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New Delhi, India, top 10 things to do (Wimup travel guide)
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Top 10AsiaIndia

Top 10 Things To Do in New Delhi

Country
India
Best months
Oct · Nov · Feb · Mar
Population
16.8M
Language
Hindi and English
Budget / day
$35–80
Quick answer

Four days, split by era. Day one is Old Delhi on foot: the Red Fort at opening, Jama Masjid, then the lanes of Chandni Chowk. Day two is the Mughal south, Humayun's Tomb and Nizamuddin, timed for Thursday if you can. Day three is Lutyens' capital and the museums. Day four goes to Mehrauli for Qutub Minar. Add a fifth for Agra if the Taj is why you came.

New Delhi on Foot

▶ Video guide

Delhi is not one city and has never pretended to be. Seven capitals were built on this stretch of the Yamuna plain before the British laid an eighth, and all of them are still here. Three sites inside the city limits are on the UNESCO list, which almost no other capital manages.

The 10 best things to do in New Delhi

Humayun's Tomb, New Delhi, India
1

Humayun's Tomb

UNESCO site· Mathura Road, Nizamuddin East, New Delhi 110013

The building that made the Taj Mahal possible: the first garden-tomb on the subcontinent, finished around 1570 and commissioned by Humayun's chief consort, who chose the architects herself. A sunken site museum opened at the entrance in 2024 with more than 500 artefacts. Do not walk past it.

Time2.5 hrs
Cost₹35 for Indian visitors
Best atLate afternoon
TipStart in the Isa Khan enclosure and save the main platform for the last hour of light
↗ Incredible India↗ Site museumMap
Qutub Minar and its monuments, New Delhi, India
2

Qutub Minar and its monuments

UNESCO site· Seth Sarai, Mehrauli, New Delhi 110030

Begun in 1199 and still the tallest masonry tower in India at 72.5 metres. The complex around it is the better half: a mosque raised from dismantled temple fabric, and an iron pillar roughly 1,600 years old that has barely corroded.

Time2 hrs
CostASI ticket
Best atEarly morning
TipGive the Mehrauli Archaeological Park behind the complex an extra hour
↗ Incredible India↗ UNESCO listingMap
Red Fort (Lal Qila), New Delhi, India
3

Red Fort (Lal Qila)

UNESCO site· Netaji Subhash Marg, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, Delhi 110006

Shah Jahan's palace fort, whose red sandstone curtain still fixes the northern edge of Old Delhi. Behind the Lahori Gate are the marble pavilions, including the hall whose ceiling once held the Peacock Throne. Every 15 August the Prime Minister speaks from the ramparts.

Time2.5 hrs
Cost₹35 for Indian visitors
Best atOpening time
TipBook online before you go and use the queue for pre-booked tickets
↗ Archaeological Survey of India↗ UNESCO listingMap
Jama Masjid, New Delhi, India
4

Jama Masjid

Mosque· Meena Bazar, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi 110006

The last great work Shah Jahan commissioned and the largest mosque in India, with a courtyard that holds twenty-five thousand at prayer. A working mosque before it is a monument: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off at the top of the 121 steps.

Time1 hr
CostFree to enter
Best atAn hour before sunset
TipThe southern minaret
↗ Incredible IndiaMap
Chandni Chowk and Paranthe Wali Gali, New Delhi, India
5

Chandni Chowk and Paranthe Wali Gali

Market street· Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, Delhi 110006

Shah Jahan's avenue, planned by his daughter with a canal down the middle that reflected the moon. The canal is gone, but the single-trade lanes survive: silver on Dariba Kalan, wedding trim on Kinari Bazaar, spice at Khari Baoli. Walk it, do not drive it.

Time3 hrs
CostFree to walk
Best atMid-morning
TipGet out at Chandni Chowk metro station and go in on foot or by cycle rickshaw
Map
Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Delhi, India
6

Swaminarayan Akshardham

Temple· Noida Mor, Pandav Nagar, New Delhi 110092

Built in five years by eleven thousand artisans with no structural steel, and the largest Hindu temple in the world. Read it as a devotional theme park or as the most ambitious traditional stone carving of the last century; both hold. Security is airport-grade.

