Yoga, Ganga & Taj Mahal — Self-Launched Golden Triangle, Haridwar & Rishikesh

Arrive at IGI Airport and take the Airport Express Metro (approx £1.50) or an Uber/Ola to a hostel or guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh — both are well placed for the metro and cheap eats. Start with Jama Masjid (free entry, £2 camera fee), then walk or ride a cycle rickshaw through the chaos of Chandni Chowk (negotiate ~£2–3 for 30 minutes). Continue to Rajghat, then take the metro to Central Secretariat for a free walk-by of India Gate, Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan along Kartavya Path. Finish with the metro to Qutub Minar (£3 entry) in the late afternoon light. Optional: Akshardham Temple and evening light show (~£24, book direct or via Klook).

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£1.50; Delhi Metro day of hops ~£2; cycle rickshaw ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Paharganj or Karol Bagh (~£12/night)

• →Jama Masjid
• →Chandni Chowk cycle rickshaw ride
• →Rajghat
• →India Gate & Kartavya Path walk
• →Qutub Minar

Book a morning train to Jaipur in advance on IRCTC — the double-decker or Shatabdi takes about 5 hours and costs roughly £6–10 in chair car. From Jaipur Junction, take an auto-rickshaw to your guesthouse in the old city (approx £1.50). In the afternoon, take a local bus or shared auto to Galta Ji (Monkey Temple), a free-entry stepwell-and-springs complex in a valley with resident macaques — go before 4pm for quieter light. Then hit Birla Temple (Laxmi Narayan Temple), free entry, glowing white marble at sunset. Evening: walk the bazaars of Johari Bazaar and grab a thali for £3–4.

🚌Delhi–Jaipur train ~£8; autos and local bus ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in old Jaipur (~£18/night)

• →Galta Ji Monkey Temple
• →Birla (Laxmi Narayan) Temple
• →Johari Bazaar wander

Beat the heat by taking a local bus or shared auto to Amber Fort for opening at 8am (entry ~£5.50, or ~£2.50 for the composite ticket if you buy the combined monument pass). Climb on foot or take the free-ish path rather than an elephant ride. Pick up a government-approved guide at the gate if you want context (~£10 shared between a few travellers). Come back via Jal Mahal for a photo stop, then see Hawa Mahal from the street-side café (no ticket needed) or from inside (~£2.50). After lunch, do the City Palace (~£7) and Jantar Mantar (~£2.50) which are a two-minute walk apart. Finish with textile and gemstone shopping in Bapu Bazaar — haggle hard, starting at a third of the asking price. Optional: Jaipur by night jeep safari (~£32) or a homestay dinner (~£28).

🚌Local bus/shared auto to Amber ~£1.50; autos around town ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in old Jaipur (~£18/night)

• →Amber Fort
• →Hawa Mahal photo stop
• →City Palace Jaipur
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Bapu Bazaar shopping

This is the awkward leg without a private car. The most practical independent option: take an early train or bus to Bharatpur/Alwar side, or simpler, take the direct Jaipur–Agra train (about 4–5 hours, £4–8) and do Abhaneri and Fatehpur Sikri as a shared-taxi detour from the Agra side, or hire a driver for the day via a local agency / GetYourGuide for around £35–45 shared between two. Doing it as a full-day road transfer (Jaipur → Abhaneri → Fatehpur Sikri → Agra) takes 7–9 hours; split a car with other travellers you meet in Jaipur and it's about £20 each. Chand Baori (Abhaneri) stepwell entry is ~£3 and genuinely worth the detour — 3,500 steps in a geometric pit. Harshat Mata Temple is next door and free. Fatehpur Sikri is ~£6 with the bus from the parking lot to the gate ~£1. Arrive Agra late and eat at a rooftop near Taj Ganj for £4–5.

