Agra

Visiting the Taj Mahal was a highly anticipated part of our trip in India. Although we've seen countless photos, entering through the gates to see the marble dome emerge is breathtaking and a surreal experience - even with the hordes of tourists! We don't usually accept guides but thought if we were going to do it, the best place is here - so we opted for the $2 audio guide tour.

The Taj Mahal is surrounded by lush green gardens with a view of the Yamuna River. Inside the Taj Mahal is the final resting place of Shah Jahan and his favourite wife, and there's the distinct feeling of peace. No photos are allowed inside, but the intricate detail is unbelievable. The entire room is decorated with thousands of flowers made out of individually cut coloured rock, with each flower consisting of 50-100 separate pieces.

Our hotel roof top restaurant gave a spectacular view of the Taj, and every morning we woke thinking, is it getting closer? Never getting use to the grandeur of this amazing building.

Gwalior

Gwalior is a sleepy, laidback town, built up around the looming Gwalior Fort which was a major player in the Indian Uprising of 1857. Within the fort is Man Mandir Palace. Beneath the palace is a maze of twisting corridors leading to an array of basement floors including a dungeon which is now occupied by thousands of bats!

Gwalior is not a major stop on the tourist route and we didn't see any other westerners during our stay there. Our main reason for stopping here was to work around the train timetables, but it proved to be a nice change from the hustle of the big cities and tourist spots.