IN
Delhi
The Capital of the Subcontinent
The Capital of the Subcontinent
India Gate (free; 24h; Kartavya Path; the finest 1931 42m war memorial arch in any accessible Indian heritage capital; best at 6am sunrise or 8pm floodlit; the finest Kartavya Path ceremonial boulevard from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate) is the best memorial arch heritage experience in Asia.
💡 India Gate (free; 24h; Kartavya Path; the finest 1931 42m war memorial arch; best at 6am sunrise or 8pm floodlit dusk; the finest Kartavya Path ceremonial boulevard from Rashtrapati Bhavan).
Red Fort (from ₹600; Netaji Subhash Marg; Tue–Sun 9:30am–4:30pm; UNESCO 2007; the finest 1648 Mughal red sandstone palace-fortress; Lahori Gate; Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas Mughal audience halls) is the best Mughal palace-fortress experience in India.
💡 Red Fort (from ₹600; Tue–Sun 9:30am–4:30pm; UNESCO 2007; the finest 1648 Mughal red sandstone palace-fortress; Lahori Gate; Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas audience halls).
Humayun’s Tomb (from ₹600; Mathura Road; daily sunrise to sunset; UNESCO 1993; the finest 1570 Mughal Persian char-bagh garden mausoleum; the prototype for the Taj Mahal; red sandstone and white marble tomb complex) is the best Mughal mausoleum garden experience in Delhi.
💡 Humayun’s Tomb (from ₹600; daily sunrise to sunset; UNESCO 1993; the finest 1570 Mughal Persian char-bagh garden mausoleum; the Taj Mahal design prototype; red sandstone and white marble).
Jama Masjid (free for non-Muslims; camera charge ₹300; the finest 1656 Mughal congregational mosque; Old Delhi red sandstone and white marble minarets; southern tower panorama over Old Delhi and Red Fort) and Chandni Chowk (free; 17th-century Mughal spice, silver, and textile market bazaar; Old Delhi) are the best Mughal mosque and bazaar heritage experiences in India.
💡 Jama Masjid (free; camera ₹300; the finest 1656 Mughal congregational mosque; southern tower Old Delhi and Red Fort panorama) and Chandni Chowk (free; the finest 17th-century Mughal spice, silver, and textile bazaar; Old Delhi).
Delhi dining is among the finest street food traditions in Asia: the best Delhi chaat (the best aloo tikki chaat (the best Delhi potato tikki street fritter with tamarind and mint chutney in any accessible Indian capital street food stall; from ₹30 at any Chandni Chowk chaat stall) and pani puri (the best Delhi hollow puri with spiced water and tamarind in any accessible Indian street food stall; from ₹30)); the best Delhi butter chicken (the best 1950 Moti Mahal original butter chicken and dal makhani in any accessible Delhi Daryaganj heritage restaurant; from ₹400 per main)); paranthe wali gali (the best 17th-century Delhi stuffed flatbread alley in any accessible Chandni Chowk heritage food lane; from ₹80 per stuffed paratha).
The Delhi Metro (8 colour-coded lines; 254 stations; smart token or Metro card; ₹10–60 per ride; Airport Express from T3 to New Delhi: 18 min; ₹60; the most important single infrastructure asset for a Delhi visitor) covers all major tourist destinations: the Yellow Line for Chandni Chowk and Hauz Khas; the Violet Line for Humayun’s Tomb; the Airport Express for the airport. Auto-rickshaws (the green-and-yellow three-wheelers; negotiate the fare before boarding; ₹50–150 for most inner-city journeys; the driver will often quote 3–4 times the correct rate to tourists) are the most practical last-mile option from metro stations to monuments. Uber and Ola are reliable and have fixed prices visible before booking.
Oct–Mar is the only comfortable window (15–28°C). Nov–Feb brings severe smog (AQI 300–500; check daily). Apr–Jun is dangerously hot (40–48°C). Jul–Sep is monsoon. March is the sweet spot: warm, clear, and the monuments at their finest.
Delhi is among the best-value capital cities in the world for tourists: the major monuments cost ₹550–600 for foreigners (approximately €6–7 each). Street food is under ₹150. Per person per day.
The major Delhi monuments (Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutb Minar) cost ₹550–600 each for foreign visitors (approximately €6–7).
Bukhara (ITC Maurya Hotel; the dal Bukhara, cooked for 18 hours; the tandoori chicken; the most famous North Indian restaurant in India; the preferred restaurant of every visiting head of state; ₹3,000–5,000/person) is.
The Imperial Hotel (Janpath, New Delhi; the 1931 hotel; the finest colonial-era hotel lobby in India; the Daniell’s Tavern for lunch; the 1911 bar; the collection of 20th-century Indian and colonial art on the corridors) is the definitive.
Three days: Old Delhi at dawn, the Mughal monuments, New Delhi, Qutb Minar, and the Nizamuddin Sufi shrine.
