How to View the Taj Mahal at Night – Complete Guide(2024)

“Taj Mahal” – No words can describe the beauty of this monument of eternal love. Being born in Agra, the first time I saw the Taj Mahal was when I was 14 years old. Since then I have visited it almost every other year. Just a day before the lockdown in 2020 as well I visited the Taj Mahal. I have been mesmerized by its beauty every time I visit it.

The best time to see the Taj Mahal would be either during sunrise or sunset, but if one has to see a completely different Taj Mahal it has to be at night. Yes, at night, and this happens only 5 days a month. The Taj Mahal is open on the full moon day and two days before and after.

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Update: The ASI has made the the availability of tickets online since May’23 check the process below

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You might wonder how one can book tickets for the night view.

Where to book the Taj Mahal Night view tickets

The tickets are available one day before the night view and should be physically booked by going to the ASI office in Agra, between 10 am and 6 pm. Now there’s a catch to this because only 400 tickets are sold for a day and the timings start from 8:30 pm until 12:30 am. A tourist is only allowed in batches of 50 people and only for 30 mins. 

But the bigger catch is how one gets a ticket a day before because some people only get to know about it once they reach Agra or people usually visit Agra on a single-day trip from Delhi or other nearby places. The tickets can also be obtained only after one has provided a Xerox copy of the ID proofs. 

So then how does one get the tickets if they are not in Agra? Well, what you can do is either ask a friend or family which might not be possible in the case of a majority of people. What you can do is ask a tour agent to get the tickets on your behalf. He might charge a little more but you are sure of getting the ticket.

ASI Office Address: Archaeological Survey of India (A.S.I.) 22, Mall Road, Agra

Is the ticketing process at the ASI fair?

The first time I got the tickets was with the help of a tour agent but recently(Aug 22) when I planned to visit the Taj Mahal I thought of getting the tickets myself. Another friend I had made at the hostel and I decided to go and get the tickets by ourselves. We were at the ASI office sharp at 10:10 am and there were close to 10 people ahead of us in the queue since I had not got the copy of the ID proof. I asked my friend to stand in the queue, meanwhile, I went to get a copy of my ID.

I was back in 20-25 mins and to my surprise, only 2 tourists were done submitting the documents. Now the first hiccup in the process is the tickets are printed manually so typing down all the tourist names does take time and the process is really slow.

The second issue was that both the people who had submitted the documents were tour agents. Now the issue is they had submitted documents for almost 60-70 people. Now when we saw this all the people ahead of us were tour agents and one of them was even looking for 50 tickets which is absurd.

If the tour agents get all the tickets then it is unfair to all the tourists who are making the effort of going and getting the tickets by themselves. Meanwhile, our number had come and it took close to 2 hours for that to happen. Now the tourists who were behind us started raising their voices against the tour agents and how they can take so many tickets. There was a lot of chaos and the ASI superintendent was also present there and tried to resolve the issue. 

The tour agents are also right if they don’t come and buy the tickets the night view tour would barely have any tourists going for it. But I feel they should regulate the number of tickets a tour agent can buy or prioritize the tourist who comes and stands in the queue. This is for the ASI to see how they can make things better!

Update May’23: Glad ASI did something about it and made the online availability of the Taj Mahal Night view tickets, see the full procedure below.

Taj Mahal Night View Ticket Price

The Ticket price for the night view is a lot different than the normal day price. And here are the prices for the night view of the Taj Mahal for different nationalities

Adult – Indian	Rs 510
Adult – Foreigner	Rs 750
Child(3-15 years) – Indian/Foreigner	Rs 500

Taj Mahal Night view dates 2024

Now let’s discuss the dates for which one can view the Taj Mahal at night. Let me inform you another thing the Taj Mahal is closed on Friday for the whole day and night. The night view of the Taj Mahal is also closed during the month of Ramzan. The below table shows the date for the full moon in the upcoming months:

