Agra - Shah Jahan's highlight of 'The Golden Triangle'

:I think we can all guess at the highlight of Agra - the symbol of India - The Taj Mahal.

But Agra has other attractions to entrench its place on the tourist 'Golden Triangle' route including the magnificent fort. There is no denying that the place is tough, even for experienced travellers and the street level hassle and problems can be incredible. But give yourself a day or two, an afternoon or evening to see the Taj or the Fort, and you will get into the swing of things.

Once you know your way around and are confident in taking the cycle-rickshaws then it makes a good base for seeing Fatehpur Sikri or Bharatpur. And south from here are the great Madhya Pradesh heartlands where you can see the great fort at Gwalior or the erotic temples at Khajuraho. But nothing can compare with the Taj Mahal. And it is many peoples reason for visiting India. And when you stand on that marble platform underneath the bulbous dome and watch the sun set on the Yamuna river, you too may agree that it is the most beautiful building in the world.....

Agra is ancient.

Most famous for the muslim Moghul monuments built by the Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb - the city you see around you still has the layout from medieval times. It follows the west bank of the Yamuna river, a river that 200 miles upstream also flows through the centre of Delhi.

The tourist sights are squeezed between the Agra Fort in the north and Taj Ganj to the south. Great swathes of parkland seperate the two monuments giving Agra the impression it is as pristine as it was in Moghul times. It has ugly spots but on the whole much more spacious than I expected.

The exception to this is of course - Taj Ganj. The backpackerland grouped in the narrow streets south of the Taj Mahal. Here the persistence of the hawkers, rickshaw-drivers, beggars and salesmen reaches fever pitch and you may find yourself feeling very vulnerable. But the compensations speak for themselves - an easy walk to the Taj Mahal and often a hotel restaurant on the rooftop where you can watch the sun set on the dome while tucking into your coconut lassi.

Now for the practical stuff. Agra is on a direct line from Delhi's main station. You can do Agra as a day-trip on the Shatabadi Express but this does not give you much time. As you pull in at the station platform at Agra Cant a rush of rickshaw-wallahs will accost you and try to funnel you to their waiting vehicles. If you take them up on their offer you will end up at a hotel of their choice paying more then you should. If you ignore them and walk out of the station on the left is a pre-paid rickshaw rank.

Most of all they now have upped the entrance fee to the Taj Mahal. It has now risen to 500 rupees for foreigners (though still only 20 rupees for Indians. One of the most striking things is the gauntlet of vendors, souvenir sellers, restaurants and post-card boys near the Taj. Obviously used to the brush-off they mimicked us as we walked through, "No, go away! We don't want!"

My friend shot back.

"If you already know the answer, why ask the bloody question?"