Taj Mahal Ticket Price 2026: What You'll Actually Pay

Indian citizens pay ₹50 for the Taj Mahal, SAARC and BIMSTEC nationals pay ₹540, and other foreign nationals pay ₹1,100. Each group pays an extra ₹200 to enter the main mausoleum. That makes the Taj Mahal ticket price ₹250 in total for Indians, ₹740 for SAARC/BIMSTEC visitors and ₹1,300 for other foreigners.

Those are the base numbers. A few extra charges, one weekly closure and a ticket portal that older blog posts get wrong are what usually trip people up, so read on before you pay anyone.

Taj Mahal Entry Fee at a Glance


Entry + main mausoleum	₹250 (Indian) · ₹740 (SAARC/BIMSTEC) · ₹1,300 (other foreign)
Open	30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes before sunset
Closed	Fridays for general visitors
Location	Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on the south bank of the Yamuna
Time to allow	About two to three hours (our suggestion, not an official figure)
Official helpline	1363

Fees and hours can change by government notification. The official Agra district page says the ASI online portal shows current rates, so check it before you travel.

What Is the Taj Mahal, and Why Does Entry Cost Differ?

Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal in 1631 in memory of Mumtaz Mahal. It took about 17 years and some 22,000 artisans to complete. The complex includes the mausoleum, a mosque, a guest house and formal gardens.

India runs tiered pricing at many protected monuments, so the Taj Mahal entry fee depends on your nationality. The ₹200 mausoleum add-on was introduced to reduce crowding on the main structure. A ₹50 ticket lets you walk around the complex and see the Yamuna riverfront at the back, but not enter the main mausoleum.

What Is the Taj Mahal Ticket Price for Indians, SAARC and Foreign Visitors?

Visitor category	Entry ticket	Main mausoleum add-on	Total
Indian citizen	₹50	₹200	₹250
SAARC / BIMSTEC national	₹540	₹200	₹740
Other foreign national	₹1,100	₹200	₹1,300

Source: Agra district administration tourist page (agra.nic.in), which says fees are subject to ASI/ADA revision.

Beyond the table, four details affect what you pay:

Foreign visitors also pay the ADA toll. The ₹500 Agra Development Authority toll is valid for the same day across the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s Tomb and Itimad-ud-Daulah. The same page says it is not levied on Fridays. Confirm the current toll when you book.
Foreign tickets include small extras. Free shoe covers and drinking water come with foreign tickets. You don’t need to buy them from anyone outside.
Children are free below 15. The official Taj Mahal site says there is no entry fee for children under 15, Indian or foreign.
Night viewing is a separate ticket. One third-party source lists ₹750 for foreigners and ₹510 for Indians. We couldn’t confirm this on an official page, so verify it with ASI.

A warning on conflicting numbers. Some third-party sites list the foreign base ticket as ₹1,300 before the mausoleum fee, which gives a ₹1,500 total. The official Agra page lists ₹1,100 + ₹200. If a site’s total doesn’t match the table above, check the ASI portal.

Taj Mahal Timings and Best Time to Visit

The monument opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes before sunset. Ticket windows open an hour before sunrise and close 45 minutes before sunset. Because sunrise moves through the year, the actual clock times shift with the season.

The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays for general visitors, and opens only to people attending prayers at the mosque. If you only have one day in Agra, don’t make it a Friday.

For the best light and thinner crowds, go at the opening. One sunrise guide suggests arriving 45 to 60 minutes before the gates open to be among the first inside. Winter mornings can be foggy, so check the forecast if the view matters to you.

Full-moon night viewing runs 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM on the full-moon night and the two days either side, except Fridays and during Ramzan, on a separate ASI ticket. One guide says these tickets are sold at the ASI Agra Circle office, 22 The Mall, between 10 AM and 6 PM, so you can’t buy them at the gate that evening. Check this with ASI.

How to Book Taj Mahal Tickets Online or at the Counter

Online. The official Agra page gives the ASI portal as asi.paygov.org.in and says online tickets carry a small discount. The usual flow is to pick your visitor category, enter your details (passport details for foreign visitors), pay, and download an e-ticket with a QR code.

Several older guides name a different payment domain. If a link doesn’t match the one on the official Agra page, treat it with caution and start from the government site instead.

At the gate. Ticket windows and cloak rooms are at the Eastern and Western Gates. Counters are cash and queue dependent, so booking online usually saves time.

A note on resellers. “Skip-the-line” listings are usually guided tours or packages with the operator’s own pricing. They can be convenient, but compare them against the official fee so you know what you’re paying for. For problems with an official ticket, the tourist helpline is 1363.

How to Reach the Taj Mahal

Starting point	Most practical option	Notes
Delhi	Train or road to Agra	Fast trains take roughly two hours. By road, expect around three to four hours depending on traffic.
Within Agra	Taxi, auto or e-rickshaw to a gate	Motor vehicles can’t go to the monument itself, so you finish on foot or by battery vehicle.
By air	Fly into Delhi and continue by train or road	Agra’s own airport has limited service, so check current flights.

