Fatehpur Sikri Transportation

After breakfast I took an auto rickshaw from Taj Ganj (East Gate) to the Idgah Bus Stand in Agra for Rs 70 (August 2010). I asked for the bus to Fatehpur Sikri and was directed to the right bus, a big old bus. I sat down in the bus and didn’t have to wait long before we took off. The ticket was sold on the bus and was Rs 27. The bus ride to Fatehpur Sikri took around one hour and along the way the driver often pressed a very loud horn, it was torture for the ears. In Fatehpur Sikri the bus stopped near the clock tower and bazaar, not far from Jama Masjid.

Going back to Agra I walked out to the main road between Jaipur and Agra and I was lucky as a bus arrived just as I crossed the big road. This time I paid Rs 28 (one rupee more than in the morning). Coming back to Agra I didn’t go all the way to Idgah Bus Stand. I was going to Agra Fort Station and someone on the bus told me where to go off and helped me take a shared auto rickshaw to a place near the station.

Buses run from Agra’s Idgah bus station to Fatehpur Sikri, and take about an hour (every 30-min, from 6 am to 7 pm, Rs 15). Its not possible to pre-book a bus seat- and the buses do get very crowded. So go early.. If you have luggage it can be left at the bus station restaurant. Be sure not to miss the last bus back to Agra- there will be taxis available fo return, but they will charge a ridiculous fee, knowing that you have no alternative getting back.

The easiest and quickest way of getting to fatehpur Sikri ( if you are visiting Agra) is by hiring a car & driver, or by taxi.

Its 37 km from Agra.

If you are driving from Delhi to Agra, Fatehpur Sikri can be reached without entering Agra first. There is a turnoff that is clearly marked.

Arriving at Fatehpur Sikri, cars, buses, taxis have to park over a kilometer from the entrance to the site. This is becoming normal at a number of sites in order to prevent pollution from damaging the buildings. The visitors then take an auto-rickshaw ,which runs on natural compressed gas, up the hill to the entrance.

This is the bus 'station' just below the Buland Darwaza and the mosque in Fatehpur Sikri. I took a small bus from the Idgah bus station in Agra which took about an hour and cost Rs17. The buses go when they're full and I mean full. Coming from Agra, I was asked to move up to a bench that ran away from the front windscreen which meant that I was virtually pressed right up against it!

From the Idgah bus stand in Agra you can take a bus to Fatehpur Sikri. It costed us 22 roepies per person. Busses leave every half hour. from 6.30 am to 7 pm;
The ride takes about an hour and a half.
The seats are pretty rough.

Fatehpur Sikri is connected to Agra and other neighbouring centres by UPSRTC regular bus service. It is about an hours drive (40kms) west of Agra. You can rent a car and a driver but this of course will be more expensive than a bus.

Fatehpur Sikri is definitely worth seeing and is quite easy to get to from Agra, via bus or train, check your handy travel guide.

The best way is however by bus, there are regular busses, which run between Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.