Many people can get "forted out" in northern India despite the magnificence of places like Meherengarh and Udaipur. However, there is something appealingly other worldly about the deserted Fatehpur Sikri. I led trips in India in 2005-2006 and found that despite the formidable heat and the touts, people were moved by something at Sikri.

Go there knowing a bit about the intellectual curiosity of Akbar, his carefully considered quest for religious truth, the story of his involvement with Pir Salim Chisti - these bring Fatehpur Sikri to life and you can imagine great debates occurring in the Diwan-i-Khas. Don't miss Chisti's tomb. Also, I recommend you read Bamber Gasgoine's "Great Moghuls" or the recent Salman Rushdie book "The Enchantress of Florence." Look for Akbar's jewelled sword at Meherengarh in Jodphur too!