🚌Shared private car Jaipur–Abhaneri–Fatehpur Sikri–Agra ~£20 per person; or train £6 plus shared taxi

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Taj Ganj (~£14/night)

• →Chand Baori stepwell
• →Harshat Mata Temple
• →Fatehpur Sikri

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online in advance (approx £12 for foreigners, plus £2.50 for the main mausoleum). Arrive at the East Gate before opening to be in the first wave — the light and the near-empty courtyard are the whole point. Allow 2–2.5 hours. Walk the 20 minutes to Agra Fort (entry ~£6.50) and spend an hour or two in the Mughal red-sandstone complex with its views back towards the Taj. Afternoon options done independently: a cooking class with a local family (~£25–30 via GetYourGuide or AirBnB Experiences), a one-hour Ayurvedic massage (~£20 at a local spa rather than the hotel rate), or yoga with a Taj view (some Taj Ganj rooftops run drop-in sessions for ~£5–10). Evening: Kalakriti's Mohabbat Taj show if you fancy it (~£32 direct).

🚌Walking and autos ~£3

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Taj Ganj (~£14/night)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Agra Fort
• →Optional cooking class or Ayurvedic massage

Take an early train from Agra to Haridwar — there are direct overnight and daytime services on the Delhi–Haridwar line (8–10 hours, sleeper ~£5, 3AC ~£12). Book on IRCTC well ahead. Alternatively take a fast train to Delhi (2 hours) and then the Vande Bharat or Shatabdi to Haridwar (4.5 hours, ~£8–12). Dump your bag at a guesthouse near Har Ki Pauri, then head down to the ghats for the evening Ganga Aarti — free, but arrive 45 minutes early to get a spot on the steps and consider renting a small boat for a river-level view (~£3 shared). Buy a floating diya for £0.50. Eat at a simple veg dhaba for £2–3 — Haridwar is dry (no alcohol) and largely vegetarian.

🚌Agra–Haridwar sleeper train ~£8 (or via Delhi ~£12); autos ~£2

🛏Guesthouse near Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar (~£12/night)

• →Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri
• →Ghat walk and floating diya

Ride the Mansa Devi ropeway in Haridwar in the morning (~£3 return) for the temple and views over the Ganges plain — queue early. Then take a shared auto or local bus to Shanti Kunj Ashram (~£1), the vast gayatri-focused ashram on the edge of town, free to enter, mornings are calmer. In the afternoon hop a shared auto or the local bus to Rishikesh (45–60 minutes, ~£1) and check into a guesthouse in Laxman Jhula or Tapovan. Book a drop-in yoga class for the evening directly with any of the studios in Laxman Jhula — expect £4–8 for a 90-minute Hatha class. Eat at a rooftop café over the river for £5–6.

🚌Mansa Devi ropeway ~£3; shared auto Haridwar–Rishikesh ~£1.50

🛏Guesthouse in Laxman Jhula or Tapovan, Rishikesh (~£14/night)

• →Mansa Devi Temple ropeway
• →Shanti Kunj Ashram
• →Drop-in yoga class by the Ganges

Join a sunrise yoga session at one of the ashrams or studios — Parmarth Niketan runs open classes for a small donation, and many Laxman Jhula studios charge £4–8. Then visit Parmarth Niketan Ashram itself (free entry, respectful dress) and walk across the Ram Jhula footbridge. In the afternoon, take a shared auto or walk to the Beatles Ashram (Chaurasi Kutia) — the graffiti-covered former Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ashram where the Beatles stayed in 1968; entry ~£3, and it's a great spot to sit and read. End the day at Triveni Ghat in central Rishikesh for the evening Ganga Aarti (free, ~6pm, arrive early). Optional extras booked direct: a half-day rafting trip on the Ganges (£15–20) or a white-water/hike combo.

🚌Walking and shared autos ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Laxman Jhula or Tapovan, Rishikesh (~£14/night)

• →Sunrise yoga session
• →Parmarth Niketan Ashram
• →Beatles Ashram
• →Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat

Take a shared auto or taxi to Haridwar Junction (~£8–10 for a taxi, £1.50 shared), then the Vande Bharat or Shatabdi train to Delhi (about 4.5 hours, £8–12) — it dumps you at New Delhi station, from where the Airport Express Metro reaches IGI in 20 minutes (~£1.50). If you're flying out the same day, allow a large buffer: Indian trains run late and Delhi traffic is Delhi traffic. If you have hours to spare, store your bag at New Delhi station and squeeze in Humayun's Tomb (~£6) or a last bowl of chole bhature in Paharganj.

🚌Shared taxi to Haridwar ~£3; Haridwar–Delhi train ~£10; Airport Express Metro ~£1.50

🛏None (departure day)

• →Transfer day
• →Optional Humayun's Tomb if time allows