A hotel built around a view
Mughal-inspired design: the hotel borrows from the palaces of the Mughals, with arcades, domed pavilions, terraced fountains and reflecting pools.
The gardens: water runs in channels down through terraces, as in a Mughal charbagh, the four-part garden of paradise.
- Group
- Oberoi Hotels and Resorts
- Distance
- About 600 metres from the Taj
- Inspiration
- Mughal palaces and gardens
- Taj closed
- Every Friday, for prayers at its mosque
- The pool: a long swimming pool at the foot of the terraces, with pavilions along its side.
- The view: rooms and suites look towards the Taj Mahal. Higher floors see more of it.
- The buggies: the hotel runs its own buggies to the eastern gate, so you avoid the drive and the parking.
- The mood: hushed, formal and calm. The whole hotel is arranged so the monument stays at the centre.
The monument across the gardens
The story: Shah Jahan built the Taj as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631.
The building: white Makrana marble from Rajasthan, inlaid with semi-precious stones in floral patterns, known as pietra dura or parchin kari.
- Built
- From 1632, complex finished about 1653
- Built by
- Shah Jahan, for Mumtaz Mahal
- Architect
- Usually credited to Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
- UNESCO
- World Heritage Site since 1983
- The height: about 73 metres to the finial, set on a raised platform with four minarets.
- The garden: a four-part charbagh with water channels, laid out in front of the tomb.
- The light: the marble changes colour through the day, which is why a hotel with a view matters so much.
- Go deeper: our Taj Mahal guide walks the complex gate by gate.
Choosing your room
A high floor: our first request, for a fuller view over the trees to the dome.
A suite with a terrace: for a honeymoon, an anniversary or a once-in-a-lifetime visit.
- Every room
- Looks towards the Taj
- Our usual ask
- A high floor
- For an occasion
- A suite with a terrace
- Book ahead for
- October to March and festive weeks
- For families: nearby or connecting rooms, requested early.
- For one night: a room ready on arrival, so you can be on the balcony for sunset.
- Book early: the hotel fills from October to March, especially at Christmas and New Year.
- Our honest view: the view is the point. If you are staying three nights and want space more than the view, consider ITC Mughal.
Dining with the Taj in view
Bellevue: the all-day restaurant, with a terrace that faces the Taj. Breakfast here is one of the great hotel breakfasts in India.
Esphahan: the Indian restaurant, for Mughlai and Indian dinners in a calm, elegant room. It is small and serves dinner, so book ahead.
- The bar and terrace: a drink at sunset as the dome turns gold and then grey.
- What to order: Mughlai dishes such as slow-cooked dal, kebabs and biryani, a taste of the city Shah Jahan built.
- Agra's sweet: try petha, the translucent candied ash-gourd that Agra is famous for.
- Outside the hotel: our Agra food guide covers the city's best food.
- Restaurants change: we confirm venues and book your table when we plan your stay.
Spa, pool and the hours between
The pool: long and calm, at the foot of the terraces. Perfect after a dawn at the Taj.
The spa: the hotel has a spa. We book a treatment for the afternoon of your sunrise visit.
- The midday rule: Agra is hot and crowded at noon. Keep those hours for the hotel.
- A balcony afternoon: a book, tea and the dome in front of you.
- Evening: the terrace, as the monument fades into the dark.
Sunrise at the Taj, the Amarvilas way
- Remember Fridays: the Taj is closed to visitors every Friday. Our piece on the Friday closure explains how we plan around it.
- More detail: our journal piece on the Taj Mahal at sunrise has every step.
Before dawn
Wake early: tea in your room, warm clothes in winter.
- The buggy: the hotel buggy takes you to the eastern gate, a few minutes away.
- Your guide: meets you there with the tickets ready.
At opening
Through the gate: the great red sandstone Darwaza frames the first view of the tomb.
- The garden: walk the central channel as the light changes.
- The tomb: climb the platform before the crowds, and see the inlay up close.
After the visit
- Breakfast: back at Bellevue, with the Taj you have just walked through in front of you.
- Rest: the pool and a nap before Agra Fort.
Agra beyond the Taj
Agra Fort
What it is: Akbar's great red fort of 1565 to 1573, about two kilometres up the river.
- Why go: the marble pavilions where Shah Jahan spent his last years, looking towards the Taj.
- Open on Fridays: unlike the Taj.
Itimad-ud-Daulah
- What it is: the marble tomb built by Nur Jahan for her father, often called the Baby Taj.
- Why go: some of the finest inlay in Agra, and very few visitors.
Mehtab Bagh
- What it is: a Mughal garden on the opposite bank of the Yamuna, on the Taj's axis.
- When: the last hour before sunset. Open on Fridays.
Fatehpur Sikri
- What it is: Akbar's red sandstone city, about an hour away.
- How: on the way to Jaipur, or as a morning from Agra.
One night at Amarvilas, hour by hour
Arrive by early afternoon: from Delhi by fast train or road, or from Jaipur by road.
Afternoon: Agra Fort, or Itimad-ud-Daulah if you prefer quiet.
- Sunset: Mehtab Bagh across the river, or your own balcony.
- Dinner: Esphahan, booked ahead.
- Dawn: the buggy to the eastern gate and the Taj at opening.
- Breakfast: at Bellevue, with the dome in view.
- Late morning: a swim, then the road to Jaipur by way of Fatehpur Sikri.
Before you walk into the Taj
Carry very little: security is strict, and food, many electronics and large bags are not allowed. We brief you on the current rules the night before.
Wear soft shoes: you walk a long way on stone and marble, and shoe covers are used on the main platform.
- Closed
- Every Friday
- Best hour
- Opening time, then the last hour of light
- Allow
- Two to three hours
- Enter by
- The eastern gate, closest to the hotel
- Book a good guide: the inlay, the calligraphy and the garden plan only come alive when someone explains them.
