Agra, Taj Mahal for couples: sunset and golden hour by date

For fifteen minutes after the gates open, the long pool is empty and the white dome slowly warms above its own reflection.

In the reel: A couple dances cheek-to-cheek on the sandstone walkway at the head of the Taj Mahal's long reflecting pool, white marble and cypress-lined gardens behind them as the sun sets.

The spot is real: the sandstone forecourt just inside the Great Gate, centred on the long water channel. But the gates close 30 minutes before sunset, and from there you face north, so the sun can never sit beside the dome (our own calculation). For the reel, take the sway at sunrise inside, then find a real sunset with the Taj in view from the Mughal garden across the river or a hotel balcony that faces the dome.