Time3 hrs
CostTemple free
Best atLate afternoon into the evening
TipLeave your phone in the car or the hotel
↗ Visitor information↗ Delhi TourismMap
Lotus Temple, New Delhi, India
7

Lotus Temple

Temple· Lotus Temple Road, Bahapur, Shambhu Dayal Bagh, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019

Twenty-seven marble petals in clusters of three, finished in 1986 and one of the most visited buildings on earth. No sermon, no idol, no ritual and no fee: the hall is kept silent, and that silence in the middle of south Delhi is the point.

Time1 hr
CostFree
Best atEarly morning or the last hour
TipClosed Mondays
↗ Official site↗ Delhi TourismMap
Kartavya Path, India Gate and the National War Memorial, New Delhi, India
8

Kartavya Path, India Gate and the National War Memorial

Monument· Kartavya Path, India Gate, New Delhi 110001

Lutyens drew this axis as the ceremonial spine of the capital, inaugurated in 1931 and renamed twice since. It runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan past the Secretariat blocks to the memorial arch. The Republic Day parade comes down it every 26 January.

Time1.5 hrs
CostFree
Best atDusk
TipWalk it from the Rashtrapati Bhavan end downhill towards the arch
↗ Central Vista↗ Delhi TourismMap
9

Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

Sufi shrine· Nizamuddin West, New Delhi 110013

The shrine of a 14th-century Chishti saint, reached through a lane of rose sellers and kebab grills. On Thursday evenings, after Maghrib, qawwals sing in the open courtyard, and the families who do it have held the role for generations. Free, to anyone of any faith.

Time1.5 hrs
CostFree, donations at the shrine
Best atThursday evening
TipCome after evening prayer on a Thursday and sit at the back of the courtyard rather than pushing forward. Money handed to anyone who leads you in is a tip, not a fee; there is no entrance charge.
↗ Official siteMap
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, India
10

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

Gurdwara· Hanuman Road area, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001

A gold dome and a still tank of water, five minutes from Connaught Place. The langar runs all day, feeds tens of thousands, is cooked by volunteers, and anyone may sit and eat. The most straightforwardly moving hour in central Delhi.

Time1 hr
CostFree, including the meal
Best atAny hour
TipCover your head (scarves are handed out at the entrance) and leave shoes and socks at the counter
↗ Incredible IndiaMap

9 of the 10, mapped

New Delhi · 9 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsFoodFree

New Delhi travel FAQ

When is the best time to visit New Delhi?+
October, November, February and March, the only stretch when a full day outdoors is comfortable. Late November to January brings dense smog and fog, April to June clears 40°C, and the monsoon runs from July into mid-September.
How many days do you need in New Delhi?+
Four is the working minimum: one for Old Delhi, one for the Mughal south around Humayun's Tomb and Nizamuddin, one for the Lutyens capital and the museums, and one for Mehrauli and Qutub Minar. Add a fifth day if you want Agra and the Taj Mahal, which is a full day out on the Gatimaan Express.
Is the Delhi Metro the best way to get around?+
For any distance, yes. Air-conditioned, fast and cheap, and it reaches Old Delhi, Qutub Minar and the Lotus Temple, with a separate Airport Express. Use autos for the last kilometre, and walk inside Old Delhi, where nothing on wheels moves quickly.
Which sights are closed on Mondays?+
Akshardham, the Lotus Temple, the National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art all close on Mondays. The Red Fort no longer does: an Archaeological Survey of India order dated 13 February 2026 opened it every day of the week. If you are heading to Agra, note that the Taj Mahal closes on Fridays instead.
Is New Delhi safe for visitors?+
Broadly yes, with ordinary caution and a few local specifics. Use a ride-hailing app after dark and agree an autorickshaw fare first. Ignore anyone near New Delhi station offering a government tourist office or claiming your hotel has closed. Air quality is the real health issue rather than crime.
Beyond the top 10

Best monuments in New Delhi

Ten more forts, tombs and stepwells, most of them free and none of them crowded.
All 10 monuments →
Purana QilaMathura Road

Purana Qila

16th century

The 16th-century fort Sher Shah Suri completed after driving Humayun out of Delhi. The Sher Mandal inside is the tower Humayun fell down the steps of.

Map
Safdarjung's TombLodhi Road

Safdarjung's Tomb

Built 1754

Built in 1754 in marble and sandstone set in a charbagh garden. The last great garden-tomb of the Mughal line, and often called its final flourish.

Map
Jantar MantarConnaught Place

Jantar Mantar

Built 1724 to 1730

Masonry astronomical instruments built between 1724 and 1730 to correct the tables then in use, in a park off Connaught Place.

