Wind View Café, tea ~£1). Evening: book a Kalbeliya folk-dance dinner at a heritage haveli or one of the rooftop cultural restaurants in the old city (~£15-20), or take a Klook cooking class plus folk show (~£20).

🚌Local buses + auto-rickshaws ~£5

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur ~£14

• →Amber Fort (~£6, composite ticket ~£10)
• →Jaigarh Fort (~£2)
• →Jal Mahal viewpoint (free)
• →City Palace (~£8)
• →Jantar Mantar (~£3)
• →Hawa Mahal photo stop (free)
• →Kalbeliya folk dance dinner (~£15-20)

For the village experience, book a half-day sustainable rural village walk through a local operator (~£15-20, e.g. via GetYourGuide or a Jaipur-based community tourism outfit) — this is more respectful than the original tour's 'distribute sweets to children' stop, and money goes to the community. Back in Jaipur by midday, grab a final thali (~£3) and take the double-decker or Shatabdi Express to Delhi (~£7-12, 4.5-5.5 hours) or a comfortable Volvo bus (~£6-8). Arrive Delhi late afternoon/evening, ~£1 Metro to your onward hotel or the airport. Alternatively fly Jaipur–Delhi (IndiGo, from ~£25) if you're short on time.

🚌Train/bus to Delhi ~£10; Metro ~£1

🛏Hostel or airport hotel in Delhi ~£14 (or onward flight)

• →Rural Rajasthan village walk (~£15-20)
• →Jaipur–Delhi train or bus
• →Farewell chai and thali