The former Mughal capital at Fatehphur Sikri

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
1
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
2
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
2
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
57 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
311th/454
Top 70%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$20 ($10-$20 in 2020 prices)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Ancient ruins Islamic site Palaces
All Tags
UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

Just outside of Agra (the Taj Mahal) is the very underrated and magnificent fortified ancient city of Fatehphur Sikri.   It was the former capital of the Mughal Empire, which dominated nearly all of South Asia for almost 200 years before the arrival of the British, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Stuffed with palaces, mosques and wow architecture it is also without the intense crowds found elsewhere in the main Indian tourist.

 

You’re obviously not going to visit India just for this, but I highlighly recommend tagging it onto a Golden Triangle + Rajasthan itinerary.  For the itinerary and tips on how to get the best out of the trip, see the far more details travel entry for India’s Golden Triangle – getting the most out of it.

 

And see below how I see the best spots nearby.

 

Highlights

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Seeing the huge 16th Century Jama Masjid Mosque as you walk through the entrance to the main courtyard

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#2 Exploring the various long corridors and getting quite quickly away from the crowds of the busier parts of the site

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#3 Getting to wander through the former palaces and gardens, with their quite unusual architecture

How does Fatehphur Sikri fit into a Golden Triangle / Rajasthan trip?

 

As a long term Indian traveller, I see the Golden Triangle + Rajasthan as the clear highlight of India.  Exotic deserts, magnificent forts and a feeling of adventure.  Plus the highest concentration of wow highlights anywhere in India.

 

If first time visitor and assuming you fly into Delhi, I would prioritise this way:

#1 Jodhpur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The Blue City: a maze of indigo houses beneath one of India’s greatest forts.  Magnificent and the highlight of Rajasthan.  See the travel entry for tips – Jodphur’s Blue City.

#2 Taj Mahal (Agra) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The most beautiful building in the world, and surprisingly emotional to see in person.  Lives up to the hype.

#3 Udaipur – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ India’s most romantic city, all lakes, palaces and sunset views. A boat trip along the lake is magical. The Lakeside and Palaces of Udaipur.

#4 The Chand Bawdi Step-well ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – the world’s deepest step-well at 30m / 100ft, 3500 steps across 13 stories and is magnificent.  Visit as part of the drive through to Jaipur.

#5 Jaisalmer ⭐️⭐️ – A golden desert fortress and camel safaris into the Thar Desert.  Jaisalmer and camel desert safari.

#6 Fatehphur Sikri ⭐️⭐️ – former capital of the Mughal Empire and vastly underrated site.  Jaisalmer and camel desert safari.

Delhi – GASH.  Give yourself half a day as you will fly into here, but don’t prioritise. Delhi.

Jaipur – GASH.  The Pink City is a big disappointment and not in the same league as the above. Don’t bother.

 

For all the tips on these places and a recommended Golden Triangle + Rajasthan itinerary, see the travel entry India’s Golden Triangle – getting the most out of it.

 

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other Historic abandoned Sites around the World

Machu Picchu
⭐⭐⭐

Best way to see Chichen Itza from Cancun
⭐⭐⭐

Cycling around Angkor Wat
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cycling around the Temples of Bagan
⭐⭐⭐

Exploring Petra in winter
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking the Lost City Trek
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Seeing the Pyramids of Teotihuacan
⭐⭐

A day for the former Vietnamese Capital of Hue
Gash

Hoi An’s Old Town, An Bang Beach and the ruins of My Son
⭐⭐⭐

Day trip to the Plain of Jars
Gash

Visiting Stonehenge
⭐

The Palaces of Mysore
Gash

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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