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Agra
is connected to Delhi by a daily Indian Airlines flight taking 30
minutes to reach the city.
It continues to Khajuraho
(35 minutes) and then to Varanasi (40 minutes), from where it returns
the same day.
Kheria Airport is located
6 km from the city center. Flights are on Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday,
Sunday.
At the Clarks Shiraz
Hotel, the Indian Airlines office is located. Or the Sita world
Travel, north side of Sadar Bazaar also does booking. It is open
daily from 10 am to 1.15 pm and from 2 to 5 pm.
Taxis and auto-rickshaws are available
at fixed rates.
More
information can be had from:
Indian Airlines Office,
Kheria Airport Tel: 361241, 361142; Airport In charge Tel: 268453;
City Booking Office, Hotel Clarks Shiraz Tel: 360948; Pre-recorded
information Tel: 142
Agra
has several Railway stations. Agra Cantonment, Idgah, Agra Fort,
Yamuna Bridge (across river), Agra city (north of the town) and
Raja Ki Mandi (northwest of old Agra). Agra Cantonment Railway station
is the main terminal, southwest of the city and at the west end
of the Mall, running toward Taj Ganj.
Excellent
train service is also available such as Shatabadi (2hours), Taj
Express (2 ½ hours) and the Intercity Express (3 hrs.). Shatabadi
also connects Agra to Gwalior, Jhansi and Bhopal. Other connections
are the Karnataka Express (New Delhi-Bangalore), the Jhelum Express
(Jammu Tawi-Pune) and the Toofan Express (New DelhiCalcutta).
The
fastest train between Delhi and Agra is the daily air-con Shatabdi
Express.
More
information can be had from:
Agra Cantt Railway Station, Inquiry Tel: 131, 132, 364516, 364517;
Reservation Tel: 364244; Raja-ki-Mandi Railway Station Tel: 133,
53737; Agra Fort Railway Station, Inquiry Tel: 364163; Reservation
Tel: 364131
For those who want to enjoy the ride, Agra
is connected to all major Indian cities by excellent roads.
Agra has the national highway numbers 2, 3, 11 passing through
it. So the premier tourist destination of India is also well linked
by bus services to other places in the State as well as outside
the state.
The state transports have deluxe as well as ordinary bus
services for the place. There are conducted tours which take tourist
not only to Agra but the near by tourist spots too. Express bus
services (some air-conditioned) are available from Delhi, Jaipur,
Lucknow, Gwalior and Jhansi.
Most buses leave from the Idgah bus station. Buses between
Delhi and Agra operate about every hour. To: Ajmer, Bikaner,
Delhi, Gwalior, Jaipur via Bharatpur, Jhansi, Mathura, Udaipur.
Buses to Varanasi start at Agra Fort Bus Stand, southwest of the
fort. There are deluxe buses between Agra and Jaipur every half
an hour.
The tariff equals that of second class rail fares
For driving down from Delhi, the best route is by Mathura
Road via Faridabad, Vrindavan and Mathura. There are excellent rest
houses with catering facilities interspersed on the highway every
50 to 75 kilometers. The midway point, Kosi, has an ITDC motel with
fast food facilities and a restaurant.
Local Transport : Almost
all the activity in Agra is concentrated within a 5 km radius of
the Taj Mahal. Most hotels conduct sightseeing tours. Auto-rickshaws
and taxis are freely available and their rates depend on the distance
covered. Intercity buses also operate on a point to point basis.
Coaches and taxis can also be hired from various travel agencies.
Un-metered auto-rickshaws, tongas and cycle rickshaws are easily
available.Their rates are negotiable.
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