Best Time to Visit Agra and the Taj Mahal

Quick answer

October to March is the best time to visit Agra. Days are 22–33 °C, the Taj Mahal's marble is comfortable to walk on, and sunrise light is reliable outside the foggy weeks of late December and January. Avoid April to June, when afternoons pass 40 °C. The Taj is closed every Friday, so build that into any plan.

Month-by-month at a glance

Jan22°Good
Feb26°Best
Mar32°Best
Apr38°Fair
May42°Avoid
Jun41°Avoid
Jul35°Fair
Aug33°Fair
Sep33°Fair
Oct33°Best
Nov29°Best
Dec24°Good

BestGoodFairAvoidTemperatures are average daily highs (°C).

Agra weather, crowds and what to expect

Monthly weather, crowds and our verdict
Month	High / Low	Rain	Crowds	What to expect
JanuaryGood	22° / 7°	15 mm	high	Coldest month; dense fog some mornings can hide the Taj until 10 am.
FebruaryBest	26° / 10°	15 mm	high	Clear skies and Taj Mahotsav (18–27 February).
MarchBest	32° / 15°	10 mm	medium	Warm, clear mornings; Holi in the old city and nearby Mathura.
AprilFair	38° / 21°	5 mm	low	Hot by 11 am; see the Taj at opening time.
MayAvoid	42° / 27°	10 mm	low	Marble terraces too hot to stand on by midday.
JuneAvoid	41° / 29°	60 mm	low	Heat and dust storms until the monsoon breaks.
JulyFair	35° / 27°	210 mm	medium	Monsoon; green gardens, humid, weekend crowds from Delhi.
AugustFair	33° / 26°	250 mm	low	Wettest month; dramatic skies, slippery marble.
SeptemberFair	33° / 24°	150 mm	low	Humid; rains ease late in the month.
OctoberBest	33° / 19°	25 mm	high	Clear air after the rains; festive-season crowds.
NovemberBest	29° / 13°	5 mm	high	Ideal temperatures; smoke haze from crop burning on some days.
DecemberGood	24° / 8°	5 mm	high	Busy holiday weeks; fog risk rises after mid-month.

Long-term monthly averages. Individual years vary — check a forecast in the week before you travel.

Festivals and events in Agra

18–27 February every year
Taj Mahotsav
A ten-day crafts, food and music fair at Shilpgram, near the Taj's East Gate.
Five nights around each full moon, except Fridays and Ramzan
Full-moon night viewing
Thirty-minute slots between 8:30 pm and 12:30 am, sold a day ahead at the ASI office on Mall Road.
Three days in the Islamic month of Rajab (early January in 2027)
Urs of Shah Jahan
The lower crypt with the real graves opens, and entry is free during set hours.
Around 22 March 2027
Holi
Colour play in the old city; Mathura and Vrindavan, about 60 km away, celebrate for a week.

When is the best time to visit Agra?

Between October and March. Mornings are cool, the Taj Mahal's marble platform is comfortable underfoot, and you can cover Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daulah and Mehtab Bagh in one day without wilting. February and March are the most reliable months for clear sunrise light.

Month by month

October–November. Post-monsoon air is usually clear in October. In November, smoke from crop burning in Punjab and Haryana sometimes drifts across, softening the Taj into a haze on bad days.

December–January. Peak family season and the coldest weeks. Fog can blanket the Yamuna until 10 am, so a sunrise visit might show you only white. Keep a second morning free if the photograph matters.

February–March. Clear and warm. Taj Mahotsav runs 18–27 February at Shilpgram, and Holi brings colour to the old city.

April–June. Afternoons cross 40 °C. Enter at opening time, about 30 minutes before sunrise, and be back in your hotel by 11 am.

July–September. Monsoon greenery and fewer foreign groups, but humid and sticky. Wet marble is slippery, so use the shoe covers handed out at the mausoleum.

Timing your Taj Mahal visit

The Taj is closed every Friday. At the time of review, entry for Indian adults is ₹50, plus ₹200 if you want to go inside the main mausoleum; children under 15 enter free. Buying online on the ASI portal skips the ticket queue. Weekends and long weekends draw big crowds from Delhi, so a Tuesday-to-Thursday visit is calmer.

Full-moon night viewing is sold only a day ahead and in small batches. Treat it as a bonus, not the plan.

Plan the rest

Use things to do in Agra to fill the day after the Taj, and where to stay in Agra to choose between Taj Ganj and Fatehabad Road. Agra is usually done as part of the Golden Triangle with Delhi and Jaipur.

Frequently asked questions

Which day is the Taj Mahal closed?

The Taj Mahal is closed every Friday, when the mosque inside the complex is open only for afternoon prayers. On other days it opens about 30 minutes before sunrise and closes about 30 minutes before sunset. Plan a Friday in Agra around Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri or Itimad-ud-Daulah instead.

Is fog a problem for seeing the Taj Mahal in winter?

It can be. From mid-December to late January, dense fog sometimes hides the Taj until mid-morning. The visit is still worthwhile, but sunrise photographs may be grey. If you are travelling in these weeks, stay two nights so you get a second chance at a clear morning, and keep an afternoon for the view from Mehtab Bagh.

How much is the Taj Mahal ticket for Indians?

At the time of review, Indian adults pay ₹50 to enter the complex, plus ₹200 to go inside the main mausoleum. Children under 15 enter free. Foreign nationals pay ₹1,100 plus the same ₹200. Fees are set by the ASI and the Agra Development Authority and are revised occasionally, so check the official ticketing site before you go.

Is summer a bad time to visit Agra?

For most travellers, yes. From April to June, afternoon temperatures reach 40–44 °C and you walk on marble that heats up quickly. If summer is your only window, enter at opening time, finish by 10:30 am and spend the afternoon indoors, then go to Mehtab Bagh for the sunset view across the river.

How we checked this page

Last reviewed 28 October 2026

Written and fact-checked by the Elitech Travels editorial desk in New Delhi, drawing on our consultants' day-to-day booking work and the official sources below. Rules, fares and fees change — always confirm anything critical with the issuing authority before you travel. Our editorial policy.