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it’s ideal for travelers who can put up with absolute basics. But our budget preference is for Hotel Amar (Tourist Complex Area, Fatehabad Rd.; 0562/233-1884 through -1889; www.hotelamar.com). Away from the main hype, but around a 10-minute walk from the Taj, it offers clean but basic rooms with en-suite bathrooms; amenities include a pool, and there’s regular hot water. All the rooms may be noisy given the proximity of traffic: Be sure to insist on an upstairs room looking toward the pool, which is well maintained and sets the Amar apart from the other faceless options along busy Fatehabad Road. Doubles start at Rs 3,600. (It may be worth checking the Howard Park Plaza rates before booking anywhere else though, as they sometimes offer specials that beat even the budget lodgings—for contact details see above, under moderate options.)

Hotel Sheela The best (and only) reason to stay here is its proximity to the Taj Mahal. This peaceful ocher-colored complex offers very basic accommodations in a pleasant garden courtyard surrounded by trees. Guest rooms are very spartan, and bathrooms tiny (no hot water). Beds are firm with thin mattresses, but you’re provided with bedding. Reserve well ahead for one of only two units that have A/C. Rooms are en-suite and are relatively clean but hot water is only available in winter. Cheaper guest rooms have fans and mosquito screens over the windows, and a few more rooms have aging air coolers. Service standards are generally in keeping with the ultralow tariffs; keep in mind that you will have to lug your luggage about 300m (984 ft.), as the hotel is now in the no-vehicle zone.

East Gate, Taj Ganj, Agra 282 001. 0562/233-1194.www.hotelsheelaagra.com. 22 units. Rs 400–Rs 500 double; Rs 600 air-cooler double; Rs 800 A/C double. No credit cards. Amenities: Restaurant. In room: A/C (2 rooms), air cooler (some).

WHERE TO DINE

Dining (and nightlife) options are limited in Agra, with little stand-alone choice. Even if you’re not staying at Amarvilas, Esphahan (reviewed below) is definitely worth a splurge. Among the dining options in the other big hotels, one of the finest remains Peshawri in the Mughal Sheraton, still a firm favorite among locals in the know, or Mughal Room in the Clarks Shiraz, where live ghazals (poetry readings) add to the experience, although needs a bit of an acquired taste.

If you want to get away from the hotels, you could do far worse than the delicious and satisfying dishes served at Indiana ( 0562/400-1192; daily 7:30am–10:30pm), which is hardly an inspiring venue (behind Hotel Ratan Deep on Fatehabad Rd.), but will satisfy any hunger. Portions are rather large (you may even consider sharing some of the dishes between two people). The best dishes are North Indian specialties, although the habit of adding Western and Chinese items persists. If you don’t mind something spicy, order murg boti masal, chicken in a wonderfully tasty gravy, or go for the spiced fish curry (rasili machhli). If you really can’t decide, opt for a thali, a platter covering all the courses and including dessert or lassi.

You can get a satisfying, reasonably priced meal at Zorba the Buddha (E13 Shopping Arcade, Gopi Chand Shivare Rd., Sadar Bazaar; 0562/222-6091), which serves excellent, nongreasy vegetarian food. This tiny eatery is extremely hygienic, reason enough to go. Go early to get a good table and order the light spinach parathas, any of the Indian fare, or even a salad—all quite passable, if a trifle bland. Vegetarians (or others avoiding meat) have another option: Dasaprakash ( 0562/246-3535), located in the Meher Theatre Complex at 1 Gwalior Rd., is the city’s best-known South Indian restaurant. Regular fare includes sada dosa (plain rice and lentil pancakes), masala dosa (pancake with potato stuffing), uttappams (thicker pancakes), and idlis (steamed dumplings), all served with coconut chutney and sambar (spiced dal). No alcohol is served. At some point, you will hear of Only restaurant on Taj Road, mentioned in every guidebook on the planet, but we find it avoidable.

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