The Taj Mahal

The eastern light is beautiful at dawn. One of the things you notice immediately is the symmetry

While only under a half day's drive from Delhi, Agra feels like a different world. We visited the Taj at dawn when the light is the best and the crowds are merely in the hundreds. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child. Shah Jahan is entombed next to her. It was commissioned in 1632 and took 22,000 laborers about 10 years to build. We couldn't take pictures inside, but it's the outside that's magical, right? We arrived early, at about 6:30 or 7:00 to take advantage of the eastern sun. It was already crowded; I can't imagine how crowded it must get later in the day.

Some of the exquisite inlay.

Stunning

Our guide made sure we got this lovely photo

Notice the fashionable booties. You either had to take your shoes off or wear these over them

This is the mosque on the grounds, facing east

I had read that the monkeys at the entrance to the Taj are particularly bold and that they've been known to swipe purses. I don't know if that's true, but although they were hovering, none were that bold with us.

I still have to pinch myself that I was actually there!

➜ Top Tips

• Go early in the morning for the best light.

• You can go on your own, but we appreciated having a guide who gave us interesting information.