Located 25 miles west of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri is a superb day trip, a 16th-century "ghost city" built by Emperor Akbar. The emperor shifted the capital of the Mughal Empire from Agra to this spot in 1570, building palaces from white marble and red

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Located 25 miles west of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri is a superb day trip, a 16th-century "ghost city" built by Emperor Akbar. The emperor shifted the capital of the Mughal Empire from Agra to this spot in 1570, building palaces from white marble and red sandstone. But after just 14 years, he abandoned the city for lack of water; in the early 17th century, a plague swept through, forcing the remaining inhabitants to desert. The result is a city so beautifully preserved that it appears as if it were built yesterday and awaits inhabitation. It's divided into two sections, residential and religious; ramparts enclose three sides, while the fourth opens onto the dry lakebed that proved to be the city's doom. The palaces, mosques, and tombs are exquisitely carved and lack the wear and tear of many Indian monuments. And, being a bit off the beaten track, the site is relatively free of crowds (mornings are sublimely peaceful).

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