Your chauffeur meets you at Delhi (DEL) arrivals and the tour begins the same afternoon. First stop is the Qutub Minar, the 73-metre 12th-century victory tower, followed by the serene lotus-shaped Bahá'í House of Worship, an open-air, low-energy start that beats jet lag without throwing you into crowds.

By late afternoon you transfer to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway, arriving in the evening. The night drive is deliberate: it puts you at the Taj Mahal gate for next morning's sunrise, when the marble is softest and the queues shortest.

You enter the Taj Mahal at first light with your guide, as the mausoleum shifts from pink to pearl-white, the single best hour to see and photograph it. Allow two unhurried hours inside the complex.

After breakfast you drive to Jaipur, pausing at the UNESCO ghost-city of Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned red-sandstone capital, about an hour along the route.

You reach the Pink City by evening, in time for a Rajasthani thali dinner and folk performance at Chokhi Dhani if you wish.

The morning belongs to the honey-coloured Amber Fort above Maota Lake; inside, the Sheesh Mahal mirror hall is the highlight (jeep ascent included; elephant rides optional and seasonal).

Back in the old city you photograph the five-storey Hawa Mahal facade and visit Jantar Mantar, the 18th-century royal observatory, with time for a block-print or gemstone stop.

By early afternoon you begin the drive back to Delhi for your onward flight, your chauffeur delivers you to the airport or hotel.