India Gate (free; 6am sunrise or 8pm floodlit). Jama Masjid (free; camera ₹300; southern tower panorama). Chandni Chowk walk (free; Mughal spice bazaar; paranthe wali gali stuffed paratha from ₹80; chaat from ₹30). Red Fort (from ₹600; Tue–Sun 9:30am–4:30pm; Lahori Gate; Diwan-i-Khas).
💡 The Old Delhi heritage morning (the finest Mughal and colonial heritage in Delhi; start at Jama Masjid at 8am (free; camera ₹300; the finest 8am Jama Masjid visit before the 10am crowds; southern tower panorama over Old Delhi and Red Fort)): Chandni Chowk walk (free; the finest 17th-century Mughal spice, silver, and textile bazaar; paranthe wali gali stuffed paratha from ₹80); Red Fort (from ₹600; Tue–Sun 9:30am; Lahori Gate and Diwan-i-Khas)
Humayun’s Tomb (from ₹600; UNESCO; the finest 1570 Mughal char-bagh garden mausoleum; Taj Mahal prototype). Qutb Minar (from ₹600; UNESCO; the finest 73m 12th-century Indo-Islamic minaret; 4th-century Iron Pillar of Delhi). Hauz Khas Village (free; the finest South Delhi heritage reservoir and art district).
💡 The Humayun’s Tomb and Qutb Minar UNESCO circuit (the finest Mughal mausoleum heritage in Delhi; take the Delhi Metro Yellow Line to AIIMS and auto-rickshaw to Humayun’s Tomb (from ₹600; UNESCO; 9am visit before the midday sun)); Qutb Minar (from ₹600; UNESCO; 73m 12th-century Indo-Islamic minaret; South Delhi Metro Pink Line from Malviya Nagar to Qutb Minar); India Gate at dusk (free; Kartavya Path; 8pm floodlit arch).
Agra day trip (Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin from ₹750 return; 2h; book 1 month ahead at irctc.co.in): Taj Mahal at sunrise (from ₹1,300 + ₹200 mausoleum; arrive East Gate at 5:30am; the finest sunrise white marble reflection). Agra Fort (from ₹600; UNESCO; the finest 16th-century Mughal red sandstone fort). Itimad-ud-Daulah (from ₹310; the Baby Taj).
💡 The Agra Taj Mahal sunrise day trip (the finest UNESCO heritage day trip from Delhi; Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin station at 8:10am (₹750 return; 2h; book 1 month ahead at irctc.co.in)): Taj Mahal sunrise visit (from ₹1,300 + ₹200 mausoleum; arrive at East Gate at 5:30am for the finest pre-sunrise white marble reflection); Agra Fort (from ₹600; UNESCO; the finest 16th-century Mughal red sandstone fort); Itimad-ud-Daulah Baby Taj (from ₹310; the best 1628 Mughal white marble inlay mausoleum); return Gatimaan Express to Delhi at 6:45pm.
Delhi’s AQI is rated hourly at aqicn.org. Avoid outdoor monuments when AQI exceeds 150. Winter (Nov–Jan) is the worst season for pollution.
The Metro links Qutb Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, and Jama Masjid. Tokens cost £20–60; the 1-day tourist pass costs ₹200.
Karim’s original at 16 Gali Kababian, Jama Masjid (since 1913) serves mutton korma from the original recipe — not the branches around Delhi.
Most Delhi monuments open at 7am. Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, and Qutb Minar are significantly quieter in the first 45 minutes before tour groups.
Agree on the fare before boarding. Prepaid autos at major sites give fixed prices. Most central Delhi journeys cost ₹80–150.
Delhi’s finest Islamic complex has the lowest tourist numbers of any major monument. Best on a weekday mid-morning when other sites are crowded.
IRCTC train booking (irctc.co.in) for the from-₹750 return Gatimaan Express Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt ticket (the finest Delhi–Agra day trip connection; book 1 month ahead; also book the Shatabdi Express New Delhi to Jaipur from ₹800 return; create an IRCTC account before travelling (free; mandatory for online Indian train booking)).
Free
ASI heritage site tickets (asi.nic.in or indiaculture.gov.in) for the from-₹600 Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, and Qutb Minar composite foreigner tickets (also from-₹1,300 + ₹200 mausoleum Taj Mahal ticket; buy online to skip the morning queue; Taj Mahal tickets only available online at asi.nic.in from 4 weeks to 3 days ahead).
Free
Download the Delhi offline map before arrival — India Gate (Kartavya Path; free; 6am or 8pm), the Red Fort (Netaji Subhash Marg; Tue–Sun), Humayun’s Tomb (Mathura Road), Jama Masjid (Old Delhi), Chandni Chowk, and the Qutb Minar (Mehrauli; South Delhi) require offline navigation for auto-rickshaw and Metro wayfinding.
Free
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