Sunset Views - The Best View of the Taj Mahal and a Great Budget Backpacker Hostel
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After a full day of exploring around Agra, there’s no better way to spend an evening than having the sun set across a fantastic view of the Taj Mahal. Watching this Wonder of the World be painted different colours by the setting sun, is a magic way to start any evening. The Hippie Cafe in Agra, provides the perfect platform for just this.
Attached to the rooftop of Joey’s Hostel Agra, the Hippie Cafe boasts unbeatable views over the rooftops and the Taj Mahal itself. Photos really don’t do it justice (although we will try) as the Taj looks much closer in real life than it did through any viewfinder. This is not to say that the view was un-photogenic, far from it! The streets in between the Hippie Cafe and the Taj Mahal were a constant delight to behold. From the afternoon, through early evening and into the night, the flat rooftops came alive with locals.
Children by the dozen congregated on the roofs to fly their kites whilst around them monkeys dashed about, cats lounged and colourful washing was hung out to dry. This, with the background of the Taj Mahal and the sky fire of the fading sun made it one of our favourite scenic stops on our adventures so far.
To add to the magnificent views, the food at Hippie Cafe is great too, especially the potato curries and the mushroom matter. The menu offers reasonably priced (and delicious) Indian fare with a few Western sandwiches and Chinese noodle dishes available as well. We ordered several times from here and were never disappointed. For a starter, we highly recommend their fried masala crispy corn! Prices are reasonable for a rooftop restaurant with views of the Taj Mahal: a meal for two setting us back around 700 to 800 rupees.
The Hippie Cafe is open to everyone, but sits on the rooftop of Joey’s Hostel. We stayed here for several nights in a private room which was cheap, basic and spacious. The hostel staff were brilliant, organising sunset walks as well as a great breakfast for an extra cost of 250 rupees per person (£2.42 or $3.04). In the evenings, the Hippie Cafe swells in popularity as the backpackers return from their days exploring and all congregate on the roof to sip cups of chai with mellow tunes and twinkling fairy lights.
On one night, the hostel organised a great curry buffet and a moonlight viewing party for the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal under a full moon was wonderful enough, but the Taj Mahal under a full moon with a lightly spiced, perfectly sweet warm (and complimentary) rice pudding was even better!
When staying in Agra the accommodation is all over the place, spread over both sides of the river and for miles around.
For those on a backpacking budget, Joey’s Hostel Agra really was unbeatable. Set only a five minute walk from the East Gate of the Taj Mahal, and ten minutes walk from the West Gate, with its roof top being only a couple of hundred metres away from the ancient dividing wall, you really can’t beat the location. As we’ve mentioned the rooms are very basic, but our bed was comfy, the shower was hot and the AC worked fine.
To book your stay at Joey’s Hostel Agra, click here!
Another bonus point for staying at Joey’s, and possibly our favourite feature of the hostel was the entrance. Each morning, you’d exit from a small alleyway lined with very friendly goats. They were very eager to have a nibble on any item of clothing that stayed near them for too long but are also very receptive to head pats!
Careful where you park your bike, there’s some hungry goats about!
The area around Joey’s is a busy warren full of ancient winding streets, restaurants, tailors and constant mopeds. Being so close to the Taj Mahal it is incredibly busy, but is a really interesting mix of local life coexisting with the mass tourism the Taj Mahal brings.
Within 20 metres you can go from vendors flogging mini crystal Taj Mahal’s and fridge magnets to sari shops and knife sharpeners that have been there for generations.
If you’re staying further out from the Taj Mahal bear in mind the added cost of getting around. We would recommend setting up Uber or Ola on your phone to avoid the headache of constant tuk tuk negotiation (for other useful Indian apps check out our article here). Agra is one of the largest tourist attractions in the world and regrettably, and like anywhere similar, this does come with a price in terms of touts, scammers and suspiciously friendly taxi drivers! Just like any monument keep your wits and bag about you and maintain a healthy cynicism for any offers that seem too good to be true.
Joey’s Hostel and the Hippie Cafe were a godsend in Agra. The city is frenetic, full on and occasionally overwhelming, but the comfy bed and wonderful Hippie Cafe provided a perfect oasis from the storm outside, and with the Taj Mahal constantly in the background you’re always reminded of why you came to this ancient city.
Here are just some of our photographs we took from the rooftop of the Hippie Cafe:
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie
#adventuresofjellie
For tips and tricks to get the best out of your visit to the Taj Mahal check our article here.
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