These are general travel times, so confirm train schedules and road conditions before you go.

A non-emission zone of about 500 metres surrounds the monument, so your taxi will stop at a parking area and you’ll walk or take a battery vehicle. Battery buses and golf carts are free with the foreigner’s entry ticket.

What to Expect: The Visitor Experience

Your day starts at a security checkpoint. Guides report two screening points, and rejected items are handed back or sent to the cloakroom, so travel light. Once through, you pass under the great red sandstone gateway, and the Taj Mahal appears framed in the arch. It is one of the best-known moments in travel, and it works better if you’re not fumbling with a bag.

Past the gate, the long central pool runs toward the mausoleum. At sunrise, when the water is still, it can hold a mirror image of the dome. Further along you reach the raised marble platform, where you must remove your shoes or wear the provided paper covers. Shoe racks are free below the mausoleum.

Inside the chamber, the queue is the main cost of that ₹200 ticket. It is a short, hushed walk past the cenotaphs, and photography isn’t allowed there. Many visitors find the quiet gardens, the mosque and the riverside terrace at the back more memorable than the interior.

What Surprises First-Time Visitors

Compiled from official pages and visitor guidance, not first-person visits.

The cheapest ticket doesn’t get you inside. The ₹50 ticket stops short of the chamber, so budget for the ₹200 add-on if you want to enter.
The South Gate is commonly reported as exit-only. Plan your entry at the East or West Gate.
Water is allowed, but only in a transparent bottle. Foreign visitors get a free bottle anyway.
The ticket and the toll are separate. Foreign visitors should budget for the ADA toll on top of the entry fee.
Friday catches people out. Check the weekday before you book hotels or trains.

Rules, Safety and Accessibility at the Taj Mahal

Visitor guides consistently list these restrictions:

Large bags and backpacks, food, tobacco and lighters, sharp objects, tripods and drones are not allowed.
Photography is allowed in the gardens, but not inside the mausoleum chamber.
Cloakrooms near both main gates hold larger items.

On accessibility, wheelchairs are available at the entry gates. One guide adds that battery-operated vehicles carry elderly and disabled visitors from the entrance toward the monument. Ask at the gate about current availability.

Nearby Attractions and How to Combine Them

Agra’s other Mughal sites make an easy second stop:

Agra Fort: another UNESCO World Heritage site, just a few kilometres away.
Itimad-ud-Daulah: a smaller tomb often called the “Baby Taj.”
Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandra and Fatehpur Sikri: both further out, so plan them as a half-day or full-day trip.

For foreign visitors, the ADA toll covers the same day across several of these sites, so grouping them saves money. One guide also says a same-day Taj ticket may give a reduced entry elsewhere in Agra. We couldn’t confirm this officially, so check at the counter.

Sample One-Day Budget

Fixed fees are official. Every other line is a rough planning allowance, not a quote.

Item	Indian visitor	Foreign visitor
Taj Mahal entry + mausoleum	₹250	₹1,300
ADA toll	Not applicable	₹500 (verify)
Agra Fort (separate ticket)	Check current fee	Check current fee
Local transport and food	Varies by choice	Varies by choice
Fixed Taj costs	₹250	₹1,800

Taj Mahal Ticket Price FAQs

What is the Taj Mahal ticket price for Indians?

Indian citizens pay ₹50 for entry, plus ₹200 if they want to go inside the main mausoleum, so ₹250 in total. Children under 15 are free.

How much is the Taj Mahal entry fee for foreigners?

Other foreign nationals pay ₹1,100 plus ₹200 for the main mausoleum, a total of ₹1,300. Foreign visitors also pay a separate ₹500 ADA toll, so confirm the current rate when you book.

Is the main mausoleum included in the ticket?

No. The base ticket covers the grounds, and entering the main mausoleum needs the ₹200 add-on. You can still walk the gardens and the riverside without it.

Can I book Taj Mahal tickets online?

Yes. The official Agra page gives the ASI portal as asi.paygov.org.in and says online tickets carry a small discount. Always check that you are on the official government site.

Is the Taj Mahal closed on any day?

Yes, it is closed to general visitors on Fridays. The mosque opens to worshippers for Friday prayers.

What are the Taj Mahal timings?

It opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes before sunset, so the times shift with the seasons. Night viewing is limited to full-moon nights and the two days either side.

Can I take a bag, food or a tripod inside?

Large bags, food, tobacco, tripods and drones are not allowed, and you can use a cloakroom at the gates. A transparent water bottle is permitted.

Conclusion

The Taj Mahal ticket price is easy to work out once you know your category: ₹250 for Indian citizens, ₹740 for SAARC and BIMSTEC visitors, and ₹1,300 for other foreign nationals, all including the ₹200 main mausoleum add-on. Foreign visitors should also budget for the separate ADA toll.

Book through the official ASI portal, skip Fridays, and arrive at opening for the best light. Fees and timings can change, so confirm them on the portal or by calling 1363 before you travel.

Planning more of Agra? See our guides to [Agra Fort ticket price] and [Delhi to Agra day trip] to build the rest of your itinerary.