Everybody goes to Agra for one thing – to see the Taj Mahal. The city is less crowded that New Delhi but there is still a fair amount of air pollution and traffic.

When to visit the Taj

Everything I have been told is to see the Taj Mahal at either sunrise or sunset. Well, if you come in the winter, at sunrise there is so much fog / smog that there is no point going at that time. So I visited the Taj at sunset from a point across the river and then I visited the site itself In the early morning (but well after sunrise)

Mehtab Bagh

Mehtab Bagh is a garden across the river from the Taj Mahal. There is a fee to enter (there is a fee to do anything in Agra it would seem) but it is much less than the fee to get into the grounds of the Taj. You need to take a taxi, tuk-tuk, or Ola / Uber to get here, unless you have a driver.

Lunch

One other option is to pick a restaurant for lunch that has a roof top patio (most do) that is close to the Taj Mahal. That way you can enjoy a view while you have lunch.