Hotels near Humayun's Tomb

Empress Bega Begum commissioned this mausoleum for the second Mughal emperor between 1565 and 1572, making it the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent and the first to use the char bagh plan of four quartered gardens. The red sandstone structure and its 42.5-metre white marble dome became the direct architectural model for the Taj Mahal some 80 years later. UNESCO lists it as Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.

The wider complex contains more than 100 Mughal graves and rewards the full circuit. Isa Khan's octagonal tomb, just inside the entrance, predates the main mausoleum by 20 years and is usually empty. Entry costs INR 40 for Indian citizens and INR 600 (about EUR 6.50) for foreign visitors under the separate foreign-visitor tier, with children under 15 free. Open sunrise to sunset daily. Ninety minutes is fair; photographers will want longer.

Pro Tip: Get in within the first hour after opening and turn left to Isa Khan's tomb before walking to the main platform. You will have the great dome almost to yourself, and the low sun reads the sandstone as orange rather than flat brown.