The rhythm of a good Delhi day
Why the rhythm: Delhi is huge, its rush-hour traffic is heavy and its midday sun is strong for much of the year.
Early starts: the busiest or most demanding sight of the day comes first, when the streets are calm and the light is soft.
One area at a time: we group sights by neighbourhood so you never cross the city twice in a day.
- Morning
- Out by seven, the big sight
- Late morning
- A second sight close by, lunch
- About one to four
- Hotel: swim, sleep, massage
- From four
- A tomb or garden in the gold light
- Evening
- A walk, a shrine or dinner
- North: Old Delhi, the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk.
- Middle: Humayun's Tomb, Nizamuddin, Sunder Nursery and Lodhi Garden.
- South: the Qutub Minar, Mehrauli and Hauz Khas.
- Any dusk: Lutyens' Delhi, with India Gate and the avenues around Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Car and guide: a private car with a driver who knows the city, and a guide for the monuments, make Delhi far easier.
- Read alongside: Delhi, the gateway city explains how we plan the arrival, and things to do in Delhi goes deeper on every idea below.
One night only, landing late and leaving for Rajasthan
- Sleep in
- Aerocity, beside the airport
- Room
- Held from the evening before
- Optional sight
- Qutub Minar, late morning
- Leave
- After lunch, once fog lifts
- Tea stop
- Neemrana Fort-Palace
Night, straight to bed
Met inside arrivals: our team or the hotel meets you, and within minutes you are in a hotel in Aerocity, the district beside the airport.
- Sleep at once: the room is held from the evening before, so you can sleep the moment you arrive.
- Keep it simple: something light from room service, plenty of water, curtains drawn.
Morning, a slow start
No alarm: sleep until you wake, then a long breakfast and a swim.
- If you feel like it: the Qutub Minar is close to Aerocity and makes a calm first sight in the late morning, with the stepwell and tombs of Mehrauli beside it.
- If you don't: skip it without guilt and see it at the end of the journey.
Afternoon, the road to Jaipur
Leave after lunch: once the morning traffic has eased and, in winter, once any fog has lifted.
- The route: the expressway runs south through the Aravalli hills.
- Tea on the way: at the Neemrana Fort-Palace, terraced into a hillside.
- Jaipur for dinner: save Delhi's monuments for two nights at the end of your journey.
One day in Delhi
- Seven
- Jama Masjid, then Chandni Chowk
- Late morning
- Red Fort, two hours
- Afternoon
- Lunch, swim, sleep
- About four
- Humayun's Tomb
- Dusk
- India Gate and the great avenue
Morning, Old Delhi on foot
Leave at about seven: begin on the steps of the Jama Masjid as the old city wakes.
By cycle rickshaw: through the lanes to Chandni Chowk.
- With your guide: walk the avenue, the silver lane of Dariba Kalan and the trimmings of Kinari Bazaar.
- Breakfast as you go: jalebis, parathas and sweet tea.
- Finish high: the spice market of Khari Baoli and the view from its rooftops.
Late morning, the Red Fort
- Two hours: in the Red Fort, from the Lahori Gate through the covered bazaar to the halls of audience and Shah Jahan's marble palaces.
- On a Monday: the fort is closed, so take a longer walk in the old city, or visit Raj Ghat, Gandhi's memorial by the old river.
Afternoon, lunch and rest
- Back to the hotel: lunch, a swim and a sleep.
- Not a luxury: after a morning in Old Delhi, this rest is what makes the evening possible.
Evening, Humayun's Tomb and Lutyens' Delhi
At about four: Humayun's Tomb, as the sandstone turns rose in the late light.
On a Thursday: walk across to the Nizamuddin shrine for qawwali.
- Otherwise: drive past India Gate and up the great avenue towards Rashtrapati Bhavan as the lights come on.
- Sit with Delhi: half an hour on the lawns with the city's families.
- Then: dinner at your hotel and early to bed.
Two days in Delhi
- Day one
- Lodhi Garden, Humayun's Tomb, Sunder Nursery
- Day two
- Old Delhi, Red Fort, Lutyens' Delhi
- Next morning
- Qutub Minar at opening, then Jaipur
- Thursday bonus
- Qawwali at Nizamuddin
Day one, a gentle arrival
Morning: sleep late after the flight and have a slow breakfast.
Late morning: walk in Lodhi Garden among the fifteenth-century tombs and the morning walkers.
- Afternoon: lunch at the hotel and rest.
- At four: Humayun's Tomb, then Sunder Nursery next door, with its lotus ponds and Mughal pavilions, as the light fades.
- Evening: qawwali at Nizamuddin if it is a Thursday, then dinner at the hotel.
Day two, Old Delhi and the new city
Early: the Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, the lanes and Khari Baoli, eating as you go.
Late morning: the Red Fort, unless it is a Monday.
- Afternoon: rest.
- Dusk: India Gate and the avenues of Lutyens' Delhi.
- A Jaipur gift: stop at the Jaipur Column in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, given by our own maharaja.
- Dinner: at one of the city's great restaurants. Our article on Delhi in two days has more detail.
The next morning, onward
Opening time: the Qutub Minar, an easy stop on the road south.
- Then: drive on to Jaipur by the expressway, or catch the late-morning train.
- Arrive: in the Pink City in time for tea.
Three days in Delhi
- Day one
- Gardens, Humayun's Tomb, the museum
- Day two
- Old Delhi, Bangla Sahib at night
- Day three
- Qutub, Mehrauli, a museum, Hauz Khas
- Fourth morning
- Onward by road, rail or air
Day one, gardens and Humayun's Tomb
As in the two-day plan: a late start, Lodhi Garden before lunch and a long rest.