Map
Agrasen ki BaoliHailey Road

Agrasen ki Baoli

Free

A stepwell of 108 stone steps dropping into the ground between office towers off Hailey Road. Attributed by legend to a mythical king.

Map
Lodhi GardenLodhi Road

Lodhi Garden

Free

Ninety acres of lawn with the tombs of the Sayyid and Lodi sultans through it, and where Delhi runs, walks and argues at dawn.

Map
Mehrauli Archaeological ParkMehrauli

Mehrauli Archaeological Park

Free

More than a hundred monuments over scrub behind the Qutub complex, from Balban's tomb to a stepwell of 1506. Free, unfenced and usually empty.

Map
Rashtrapati BhavanRaisina Hill

Rashtrapati Bhavan

₹50, closed Mondays

Lutyens started the Viceroy's House in 1912 and it has been the President's residence since 1950. Three circuits are open, booked online up to a week ahead.

↗ BookingMap
Tughlaqabad FortTughlakabad

Tughlaqabad Fort

14th century

The 14th-century fort of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, six kilometres of rampart on a rocky outcrop. Abandoned within a few years, and enormous.

Map
Hauz Khas ComplexHauz Khas

Hauz Khas Complex

Free

A Tughlaq madrasa and tomb along a reservoir dug for the city of Siri, with a deer park behind. The best free sunset in south Delhi.

Map
Sunder NurseryNizamuddin

Sunder Nursery

Ticketed

A 16th-century Mughal garden restored alongside Humayun's Tomb, with six listed monuments among the lawns and a lake at the far end.

Map
Faith in the capital

Best temples and shrines in New Delhi

Eight working places of worship, across five religions, all of them open to visitors.
All 8 temples and shrines →
Laxminarayan Temple (Birla Mandir)Mandir Marg

Laxminarayan Temple (Birla Mandir)

Opened 1939

The Birla family opened this in 1939 on the condition that people of every caste could enter. A short walk from Connaught Place.

Map
Gurudwara Sis Ganj SahibChandni Chowk

Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib

Free

On Chandni Chowk, marking where the ninth Sikh Guru was executed in 1675 for defending Kashmiri Hindus. A working gurdwara in the market crowd.

Map
Shri Digambar Jain Lal MandirChandni Chowk

Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir

Free

Delhi's oldest Jain temple, facing the Red Fort, with a charitable bird hospital in the same compound. Leather is left at the door.

Map
Kalkaji MandirKalkaji

Kalkaji Mandir

Free

A Shakti temple across the road from the Lotus Temple and its opposite in every way: loud, close and busy at every hour.

Map
ISKCON Temple, East of KailashEast of Kailash

ISKCON Temple, East of Kailash

Free

The Hare Krishna movement's Delhi temple, a stepped white complex on Hare Krishna Hill with a Vedic exhibition and a well-known vegetarian kitchen attached.

Map
Yogmaya TempleMehrauli

Yogmaya Temple

Free

A small temple in Mehrauli on ground worshipped for centuries, and one of the two destinations of the Phool Walon Ki Sair procession.

Map
Cathedral Church of the RedemptionNorth Avenue

Cathedral Church of the Redemption

Free

The Anglican cathedral of Lutyens' capital, behind Rashtrapati Bhavan in the same sandstone as the government blocks. Quiet on weekday mornings.

Map
Chhatarpur TempleChhatarpur

Chhatarpur Temple

Free

A vast south Delhi complex in marble and granite across several shrines. It fills for the nine nights of Navratri and is calm otherwise.

Map
Collections worth the hours

Best museums in New Delhi

Six museums, from five thousand years of the subcontinent down to a single-subject collection nobody else has.
All 6 museums →
National MuseumJanpath

National Museum

Closed Mondays

Around two hundred thousand objects across five thousand years. The Harappan gallery, the Buddhist relics and the miniature rooms justify half a day.

↗ VisitingMap
National Gallery of Modern ArtIndia Gate

National Gallery of Modern Art

Closed Mondays

In Jaipur House on the India Gate circle: Amrita Sher-Gil, Raja Ravi Varma and the Bengal School, in a building worth the visit alone.

↗ Delhi TourismMap
Gandhi SmritiTees January Marg

Gandhi Smriti

Free

The Birla House where Gandhi spent his last 144 days and was shot in 1948. The rooms are kept as they were, and a column marks the spot. Free.

