The Taj Mahal opens at night on only five nights a month: the night of the full moon and the two nights on either side of it. Viewing runs in eight half-hour slots, with up to 50 people in each, so about 400 people can see it per night. It does not happen on Fridays or during the month of Ramzan. Tickets cost ₹510 for Indian adults, ₹750 for foreign adults and ₹500 for children aged 3 to 15, according to the official Taj Mahal site. You can book through the ASI online ticket portal or at the Archaeological Survey of India office at 22 Mall Road, Agra, and the official FAQ says to buy at least a day before.
This is a different visit from a daytime one, and it helps to know exactly how it works before you build a trip around it.
How the five nights are chosen
The schedule follows the lunar calendar. Each month the ASI publishes the nights: the full-moon night plus two before and two after. If a Friday falls in that window, it is dropped, so some months have only four nights. During Ramzan, the Muslim month of fasting, there is no night viewing at all. In 2026 and 2027 Ramzan falls mostly in February and March.
The planner on our home page estimates the full-moon window for any month from the lunar cycle. That estimate can be off by a day, so always confirm the official dates before you book a train or hotel around them.
How the slots work
The official night-viewing page gives the hours as 8:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., while the Agra district site says 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Go by the time printed on your ticket. Each slot lasts 30 minutes.
The official instructions are to report to Shilpgram, near the east gate, half an hour before your slot for the security check, and to carry ID. From there the group is taken to the gate together and walked to the viewing area. When your 30 minutes are up, staff lead the group out and the next one comes in.
Where you stand
This is the part that surprises people. Night visitors do not walk through the garden. By every account we have, you stay on the red sandstone platform by the main gateway, a few hundred meters from the tomb, and look at it across the gardens and the long water channel.
From there the whole building is in view, framed by the dark garden, and on a clear night the dome holds the moonlight in a way that photographs badly and looks lovely in person. But you will not get closer, you will not enter the mausoleum, and there is no strolling around.
Buying a ticket
There are two routes. The official night-viewing page points to the ASI online ticket portal, and the ASI office at 22 Mall Road, Agra, sells tickets in person during office hours. The official FAQ says tickets must be bought a day before the viewing date, and the office is where to go if a name or date on a ticket needs fixing. Bring the passport or ID of every person on the ticket, since the details are checked at the gate.
| Price per person | |
|---|---|
| Indian adults | ₹510 |
| Foreign adults | ₹750 |
| Children aged 3 to 15 | ₹500 |
Prices are from the official Taj Mahal site in November 2026. Slots sell out on popular nights, particularly the full-moon night itself and any weekend night in winter. If you can, go to the office as soon as you arrive in Agra.
If you plan to buy at the office, you need to be in Agra the day before your viewing night. Either way, a night-viewing trip from Delhi is at least an overnight stay, since the last slot ends around midnight.
What you cannot bring
Night viewing has stricter rules than a day visit. The official dos and don'ts say that everything banned during the day is banned at night as well, and add mobile phones, video cameras and extra batteries. A still camera is allowed after a security check. Tripods are not.
So leave your phone at the hotel, or with someone not going in. That is harder than it sounds if you rely on your phone for tickets, maps and a ride back. Write down the name and phone number of your hotel and your driver on paper before you go.
The day rules also apply: no food, no tobacco or lighters, no chargers, no large bags. See the full list.
Photographing the Taj at night
With a distant subject, low light and no tripod, night photography here is hard. A camera with a zoom lens and good high-ISO performance does best. Rest the camera on your bag or on the railing, use a fast shutter speed you can hold steady, and take many frames. Expect grain. Don't expect the bright, sharp, starry images you may have seen, which were usually taken under special permission or with a lot of editing.
More on settings in our photography guide.
Moonlight and haze
How the Taj looks at night depends on the sky. On a clear winter night with a high moon, the marble takes on a pale blue glow. On a hazy night in October or November, it can look like a soft shape in the dark. A rising full moon is low and orange early in the evening, which lights the marble less than a moon higher in the sky later. The later slots therefore often look brighter, though they also mean a later night.
Tickets are not refunded because of clouds or haze.
Alternatives if you can't get a slot
If night viewing is sold out or doesn't fit your dates, you still have options. Mehtab Bagh, across the river, has a good view of the Taj at sunset and closes when the sun goes down. Several hotel rooftops in the Taj Ganj area look toward the dome and are open in the evening. Neither is the same as being inside the complex at night, but both give you the Taj in low light without the logistics.
Who it suits
Night viewing suits people who have already seen the Taj by day, or will the next morning, and want a second, quieter look. It suits less well those with one evening in Agra, small children who will be tired by 10 p.m., or anyone hoping to get close to the building. Plan the daytime visit first and add the night if the dates line up.
Questions
Can I walk up to the mausoleum at night?
No. Night visitors stay on a viewing area near the main gateway, at the far end of the garden from the tomb. You see the whole building across the gardens and water channel, but you do not walk the garden or climb onto the marble platform.
Is night viewing worth it?
It depends on what you want. It is short, the tomb is far away, and on a hazy night the marble glows rather than sparkles. People who go expecting a quiet, unusual view usually enjoy it. People expecting a close-up, moonlit walk are often disappointed. It works best as an extra on top of a daytime visit.
What happens if it is cloudy?
Viewing usually goes ahead regardless of the sky, and tickets are not refunded for clouds or haze. The monument has some lighting at the edges, but it is not floodlit, so a cloudy night means a dimmer view.