Hi there,
@Snickers! Welcome to the forum!
You are right, there are two main routes used to reach Agra from Delhi. These are the following routes:
- Route No. 1 via Yamuna Expressway - Delhi > Noida > Greater Noida > Yamuna Expressway > Malupur > Agra.
This first route is about 210 kilometres long. It is the best route to take to reach Agra from Delhi and you can cover the distance in around 3 hours and 30 minutes.
From Delhi to Greater Noida, provided that you leave early in the morning, roads are smooth and you'd reach the latter in an hour or so. But if you leave later in the day, you'd encounter more vehicles in the road which could lead to a delay in your journey.
Yamuna Expressway is a six-lane highway connecting Noida to Agra. Thus, slow moving vehicles are not allowed on the expressway. Roads are in excellent condition and you can maintain a constant speed of 100 kilometres per hour. For heavier vehicles though, speed might be a bit slower at 60 kilometres per hour. Regardless, the journey through this expressway is smooth and you'd reach Agra in two hours, more or less.
- Route No. 2 via NH2 - Delhi > Faridabad > Palwal > Aurangabad > Hodal > Semri > Mathura > Agra.
This route is about 220 kilometres long. Covering this distance by driving can take around 4 hours, more or less. If you'd like to avoid the toll in the Yamuna Expressway, then do consider this route.
From Delhi to Palwal, road conditions are good. There were a couple of speed breakers along this route that were recently flattened. So you can maintain a moderate speed in this stretch. You can reach Palwal in about two hours or so.
From Palwal to Mathura, road conditions are also good. The roads are in the process of being expanded into six lanes so travel time might be smoother in the future. You would be able to reach Mathura in about two hours as well.
From Mathura to Agra, roads are smaller but also in good condition. Traffic is your issue here so if you leave from Delhi early, you'd be able to avoid the rush of vehicles. You'd reach Agra in under an hour with this stretch.
So both of these routes are utilised by travellers. The first route is chosen mostly because it is a faster way to reach Agra from Delhi. There's one downside to that route though, you cannot use it during the winter season. The route remains very foggy and has low visibility during that season. Yet another reason why some travellers don't choose this route is because it still won't avoid the traffic in Agra once you're out of the expressway. However, road-conditions wise, Yamuna Expressway is still the best way to go.
The second route is more appropriate for the winter season. So if you're travelling during that time, only take the second route to avoid accidents. Road widening projects are in the works for this route though so do expect some diversions. Recently, the toll for this route has also been increased. It's also best to avoid this route during night time.
It depends upon you which route you'd like to take but I have highlighted the pros and cons of each route already. I hope this helps you.