Full Moon Day	Month	Dates the night view of the tour wil be open
25th Jan'24(Thursday)	January	23,24,25,27
24th Feb'24(Saturday)	February	22,24,25,26
25th Mar'24(Monday)	March	Closed due to Ramzan
23rd Apr'24(Tuesday)	April	21,22,23,24,25
23rd May'24(Thursday)	May	21,22,23,25
21st Jun'24(Friday)	June	19,20,22,23
21st Jul'24(Sunday)	July	20,21,22,23
19th Aug'24(Monday)	August	18,19,20,21,22
18th Sep'24(Wednesday)	September	16,17,18,19
17th Oct'24(Thursday)	October	15,16,17,19
15th Nov'24(Friday)	November	13,14,16,17
15th Dec'24(Sunday)	December	14,15,16,17

How to book the Taj Mahal Night view tickets online – Complete Process

ASI finally made the changes to their process and one can now book the Taj Mahal Night view tickets by themselves online. Sharing with you all how to book the tickets online, follow the below step-by-step process:

• Step 1: The booking portal for the Taj Mahal Night view ticket: https://asi.paygov.org.in/asi-webapp/#/ticketbooking. Ticket booking is allowed only 7 days before the full moon day. You can choose the date and time of the slot you want to book, similar to the image shown below.
  
• Step 2: Once you have selected the date and time slot you will be taken to the next screen, Where you have to fill in your personal details like Name, Age, Email ID, No of persons, and ID proof.
  
• Step 3: Once you have completed the above step, you then need to fill in your family details and also upload their respective documents. Once this is done you will then be redirected to the payment page and you can then make the payment through UPI or Debit/Credit card.
  
• Step 4: You will then get your tickets on your email ID and you need to carry the same on the date of the Taj Mahal Night view. A person can only book tickets for 5 Adults and 3 kids. If you want to book more tickets you then need to repeat the same process 2 or more times
  

Everything you need to know before visiting the Taj Mahal

Listed below is some of the most important information you need to know before visiting the Taj Mahal at night.

• One has to report at Shilpgram at the East Gate of the Taj Mahal 30 minutes before the scheduled time on the ticket – Direction(Shilpgram).
  Note: Please do not go on any other gates because the security checks are done on this gate only for Taj Mahal night view.
• The Shilpgram has a parking lot and police officials will guide you to the Taj Mahal in battery-operated vehicles.

• Please report 30-40 mins before the time on the ticket.
• You are only allowed to go until the big gate at the Taj Mahal and nowhere closer to the Mausoleum.
• The biggest shock is you are not allowed to carry your mobile during the night tour.
• Sharing with you a list of all the items that are not allowed,
  – Mobile Phones
  – Drone Camera
  – Any type of eatables
  – Video Cameras
  – Tripods
  – Batteries

 Don’t worry they do provide the lockers so all your belongings are safe.

• Coming to what type of cameras are allowed, one can take a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. Even a GoPro is allowed. But yes they will remove the tripod in the GoPro stick. I also saw someone use a monopod but not sure if one is allowed to take it.
• You will not see the Taj Mahal and the full moon in the same frame, the moon is always above us and the light illuminates the Taj Mahal.
• Keep a check on timings sometimes the police officials do end up sending everyone back even before the 30 minutes are completed.

Here’s another blog that highlights the best spots to see the Taj Mahal in Agra.

You can also view the Taj Mahal from the Taj View Point ADA but since the Moon is directly opposite to you and thus a completely dark Taj Mahal is seen. Keep this as your last resort if you are unable to get the tickets.

This was your complete guide on how to see the Taj Mahal at night. Requesting everyone to take their DSLR cameras because this is once in a lifetime opportunity. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or drop a comment.

If you are looking for a tour agent to help you with the tickets you can contact Vishal.

Contact no: 9910084810

They also organise other tours around Agra so do check: Taj Luxury Tours

FAQs about viewing the Taj Mahal at night

Can I visit the Taj Mahal at night?

• Yes, as said above in the guide, it is open on full moon day and 2 days before and after. It is closed on Fridays and during the month of Ramzan

Which camera to take during the night view of the Taj Mahal?

• You can take a DSLR, Mirrorless, or a GoPro. Mobiles are strictly prohibited

How much is the Taj Mahal night view ticket price

• It’s 510 for Indian adults, 750 for Foreigners, and 500 for Kids between the age of 3-15(Foreigner/ Indian)