The Golden Triangle is where the world starts India, and for good reason: in one neat loop it strings together the three cities that hold the country’s greatest hits. But do it badly — crammed into a rushed day trip — and it blurs. Do it in three days, and it breathes.

This is that version. You’ll taste imperial Delhi, stand before the Taj Mahal as the sun turns it gold, walk the red ramparts of Agra Fort, pause at Akbar’s ghost-city of Fatehpur Sikri on the road west, and lose an afternoon among the honeycomb palaces of pink-walled Jaipur. Two comfortable nights, your own air-conditioned car for the whole loop, and a local guide waiting in each city — born where you’re standing.

It’s the perfect first trip: enough to feel India’s north properly, short enough to slot into any itinerary, and endlessly flexible. Want a sunrise Taj, an extra Jaipur night, or a heritage hotel? Just say so.