Map
National Rail MuseumChanakyapuri

National Rail Museum

Ticketed

Ten acres of locomotives in Chanakyapuri, including royal saloons and a working narrow-gauge train. The best museum here with children.

Map
National Crafts MuseumBhairon Marg

National Crafts Museum

Closed Mondays

A village complex of regional building styles beside Pragati Maidan, with craftspeople working on site rather than behind glass.

Map
Sulabh International Museum of ToiletsMahavir Enclave

Sulabh International Museum of Toilets

Free

A single-subject museum of sanitation run by the movement that built public toilets across India. Reads as public-health history, and is free.

Map
Where the city shops

Best markets and bazaars in New Delhi

Eight markets, from wholesale spice to export surplus, each with its own trade and its own hours.
All 8 markets and bazaars →
Khari BaoliOld Delhi

Khari Baoli

Wholesale

The wholesale spice market at the western end of Chandni Chowk: chilli, turmeric and dried fruit stacked to the ceiling. Go early.

Map
INA

Dilli Haat INA

Ticketed

A permanent open-air craft bazaar where stalls rotate between artisans from every state, alongside regional food counters. Small entry ticket.

↗ Delhi TourismMap
Khan MarketKhan Market

Khan Market

Books and delis

A small L of colonnaded shops that became the capital's most expensive retail address. Bookshops, delis and coffee, and easy to browse.

Map
Sarojini Nagar MarketSarojini Nagar

Sarojini Nagar Market

Bargain hard

Export-surplus clothing off pavement rails at a fraction of shop prices. Bargaining is expected and the weekend crowd is heavy.

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Old Delhi

Dariba Kalan

Silver

The silver lane off Chandni Chowk, jewellers both sides, with Old Famous Jalebi Wala at the mouth. Buy by weight and ask for the hallmark.

Map
Kinari BazaarOld Delhi

Kinari Bazaar

Trim and zari

Wedding trim, sold from lanes barely wide enough for two people to pass. The most photogenic corner of Old Delhi and the least practical.

Map
Janpath MarketJanpath

Janpath Market

Street stalls

A street of stalls south from Connaught Place, with the Tibetan Market at the top selling silver and textiles. Counter low.

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Connaught PlaceConnaught Place

Connaught Place

Central

The white Georgian colonnade at the centre of Lutyens' city, laid out as concentric circles of shopfronts, with Palika Bazaar below it.

Map
Where to eat

Best restaurants in New Delhi

Ten kitchens, from a tasting menu on the Asia 50 Best list to a state canteen serving a thali at canteen prices.
All 10 restaurants →
Indian AccentLodhi Road

Indian Accent

Asia's 50 Best · ₹₹₹

Manish Mehrotra's dining room at The Lodhi, on Asia's 50 Best every year since 2015. Indian technique through European plating. Book weeks ahead.

↗ WebsiteMap
Chanakyapuri

Bukhara

North West Frontier · ₹₹₹

Open since 1977 and still cooking everything in a clay tandoor, with a dal held over a slow fire for eighteen hours. No cutlery, by design.

↗ WebsiteMap
Jama Masjid

Karim's

Mughlai · ₹

Established 1913 in the lane behind Jama Masjid, and the Mughlai reference every other Old Delhi kitchen is measured against.

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Old Famous Jalebi WalaChandni Chowk

Old Famous Jalebi Wala

Sweets · ₹

At the Dariba Kalan corner of Chandni Chowk since 1884, frying thick jalebi in ghee and selling it by weight, hot. One order between two is plenty.

Map
Paharganj

Sita Ram Diwan Chand

Chole bhature · ₹

The Paharganj counter that Delhi treats as the standard for chole bhature. Two puffed bhature, a bowl of chana, pickle, and nothing else on the menu worth the argument.

Map
Jama Masjid

Al Jawahar

Mughlai · ₹

Beside Jama Masjid and the usual second stop on the Old Delhi meat circuit, with korma, biryani and nihari from breakfast during Ramadan.

Map
Chanakyapuri

Dum Pukht

Awadhi · ₹₹₹

The Awadhi room at the ITC Maurya, cooking sealed-pot dum biryani and kakori kebabs at a formal, slow pace. The counterweight to Bukhara down the corridor.

