Agra 101 City Walk

We did a Heritage Walk with Soulwalks as an office team and had a very good experience overall. The walk was informative and gave us a great glimpse into the older parts of Agra. The local food stops were excellent in terms of taste — the places are quite basic in their look and feel, which is understandable given the character of the old city. Ending the walk with a view of the Taj was a wonderful touch. A couple of things that would have helped us plan the experience better: we visited during Sawan festivities and the Kanwar Yatra, and while the team did adapt with alternate routes during the walk, it would have been useful to know beforehand about the expected crowds and their potential impact on access. Similarly, as we did the walk on a Monday, the closure of the spice and jewellery markets was something we would have liked to know in advance when choosing and planning the walk. These are more about proactive planning guidance than the walk itself, and given Soulwalks’ local expertise, I think this would be a useful addition to their pre-walk communication. Erum, our guide, was fantastic, and Tahir was excellent with the hospitality. Both made the experience enjoyable. Overall, I would definitely recommend Soulwalks for anyone looking to explore a different side of Agra.

Just returned from an amazing tour of Agra old city with Arhaan. He was so knowledgable, engaging and kind. We walked the old city and Arhaan shared stories, brought our surroundings to life and he found so many interesting places that we would never find. We also ate some gorgeous sweet and savoury food and had had plenty of water & a delicious lime drink. I cannot recommend this company enough / they are first class amazing and are at the very top of their game.

Tahir was our guide. He spent the morning with us at the Taj Mahal then we met late afternoon for the Agra 101. His sharing was passionate and he really tried to understand what our interests were so he could tailor the experience to us. He expressed deep personal knowledge of Agra and really brought into the history and current realities of the city and his neighborhood. My highlight was being invited to him home. We met his lovely wife and mom and cat! The food and chai laid out was amazing and being in their home helped connect us to his world. Thank you for your hospitality and your care of our needs. I felt safe, heard, and grateful for the friendship you offered us. I will note that i wasnt our groups main coordinator. I heard later they had a lot of confusion and difficulty coordinating with this company. They only realized later that multiple users were using the same whatsapp handle which led to part of the confusion and frustration.

+1

Arhaan (Heritage Experience Curator) was the best guide we have ever met! He is extremely knowledgeable and competent, and he guided us on our exploration of Agra, sharing countless historical anecdotes in a very thorough and professional manner. His passion for Indian history and culture shines through in his words and is really captivating. In addition to showing us the city’s architectural and artistic treasures, Arhaan took us to explore some local markets where the vibrant heart of Agra beats. After spending a wonderful afternoon, Arhaan took us to the home of an incredibly kind and hospitable family. They offered us excellent tea and invited us to stay for dinner and join them for the Eid celebrations. We spent the entire evening with their relatives and friends, and they truly made us feel right at home. Finally, Arhaan was kind enough to personally drive us back to the hotel, even though it was already very late. In short, the day we spent in Agra with Arhaan was the best of our entire stay in India! It enriched us not only culturally, but also—and above all—on a human level.

I had a fantastic experience with Arhaan. I like history and I already knew some of the historical background behind the landmarks of the visit. He tailored the experience accordingly and successfully provided so many details and curiosities! So I highly praise his knowledge and the level of commitment towards trying to embed me with stories within mughal India

My partner and I were in Agra for 2-3 days and wanted to see the city beyond the Taj Mahal. We couldn’t have done it without Tahir - he showed us places we would have never found on our own, or which we wouldn’t have understood without explanation. He really brought the city to life, both in its glorious past and its complex present. We also tried a few local snacks which we would have never dared to taste on our own, but were delicious surprises. Not to mention, Tahir and his wife opened the door of their lovely home to us at the end of the tour and offered us tea. Truly a 10/10 experience which I’d recommend to anyone visiting Agra.

After a day spent amid the giddy grandeur of Fathepur Sikri and the Taj Mahal, Arhaan’s night-time stroll through the back lanes of Agra was a perfect antidote. We learned a lot about the people’s history of struggle under the Raj, enjoyed exploring mosques, tasting sweets, visiting forgotten corners, viewing the cityscape at sunset from a rooftop and having a lovely, intensely political chat over tea about how fabulous (kidding) British rule was and what India is becoming under Modi (pretty divisive and dysfunctional in Arhaan’s view). All in all, a terrific experience and a great counterpoint to the marvellous pomp and circumstance of Mugal sites. Heartily recommended!

This was a terrific walk around Agra - a city we might not otherwise have seen much of as the area is dominated by the beautiful Taj Mahal. I really felt that we were experiencing aspects of real life in the city (not an easy thing to do as a tourist) and our guide Arhaan was very friendly, knowledgeable and entertaining. A highlight was a visit to an Agra resident's house where we chatted, were served tea and saw the city both close up in someone's home and also, on the rooftop, with a beautiful perspective at sunset. Would definitely recommend - thank you!

My husband and I had a wonderful time with Kaleem walking around the market streets of Agra. From Jama Masjid to old dilapidated havelis and temples. Kaleem created an atmosphere with his stories. Nothing too convoluted. No overloading your brain with dates and facts that you probably won’t remember later. But stories that help you reimagine a time that was. We had also taken the Taj Mahal walk. It was a bit too sunny for a January morning and Taj was breaking at the seams with visitors, which I felt marred the experience a bit. But Kaleem tried his best to work around these limitations. Unfortunately my husband and I decided to cut the walk short due to the crowd. Nevertheless, Definitely recommend.

+5

This tour was fantastic. Our guide gave us a detailed history of the Taj Mahal and knew where to stand for the best views and to avoid the crowds. He arranged for some great pictures. We also toured an historic mosque by the red fort and heard the history. We went on to tour the market of the old town and went into several shops that were family run. The perfume maker's shop was fascinating and the spice seller who let us smell so many flavors was yummy. We went into a family home for chai and to see the old local architecture. I would recommend this tour!