Friends Guest House and Hostel

Definitely a cheap budget option that is walking distance from the Taj Mahal, but does not honestly deserve a 4 star rating. Cleanliness was the major issue, with dirty bedding and a bathroom that had not been cleaned for a very long time. Dirty bathrooms are pretty common in India, but this was bad, shelf had old soap left from previous guests and dirty old toothpaste marks. There is also no hot water in the attached bathroom, which should really be advertised. Owner is nice enough, but his younger brother who also works there is pretty rude and very grabby and demanding with money, One plus is tha the restaurant and chillout area are decent.

The hostel is located in the heart of the city. It's close to the Taj Mahal and other sightseeing places. The owner, Yusuf (Joseph) and his brother are very friendly. Yusuf also has a travel agency which will take you explore India safely and with ease. There's also a local restaurant here owned by their family. Everything was delicious and could be modified (e.g. less spicy or not spicy at all) according to you taste.

I was here for one week and really had a great stay here! The people are very friendly and helpful. Also the room was very nice! Thanks a lot for this wonderful experience! Ps: the drawings on the wall that you see on the photos are all done by me — painted them during my stay here!

A brilliant hostel to stay in - the owner & his family couldn’t be friendlier and more helpful with recommending places to go too, arranging tuk tuks, and taking us on tours. He arranged the Taj Mahal tour for us as he is a government official tour guide and it was incredible. Very informative and friendly. Rooms are clean, common areas are fun, the kitchen in the hostel makes great food, all in all a very good experience and would 100% stay here again. Thank you!!

Our stay at Friends Guest House and Hostel was fantastic. Joseph and his family were very hospitable and welcoming - they treated us to a great breakfast on our first day and were ready to answer any questions we had about Agra and what to do. Our room was spacious and clean and nicely air conditioned. There were some issues with the hot water but Joseph was quick to come up with alternative solutions. Overall, we’d highly recommend this hostel to people visiting Agra.

Authentic family run business, excellent service!! The owner did everything possible to help us. The place is comfortable enough and you will get the best Taj Mahal experience. The owner is a professional guide, took us to Taj Mahal, we were the first to enter and see the stunning sunrise. He took amazing photos and took us to visit other places to have a better experience of Indian history. We forgot to return the key we rented in Rishikesh and brought it with us to Agra, he helped us mailing it over. Thank you for everything, we could have not had a better experience in Agra.