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Andhra Bhavan CanteenAshoka Road

Andhra Bhavan Canteen

Andhra thali · ₹

The state house canteen on Ashoka Road, serving an unlimited Andhra thali on a banana leaf. The best value meal in central Delhi.

Map
Pandara Road

Gulati

North Indian · ₹₹

A Pandara Road fixture, north Indian and open late, and where Delhi drives after a wedding or a flight. Butter chicken and dal makhani.

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Saravana BhavanConnaught Place

Saravana Bhavan

South Indian · ₹

The Connaught Place branch of the Tamil chain, for dosa, idli and filter coffee. Vegetarian throughout and quick at breakfast.

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Read the city by district

Best neighborhoods in New Delhi

Eight neighbourhoods, each a different century of Delhi and a different way of living in it.
All 8 neighborhoods →
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)North of the centre

Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

17th century

Shah Jahan's walled city of 1638, still trading behind the same street plan. Walk or take a cycle rickshaw, never a car.

Map
Lutyens' DelhiCentral

Lutyens' Delhi

Inaugurated 1931

The imperial capital of wide avenues and bungalows, inaugurated in 1931. Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Secretariat, Kartavya Path and India Gate sit inside it.

Map
NizamuddinSouth east

Nizamuddin

Sufi quarter

The basti around the 14th-century dargah on one side of Mathura Road, with Humayun's Tomb and Sunder Nursery at the far edge. Best on a Thursday.

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Hauz KhasSouth Delhi

Hauz Khas

Ruins and bars

A Tughlaq madrasa and reservoir with a deer park behind, and a village of bars and rooftops immediately outside. Two eras across one gate.

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MehrauliSouth Delhi

Mehrauli

Oldest quarter

The oldest continuously inhabited part of Delhi, around the Qutub complex, with a temple, a Sufi dargah and restored havelis in the lanes.

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Lodhi ColonyCentral south

Lodhi Colony

Street art

The last housing the British built in Delhi, and now the open-air art district: government blocks carrying large-scale murals. Free, best in the morning.

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North Delhi

Majnu ka Tila

Tibetan quarter

The Tibetan settlement on the west bank of the Yamuna: guesthouses, a monastery, momo counters and butter tea. A complete change of register.

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Opposite New Delhi station

Paharganj

Backpacker strip

The budget strip facing New Delhi station: guesthouses, luggage shops and a permanent through-traffic of arriving travellers. Not restful.

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Out of the city

Best day trips in New Delhi

Six trips within reach of a single day, one of which is the reason many people fly to Delhi at all.
All 6 day trips →
Agra and the Taj MahalUttar Pradesh

Agra and the Taj Mahal

100 min by train

The Gatimaan Express reaches Agra in about 100 minutes, daily except Friday, which is the day the Taj is closed. Agra Fort deserves a further two hours.

↗ TicketsMap
JaipurRajasthan

Jaipur

Golden Triangle

The third corner of the Golden Triangle: Amber Fort, the City Palace, and Jai Singh II's larger Jantar Mantar, the original of Delhi's.

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Mathura and VrindavanUttar Pradesh

Mathura and Vrindavan

Temple towns

Krishna's birthplace and the temple town beside it. Busiest and best at Holi, when celebrations run for days longer than in Delhi.

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Keoladeo National Park, BharatpurRajasthan

Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur

UNESCO site

A UNESCO wetland created as a duke's duck shoot, now one of the densest bird sites in Asia. Hire a cycle rickshaw guide at the gate.

↗ UNESCO listingMap
Neemrana Fort-PalaceRajasthan

Neemrana Fort-Palace

Half day

A 15th-century hill fort on the Jaipur highway, restored as a hotel that takes day visitors for lunch and the zip line. Two hours out.

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Sultanpur National ParkHaryana

Sultanpur National Park

Birding

The closest serious birding to the city, with a marked circuit around a shallow lake. Winter is the season, from October.

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What's on

Festivals & annual events in New Delhi (2026)

Time your trip around the city's biggest dates.
10 to 18 January 2026

New Delhi World Book Fair

The 53rd edition filled halls 2 to 6 of Bharat Mandapam, and entry was free for the first time.

26 January

Republic Day parade

The parade comes down Kartavya Path to India Gate. Seating is ticketed and central Delhi closes for rehearsals as well as the day.

5 to 8 February 2026

India Art Fair

The 17th edition ran at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds in Okhla, and remains the largest gathering of galleries in South Asia.

