Daily hours, Friday closures, night viewing — exactly when you can and can't visit.
Quick Answer
Because the Taj Mahal opens at sunrise and closes at sunset, the exact hours shift with the season. As a rough planning guide:
| Period | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| October – February (winter) | 06:30 | 18:00 |
| March – April (spring) | 06:00 | 18:30 |
| May – June (summer) | 05:45 | 19:00 |
| July – September (monsoon) | 06:00 | 18:45 |
The Taj Mahal complex contains a working mosque on the western side, and Friday is reserved for the noon congregational (Jumu'ah) prayer. ASI closes the entire complex to tourists for the day so that prayers can take place without interruption. If you only have Friday in Agra, see Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daulah and Mehtab Bagh instead, then return to the Taj the next morning.
Night viewing happens on the full moon and 2 nights either side, in 50-person batches of 30 minutes between 20:30 and 00:30. Tickets must be bought from the ASI office at 22 Mall Road in Agra at least 24 hours ahead — they are not sold online or at the Taj gates. The full Ramadan month is excluded each year.
The headline trick is to arrive 30 minutes before opening at the East gate. Tour groups concentrate at the West gate, while East stays calm. You clear security in the dark, walk through the gardens as the sun comes up, and reach the platform with the marble glowing pink. By 09:00 it's packed.
Source: tajmahal.gov.in (ASI). Times may shift slightly with the official sunrise/sunset for the day.
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