Golden Triangle Tour by Urbania Van

The Golden Triangle - Delhi, Agra, Jaipur - is the standard first tour of North India, and the standard way to get it wrong is to compress it. Sold as a three-day package it becomes three long drives with monuments attached. Given five or six days and one vehicle that stays with you throughout, it is genuinely one of the better road trips anywhere.

We run the full circuit in a Force Urbania, 9 to 17 seater, with the same driver from the first pickup to the final drop, at Rs 35 per km for the standard variants. This page is the practical plan: distances, a day-by-day itinerary, what it costs, and where groups usually go wrong.

The Circuit and Its Distances

The triangle is roughly 720 km of driving before you add local sightseeing. Direction matters less than most people think, but Delhi to Agra first is the conventional order and it puts the longest single leg - Agra to Jaipur - in the middle when the group has settled in.

With local running in all three cities, a five-day tour typically totals 950 to 1,100 km. That is the number your per-km quote is built on.

A Five-Day Itinerary

Five days is the shortest version we would recommend to anyone. It gives each city one proper day and does not put a monument and a long drive on the same afternoon.

Day 1 - Delhi

Old and New Delhi: Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk in the morning, then Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar and India Gate. Akshardham if the group still has energy in the evening. The van covers a lot of ground on this day, which is exactly why doing it by taxi is a false economy.

Day 2 - Delhi to Agra

Depart 6:00 AM on the Yamuna Expressway, at the Taj Mahal by 9:30. Agra Fort after lunch, Mehtab Bagh at sunset. Overnight in Agra. Details of this leg are on our Delhi to Agra page.

Day 3 - Agra to Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri

The best day of the tour and the one most three-day packages cut. Fatehpur Sikri in the morning - the abandoned Mughal capital, and quieter than anything in Agra - then on to Jaipur via Bharatpur, arriving early evening.

Day 4 - Jaipur

Amber Fort early, before the crowds and the heat. City Palace and Jantar Mantar after lunch, Nahargarh for sunset, and the old city markets in the evening. See our Delhi to Jaipur page for more on the city.

Day 5 - Jaipur to Delhi

A slow morning, a late checkout, and departure by early afternoon on NH-48. Delhi by evening, with a drop at your address or the airport.

The Six-Day Version

One extra day is the best value addition to this tour, and there are three good ways to spend it.

• A second day in Jaipur - Jaigarh Fort, Albert Hall, and time in the markets without watching the clock. The most popular choice.
• Mathura and Vrindavan - added to the Delhi-Agra leg, which sits almost directly on the route.
• Ranthambore - roughly 180 km from Jaipur, for a safari morning. This really needs two extra days rather than one to be worth the drive.

Groups travelling with children or with anyone over seventy should take the six-day version regardless of which addition they pick. The extra day is mostly rest, and it is what determines whether people enjoy day five.

Golden Triangle Tour Rates

Multi-day tours are quoted on the per kilometre plan with a minimum running of 250 km per day. That is the fair way to price a circuit like this - a fixed package either overcharges a tight itinerary or squeezes the operator on a generous one.

Per kilometre rates

On roughly 1,000 km of running for a five-day tour, this gives the base vehicle cost. Driver allowance, tolls, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh state entry taxes, parking and driver accommodation are added at actuals and itemised before you pay a deposit.

Per day packages

If you would rather have a fixed daily figure, the 250 km / 16 hour package can be applied per tour day, and it already includes toll, state taxes and fuel. Ask us for both and take the lower - we will do the comparison for you. Full details on the rate page.

Which Urbania for the Circuit

Five or six days of luggage is real luggage. Book one size above your headcount - it is the piece of advice groups most often ignore and most often mention afterwards.

Family of 8 to 10

The 12 seater Urbania at Rs 35 per km. The most common Golden Triangle booking we run.

Group of 12 to 16

The 16 seater at Rs 38 or the 17 seater at Rs 40. Extended families and friend groups take these, and the per-head cost over six days is very low.

Smaller group, premium trip

The 9 seater Maharaja Urbania at Rs 50 per km. On a tour with four separate long drives, the wider seats and deeper recline are worth the difference.

If you are weighing the Urbania against a cheaper vehicle for a multi-day circuit, the Force Urbania vs tempo traveller comparison is the honest version of that argument.

Where Golden Triangle Tours Go Wrong

• Three-day packages. Three days means three long drives and about four usable hours per city. It is the most common complaint we hear from groups who did it with someone else.
• Skipping Fatehpur Sikri. It sits almost exactly on the Agra-Jaipur road and adds two hours. Cutting it saves nothing and removes one of the best sites on the circuit.
• Late starts. Both the Taj Mahal and Amber Fort are transformed by arriving before 10:00 AM. Every itinerary above is built around that.
• Travelling in May and June. Agra and Jaipur both regularly exceed 42 degrees, with very little shade at either fort.
• A Friday in Agra. The Taj Mahal is closed. Build the itinerary around that before you book hotels.
• Changing vehicles between cities. A cheaper quote sometimes means a different van and driver on each leg. Ours stays with you throughout, which matters when luggage lives in the boot.

What the Fare Includes and Excludes

Included

• The vehicle and fuel for the full circuit distance.
• One driver for the whole tour, from first pickup to final drop.
• Vehicle documentation, permits and insurance.
• Local sightseeing running in all three cities.

Not included

• Driver allowance - Rs 700 per day for the 9, 12, 13 and 16 seater; Rs 800 for the 17 seater and Maharaja.
• Driver accommodation where the hotel does not provide it.
• Tolls and state entry taxes for Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• Parking at every monument on the circuit.
• Hotels, meals, guides and monument tickets - we are a vehicle operator and would rather you booked those directly than paid us a margin on them.

How to Book the Tour

• Tell us the dates, group size and how many days. We will say if the plan is too tight.
• We build the itinerary and quote. Day-wise plan, estimated running, and every extra itemised.
• Deposit confirms vehicle and driver for the full circuit.
• Driver details before departure, with the vehicle number.
• Travel. Same van, same driver, the whole way round.

Call +91 87507 89405 or message us on WhatsApp. For October to March, two to three weeks' notice is sensible.

Related Pages

• Delhi to Agra by Urbania van - the first leg in detail
• Delhi to Jaipur by Urbania van - the return leg in detail
• Urbania van on rent in Agra
• Urbania van on rent in Jaipur
• Urbania van rental rates - full published price list