3 March 2026

Holi

Colour in the streets from mid-morning. Most shops and many restaurants close, so plan the day around it rather than through it.

15 August

Independence Day

The Prime Minister addresses the country from the Red Fort ramparts, unbroken since 1947. The fort and the roads around it close.

September or October

Phool Walon Ki Sair

The flower sellers' procession through Mehrauli, carrying floral fans to a temple and a dargah. A survival of late Mughal Delhi.

8 November 2026

Diwali

Lamps, sweets and a week of shopping beforehand in every market. Air quality is usually at its worst in the days that follow.

November or December

Qutub Festival

Five evenings of classical music and dance staged in the Qutub complex by Delhi Tourism, with the minar lit behind the stage.

Getting around

New Delhi transport & airports

How to arrive and move around the city.
DEL

Indira Gandhi International Airport

India's busiest, at Palam southwest of the centre. The Airport Express reaches Terminal 3 from New Delhi station in about nineteen minutes. Prepaid taxi counters sit in every arrivals hall.

↗ WebsiteMap
Metro

Delhi Metro

The fastest way across the city by a wide margin, and air-conditioned, which matters from April onwards. The first coach of every train is reserved for women. Buy a stored-value card.

↗ WebsiteMap
Rail

New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations

The departure points for most of north India, and the Gatimaan Express leaves Nizamuddin for Agra daily except Friday. Book through IRCTC, and ignore anyone outside claiming your train is cancelled.

↗ WebsiteMap
Auto

Autorickshaws and ride-hailing

Autos are metered by law and often not in practice, so agree the fare first. Ride-hailing prices the same trips transparently. Cycle rickshaws are the only sensible transport in the Old Delhi lanes.

Traditional food

Must-try dishes in New Delhi, India

The classics to order before you leave.

Chole bhature

Spiced chickpeas with two puffed, deep-fried bhature. Delhi eats it for breakfast and argues about where.

Butter chicken

Tandoori chicken finished in a tomato and butter gravy, invented in this city and exported everywhere.

Nihari

A slow-cooked stew, left overnight and eaten at dawn with khameeri roti. Winter food, best near Jama Masjid.

Seekh kebab

Minced mutton pressed onto a skewer over coals. The Old Delhi grills sell them by the piece all evening.

Paranthe

Stuffed flatbreads fried in ghee, with potato, radish or paneer. Paranthe Wali Gali does nothing else.

Golgappe

Hollow crisp shells filled with spiced water, potato and chickpea, eaten one at a time and standing up.

Daulat ki chaat

A milk foam whipped in the cold night air, dusted with sugar and pistachio. November to February only.

Jalebi

Coils of batter fried and steeped in syrup, served hot and by weight. The Dariba corner has fried since 1884.

New Delhi fact sheet

New Delhi at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
India
Region
National Capital Territory of Delhi, on the Yamuna in the north Indian plain
Population
16,787,941 across the National Capital Territory at the 2011 census, in an area of 1,483 km²
Founded
New Delhi was announced at the Delhi Durbar of 12 December 1911 and inaugurated on 13 February 1931, the eighth capital built on this ground
Nickname
The city of seven cities, for the successive capitals raised and abandoned here
Language
Hindi and English, both official in the territory, with Punjabi and Urdu widely spoken
Currency
Indian rupee (₹, INR)
Time zone
UTC+5:30, no daylight saving
Calling code
+91 11
Airports
Indira Gandhi International (DEL) at Palam, southwest of the centre, on the metro Airport Express
Power
230V, 50Hz, plug types C, D and M
Emergency
112
Ideal length
4 days, 5 with Agra
Getting around
The Delhi Metro for distance, autorickshaws and ride-hailing for the last mile, and your feet in Old Delhi
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • Delhi is usually counted as seven cities in one, from Qila Rai Pithora through Tughlaqabad to Shahjahanabad. Lutyens' New Delhi makes eight.
  • Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites stand inside the city limits: Qutb Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Red Fort. Very few capitals carry three.
  • The iron pillar in the Qutub complex is roughly 1,600 years old, predates the mosque around it by 800 years, and has barely corroded.
  • Akshardham was raised in five years by eleven thousand artisans with no structural steel, and is the largest Hindu temple in the world.
  • The langar at Bangla Sahib feeds tens of thousands free every day of the year, entirely with volunteer labour, and asks nobody who they are.

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