- Be patient at the bench: everyone wants the famous photograph. Walk on and come back when the crowd moves.
- Respect the mosque: the red sandstone mosque on the west side is a place of prayer, which is why the Taj closes on Fridays.
How to read a Mughal garden
The charbagh: a garden divided into four by water channels, an image of the gardens of paradise.
Running water: channels, fountains and falls cooled the air and filled the garden with sound.
- The axis: everything lines up on a central view. At the Taj, the axis runs from the great gate to the tomb, and on across the river to Mehtab Bagh.
- Pavilions: domed shelters gave shade and a place to sit beside the water.
- At Amarvilas: the hotel borrows this language of terraces, channels and pavilions, so the gardens feel like an echo of the monument.
- At Humayun's Tomb: the first great Mughal garden tomb, in Delhi, is the ancestor of the Taj's garden.
Two nights at Amarvilas
Day one, arrival and the river
Afternoon: check in, then Itimad-ud-Daulah.
- Sunset: Mehtab Bagh across the river.
- Dinner: Esphahan.
Day two, the Taj and the fort
Dawn: the Taj at opening.
- Breakfast: Bellevue.
- Afternoon: the pool, then Agra Fort in the late light.
Day three, onward
- Morning: a second look at the Taj, or the marble workshops.
- Then: Fatehpur Sikri and the road to Jaipur.
Agra's crafts, bought well
Parchin kari: marble inlaid with semi-precious stones in flowers and vines, the technique of the Taj.
How to judge it: fine work has tight joints, stones cut to follow the curve of each petal, and colour that glows when a torch is held to it.
- Carpets and dhurries: woven in and around Agra, from fine silk to flat cotton weaves.
- Petha: Agra's candied ash-gourd sweet, sold in dozens of flavours.
- Our rule: we take you to makers we know. We never take commission, and we never let a driver choose the shop.
What most visitors miss
The Taj at night: from your balcony, the dome holds a pale glow long after sunset.
The inlay at the Baby Taj: many people think it is even finer than the Taj's.
- The marble workshops: families in Agra still practise parchin kari inlay. We take you to makers we know, never commission showrooms.
- The river: walk to the Yamuna bank near Mehtab Bagh and watch the birds as the light fades.
- The second visit: a midday look at the Taj after your sunrise visit shows its carving in a completely different light.
Honeymoons, proposals and milestones
Honeymoons: a suite with a terrace, breakfast on the balcony and the Taj at dawn together.
Proposals: we plan the moment around the view from your room or terrace, rather than in the crowds of the monument.
- Anniversaries: a private dinner and a sunset drink on the terrace.
- Family milestones: a big birthday with three generations at breakfast, the dome in front of everyone.
- Tell us early: the hotel can arrange flowers and small touches when it knows the occasion in advance.
When to stay at Amarvilas
October and November: warm days and clear light, a lovely season for the Taj.
December and January: cool, often misty mornings. Some sunrises are lost in fog, so a second morning is good insurance.
- Best months
- October to March
- Misty mornings
- December and January
- Hottest
- April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September, dramatic skies
- Busiest
- Christmas, New Year and long weekends
- February and March: spring, with Taj Mahotsav, Agra's crafts festival, usually in February. We confirm the dates each year.
- April to June: very hot. Sunrise visits only, and long afternoons by the pool.
- The monsoon: heavy skies and green gardens, and some of the most dramatic Taj light of the year.
- Month by month: our best time to visit Agra guide has more.
Who will love Amarvilas, and who won't
First-time visitors: the Taj from your room and a calm sunrise visit.
Honeymooners and couples: breakfast with the dome in view and a terrace at sunset.
- Photographers: the light on the marble from dawn to dusk, without leaving your balcony.
- One-night guests: the easiest way to see the Taj at its best on a tight schedule.
- Families: children are welcome, though the hotel's strength is the view rather than space to run.
- You may not love it if: you want large grounds, a lively atmosphere or the best value. It is the most expensive hotel in Agra by some distance.
- Alternatives: for space and gardens, ITC Mughal. Our Agra hotels guide compares them all.
How Amarvilas fits our journeys
The classic Golden Triangle: our six-night route gives Agra one or two nights here.
Rajasthan with the Taj: our eleven-night journey adds the Taj to Rajasthan's palaces.
- Honeymoons: Amarvilas is a highlight of many of our Rajasthan honeymoons.
- The Oberoi trail: pair it with The Oberoi, New Delhi, The Oberoi Rajvilas and The Oberoi Udaivilas.
- On to Jaipur: our journal piece on Agra to Jaipur via Abhaneri shows the road west.
Getting to Amarvilas
From Delhi by train: the fast morning trains take under two hours. We meet you on the platform at Agra.
From Delhi by road: three to four hours on the expressway.
- From Delhi
- Three to four hours by road, under two by fast train
- From Jaipur
- About four hours by road
- Nearest big airport
- Delhi
- To Fatehpur Sikri
- About an hour
- From Jaipur: about four hours by road, with Abhaneri or Fatehpur Sikri on the way.
- To Bharatpur: the bird sanctuary at Bharatpur is about an hour west, on the road to Jaipur.
- At the hotel: the buggies take you to the Taj's eastern gate.
What we tell friends before they stay
Avoid Fridays for the Taj: it is closed to visitors. Plan your night for any other day.
Book a high floor: for the fullest view.
- Book Esphahan ahead: it is small and serves dinner.
- Pack light for the Taj: security is strict, and many items are not allowed inside. We brief you the night before.
- Bring a warm layer: winter sunrises are cold.
- Take two mornings in winter: fog can hide the first sunrise.
- Buy marble inlay only from makers: never through a driver's recommendation.