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Varanasi to Agra by Road: Distance, Roads and Cab Fare

Varanasi to Agra by Road: Distance, Roads and Cab Fare

Distance

595–623 km

Travel Time

A full day each way

Route

NH19 via Prayagraj and Kanpur

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Varanasi to Agra is 595 km by road on the shortest line, NH19 through Prayagraj and Kanpur. Go round by Lucknow on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and it's 623 km. We measured both roads ourselves on OSRM. A Swift Dzire is ₹11/km and an Innova Crysta ₹16/km, and since the car drives home to Varanasi either way, a drop in Agra costs the same as the return.

Make it a circuitVrindavan, Mathura & Agra6 days · from ₹36,600

About this route

Ask three websites how far Agra is and you'll get three different answers. Here's ours, and how we got it. We ran the trip on OSRM, the OpenStreetMap route planner, from Varanasi Junction to the Taj Mahal. The shortest road is 595 km. It's NH19 for most of the way, west through Prayagraj and then Kanpur, and on into Agra. The second road heads north first. NH31 takes you up to Jaunpur, NH731 carries on through Sultanpur to Lucknow, and at Lucknow you get on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, a six-lane road of 302 km that finishes at Agra's inner ring road. Done that way it's 623 km. Longer, sure. But 302 km of it is on an access-controlled expressway with no towns to crawl through, and some of our drivers would rather do that than sit in town traffic on NH19. You pay per km, so you'll see those extra km on the bill. People ask about the Purvanchal Expressway too. It's 341 km, Lucknow to near Ghazipur, but Varanasi isn't on it and the map didn't use it for Agra. Then there's time. We're not printing an hour figure for this trip. It's a full day of driving either way, and how full depends on when you leave and how often you stop. Start early, eat on the road, reach Agra in daylight. With elders or small kids, split it at Lucknow or Kanpur. Tolls are paid at actuals and you get the receipts. We haven't put a toll amount here because we couldn't get this month's car rates from NHAI or UPEIDA, and we won't guess.

Trip Highlights

  • Measured km for both roads, not a rounded guess
  • NH19 via Prayagraj and Kanpur, the shorter road
  • Agra-Lucknow Expressway option, joined at Lucknow
  • Add Vrindavan and Mathura and make it a circuit
  • Drop at your Agra hotel or near the Taj Mahal
  • Swift Dzire, Innova Crysta, tempo traveller or Maharaja Urbania

Stops Along the Way

  1. 1

    Prayagraj

    The first big city on NH19. Leave early enough and there's time for a quick stop at the Sangam.

  2. 2

    Kanpur

    The big city on the second half of NH19. If you'd rather split the drive, this is where we'd stop for the night.

  3. 3

    Lucknow (expressway route only)

    Where the Agra-Lucknow Expressway starts. Sleep here and you do the Agra half fresh the next morning.

  4. 4

    Agra

    Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. The Taj is shut on Fridays, so don't plan your one Agra day for a Friday.

Fares by Vehicle

VehicleCapacityRound Trip (drop costs the same)
Swift Dzire (4-seater)1–4 pax₹13,090
Innova Crysta (6-seater)1–6 pax₹19,040
Tempo Traveller 12-seater6–12 pax₹28,560
Tempo Traveller 17-seater12–17 pax₹27,370
Maharaja Urbania (luxury)1–9 pax₹44,030

* Fares exclude driver allowance, tolls, parking, and 5% GST. Round-trip rates assume single-day return.

Drop only, or ending in another city? Our vehicles are based in Varanasi, so the driver comes back empty and a drop costs the same as the round trip. Staying longer or adding stops is billed on the full loop back to Varanasi at the vehicle's per-km rate, with a 250 km/day minimum, plus driver allowance. That's why most groups make it a 2–3 day circuit. See the circuits.

Travelling as a group of ten or more? Compare the 12, 17, 20 and 26-seater on our tempo traveller in Varanasi page, with fares for every route.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How far is Agra from Varanasi by road?
About 595 km. That's Varanasi Junction to the Taj Mahal on the shortest road, NH19 through Prayagraj and Kanpur. The other way goes up to Lucknow first, on NH31 and NH731, and then takes the whole expressway across to Agra. That one comes to 623 km. Other sites round these up or down, which is why the numbers never seem to agree. Mostly it comes down to which road they picked.
How long is the drive from Varanasi to Agra?
A full day, and a long one. We won't give you an hour figure, because it moves too much with the start time, the season and how many stops your family wants. What we tell people: leave before sunrise, keep the breaks short, and plan to reach Agra in daylight. If there are elders or small kids with you, split it. On the expressway road, sleep in Lucknow and do the second half the next morning. On NH19, Kanpur works the same way. Winter fog can slow the early hours a lot, so give yourself a spare evening then.
Can we add Mathura and Vrindavan to an Agra trip?
Yes, though they're not on the way in the strict sense. Coming from Varanasi you reach Agra first, and Mathura and Vrindavan sit beyond it, further up towards Delhi. So we flip the order. Our Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra circuit goes Varanasi to Lucknow, then on to Vrindavan for an evening at Prem Mandir, Banke Bihari and ISKCON the next day, Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, and Agra for the Taj on the way home. Same car and driver the whole time. It's on our circuits page with the fare worked out.
What does a cab to Agra cost, and is one way cheaper?
It's per km. ₹11 for a Swift Dzire, ₹16 for an Innova Crysta, ₹24 for the 12-seater tempo traveller, ₹23 for the 17-seater and ₹37 for the Maharaja Urbania. The table above prices the shorter road there and back, 595 km each way. Pick the expressway and you pay for the extra km. One way isn't cheaper, sorry. Our cars are based in Varanasi, so the driver comes home whether you do or not. On top you pay the driver's allowance (₹250 a day on the Dzire, ₹300 on the Innova), tolls at actuals, parking and GST.
What should we know before the Taj Mahal visit?
Check the day first. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays. Other days it opens 30 minutes before sunrise and shuts 30 minutes before sunset, and the early slot is the one we'd pick, which is one more reason to sleep in Agra rather than arrive and rush in. Tickets on the official site are ₹50 for Indian visitors and ₹1,100 for foreign tourists, and going inside the main mausoleum is ₹200 more. Night viewing runs on 5 nights a month around the full moon, 20:00 to 23:59, in small batches. We read all of this on tajmahal.gov.in. It does change, so look again before you go.
Is the train better than a cab to Agra?
For one or two people with light bags, honestly, the train usually makes more sense, and it costs far less than a cab on a trip this long. Check IRCTC for what runs on your date. A cab earns its fare when there's a big family, grandparents who can't manage station stairs, a lot of luggage, or when you want Vrindavan and Mathura on the same trip. Then the car waits for you at every temple, instead of you waiting for a train.

From our group

Starting From

₹13,090 round trip

excl. driver allowance, tolls, GST

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