Self-Launched Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra & Jaipur in 5 Days
5 days · India (Golden Triangle)
Turban Adventures charges £450
No-markup version: ~£212 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A backpacker-priced, self-launched version of Turban Adventures' 5-day private Golden Triangle tour. You'll hit the same headline sights — Old Delhi's bazaars and Jama Masjid, Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar, sunrise at the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, the Chand Baori stepwell, and Jaipur's Amber Fort, City Palace and Hawa Mahal — but using trains and local transport instead of a private car and driver, and hostels/guesthouses instead of tour hotels. Everything is bookable yourself: trains on IRCTC, monuments via the ASI e-ticket site, and optional local guides through GetYourGuide or on arrival. Costs are rough per-person estimates in GBP and exclude international flights, insurance and India's e-visa.
Day-by-day
Arrive Delhi — ease in around Paharganj or Karol Bagh
New Delhi
Land at Indira Gandhi International and take the Airport Express metro to New Delhi station (~£1.50, 20 mins) or a prepaid taxi (~£5) to a hostel or guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Unlike the tour's included airport meet-and-greet, you'll arrange your own transfer — it's easy and cheap. Spend the afternoon gently: grab chai and street food, get a local SIM/eSIM sorted, buy a rechargeable Delhi Metro card, and book your onward train tickets on IRCTC if you haven't already. Evening wander through the lit-up lanes near Connaught Place.
🚌Airport Express metro or prepaid taxi from IGI Airport
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Paharganj/Karol Bagh (£10–15)
- →Airport Express metro into the city
- →Evening walk around Connaught Place
- →Sort Metro card, SIM and IRCTC train bookings
Old & New Delhi highlights — self-guided by metro and cycle rickshaw
New Delhi
Do the tour's big Delhi day independently. Start early at Raj Ghat, then walk or take the metro to Jama Masjid (~£0.30 entry, camera fee extra) and explore Chandni Chowk's spice and silver lanes on foot. Take a cycle rickshaw to Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and volunteer or eat at the langar kitchen (free, donations welcome). Have a chai-and-snack stop at a local shop. Afternoon: metro to Qutub Minar (entry ~£5.50 for foreigners) and Humayun's Tomb (~£5.50), then see India Gate and drive/walk past Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament. Optional: book a 2–3 hour Old Delhi food or heritage walk via GetYourGuide (~£15). Budget ~£8 for an auto-rickshaw/metro day pass and short hops.
🚌Delhi Metro day pass plus a few auto-rickshaw hops (~£6–8 total)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Paharganj/Karol Bagh (£10–15)
- →Raj Ghat
- →Jama Masjid & Chandni Chowk
- →Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib & langar kitchen
- →Qutub Minar
- →Humayun's Tomb
- →India Gate & Rajpath drive-past
- →Optional GetYourGuide Old Delhi food walk
Delhi to Agra — Taj Mahal at sunset, Agra Fort and Baby Taj
Agra
Take an early Gatimaan Express or Vande Bharat train from New Delhi/Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (1h50, ~£8–12, book on IRCTC). Drop bags at a Taj Ganj guesthouse, then explore on foot and by auto. Visit Agra Fort (~£6.50), cross the river to Itimad-ud-Daulah 'Baby Taj' (~£3), and see the Taj Mahal at sunset (~£13, closed Fridays). If you'd rather do sunrise, swap to tomorrow morning — arrive early for the East Gate queue. Optional licensed local guide for Agra Fort and the Taj via GetYourGuide (~£20 for half a day, or split with other travellers).
🚌Gatimaan Express / Vande Bharat train Delhi–Agra (~£8–12), plus autos in Agra (~£4)
🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse or hostel near the Taj East Gate (£12–18)
- →Train to Agra
- →Taj Mahal at sunset
- →Agra Fort
- →Itimad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj)
- →Optional local guide via GetYourGuide
Agra to Jaipur via Chand Baori and Fatehpur Sikri
Jaipur
If you did sunset yesterday, consider a cheap early-morning Taj view from Mehtab Bagh (~£3) instead of a second entry. Then travel to Jaipur: the simplest budget route is a train to Jaipur Junction (Agra Fort–Jaipur, ~4–5h, ~£4–6) and a local bus or shared taxi detour to Chand Baori stepwell in Abhaneri (~£2–3 each way from the Sikandra/Bandikui side, or a private taxi for ~£25 split between travellers). Many backpackers instead take a shared taxi/driver for the Agra–Fatehpur Sikri–Abhaneri–Jaipur run for ~£40 divided by 3–4 people. Arrive Jaipur, check into a hostel in the old city near Hawa Mahal, and eat dal baati churma for dinner.
🚌Agra–Jaipur train (~£5) plus shared taxi/bus to Chand Baori (~£8–12)
🛏Old City hostel dorm or guesthouse, Jaipur (£9–15)
- →Mehtab Bagh Taj viewpoint (optional)
- →Chand Baori stepwell, Abhaneri
- →Optional Fatehpur Sikri stop
- →Old City evening wander in Jaipur
Jaipur full day — Amber Fort, City Palace, Hawa Mahal — then back to Delhi
Jaipur → New Delhi
Hire a scooter, take local buses or use autos to cover Jaipur. Start at Amber Fort (~£7 combined ticket) and hike up rather than taking the elephant ride — the elephants are widely considered ethically problematic and the walk is only 15 minutes. Stop at Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell (free) and Jal Mahal for photos, then return to the old city: City Palace (~£8), Jantar Mantar (~£2.50) and Hawa Mahal (~£2.50). Do a free-form heritage wander through the pink bazaars (or join a GetYourGuide Bazaar walk, ~£12). Late afternoon, catch the double-decker or a regular train Jaipur–New Delhi (~5h, ~£5–8) to be back in the capital for your onward flight.
🚌Autos/bus in Jaipur (~£5), Jaipur–New Delhi train (~£6) or Volvo bus (~£8)
🛏Not included — overnight near Delhi Airport if your flight is early, or continue onward (£12–20)
- →Amber Fort (walk up)
- →Panna Meena ka Kund
- →Jal Mahal photo stop
- →City Palace
- →Jantar Mantar
- →Hawa Mahal
- →Old City heritage bazaar walk
Self-launched vs. Turban Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Turban Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£212 | £450 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £238 per person (53%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Turban Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£212
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 Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra & Jaipur in 5 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £212 per person for 5 days in India (Golden Triangle). 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 Turban Adventures?+
Yes — Turban Adventures charges around £450 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £212 — a saving of roughly £238 (53%) per person.
How long is the India (Golden Triangle) trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through India (Golden Triangle).
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, city-breaks, budget trip through India (Golden Triangle), 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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