- Evening light: Humayun's Tomb and Sunder Nursery.
- Add: time in the new underground museum at the tomb complex.
Day two, Old Delhi
Dawn: the Jama Masjid, the lanes and the bazaars, with breakfast on the walk.
- Late morning: the Red Fort.
- Evening: Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, the white marble Sikh shrine near Connaught Place.
- At the gurdwara: the community kitchen feeds everyone who comes, and the sacred tank glows at night.
Day three, the Qutub and Mehrauli
Opening time: the Qutub Minar, then the Mehrauli Archaeological Park with its stepwell, tombs and peacocks.
Lunch: on a terrace with a view of the tower.
- The National Museum: collections spanning the Harappan cities, Buddhist sculpture and Mughal and Rajput miniature painting.
- Or the Crafts Museum: at Pragati Maidan.
- A move under way: the national collections are due to move from Janpath to a new museum in the old North and South Blocks, so we check what is open for your dates.
- Dusk: walk around the medieval reservoir at Hauz Khas as the herons come in.
The fourth morning, onward
- Your choice: drive to Jaipur, take the train or fly south.
- Agra first? The fast train from Hazrat Nizamuddin takes under two hours.
Four days in Delhi
- Jantar Mantar
- 1724, by Sawai Jai Singh II
- Agrasen ki Baoli
- A stepwell among office blocks
- Jaipur House
- National Gallery of Modern Art
- Shopping
- Khan Market, Meherchand, Dilli Haat
- Or
- A day trip to Agra, not Fridays
Days one to three
- Follow the three-day plan: at an unhurried pace.
- The order: gardens and Humayun's Tomb, then Old Delhi, then the Qutub and Mehrauli.
Day four, morning, Lutyens' Delhi and a Jaipur king
Jantar Mantar: near Connaught Place, the giant stone observatory built in 1724 by Sawai Jai Singh II, who later founded Jaipur.
- Compare later: with the larger Jantar Mantar in Jaipur.
- Agrasen ki Baoli: a short walk away, a deep stepwell hidden among the office blocks.
- Jaipur House: the old Delhi palace of the Jaipur maharajas, now the National Gallery of Modern Art, with a fine collection of modern Indian painting.
Day four, afternoon and evening, shopping and a last dinner
After lunch and a rest: shop where Delhi families shop.
Khan Market: bookshops, boutiques and cafés.
- Meherchand Market: design stores.
- Dilli Haat: stalls of craftspeople from every state. Our shopping guide explains what to save for Jaipur.
- A celebratory dinner: at one of the city's great restaurants. Our food of Delhi guide has our favourites.
Or, day four as a day trip to Agra
If Agra isn't later in your journey: take the early fast train from Hazrat Nizamuddin.
- With a guide: see the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, have lunch, and return by the evening train.
- Not on a Friday: the Taj is closed.
- Our honest view: it is a long day and we much prefer a night in Agra, but it works for travellers short of time.
Evenings to slot into any day
- Music
- Qawwali at Nizamuddin, Thursdays
- Families
- India Gate and Kartavya Path
- Calm
- Bangla Sahib after dark
- Sunset walk
- Hauz Khas reservoir
Qawwali at Nizamuddin
When: many evenings, especially Thursdays.
- Where: the shrine of the Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, across the road from Humayun's Tomb.
- How: cover your head, leave your shoes with the keepers and sit at the edge of the courtyard as the music builds.
- With whom: a guide who knows the shrine.
India Gate and Kartavya Path
At dusk: the ceremonial avenue fills with families, ice-cream carts and balloon sellers.
- The arch: the war memorial of India Gate is lit up.
- Why go: half an hour here shows you a Delhi few visitors see.
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib at night
After dark: the white marble gurdwara near Connaught Place is beautiful, its golden dome reflected in the sacred tank.
- Everyone welcome: cover your head and wash your feet.
- Langar: if you like, sit for a simple meal in the langar, the free community kitchen.
Hauz Khas at dusk
- The walk: round the medieval reservoir and the ruins of the fourteenth-century college as the herons come in.
- Afterwards: a drink or dinner in the village above the lake.
A great dinner
- Some evenings: the best plan is simply a long, celebratory meal.
- We handle it: we book the table, the car waits, and you are back in good time for an early start.
A last day in Delhi before your flight home
A whole last day: most flights to Europe and America leave late at night, and we like to make that day one of the best of the trip.
Rest and pack: we keep the room or arrange a day room, so you can pack slowly and shower before the airport.
Morning: something you missed or loved, such as Humayun's Tomb, Sunder Nursery, Lodhi Garden or the bazaars.
- Most flights home
- Late at night
- Room
- Kept, or a day room
- To the airport
- About 40 minutes at night
- At the terminal
- About three hours before
- Pre-dawn flight
- A last night in Aerocity
- Lunch: long and unhurried, perhaps somewhere from our food of Delhi guide.
- Afternoon: a massage, a swim and a last cup of masala tea.
- Last shopping: the boutiques of Khan Market and Meherchand Market have the city's best contemporary Indian design, from textiles and homeware to books and tea.
- Last gifts: the Crafts Museum shop. Our shopping guide explains what travels well.
- Traffic: the airport run is much longer in the evening rush than at night.
- Flight before dawn? A last night in Aerocity is far kinder than an alarm at one in the morning. Our guide to airports and flights has the details.
Where Delhi fits in a longer journey
At the start: the long-haul flights land here, and two nights set the body clock right before the palaces of Rajasthan.
The Golden Triangle: Delhi to Agra to Jaipur, or the reverse, is the most popular route.
- Most guests
- At the start
- Some
- At the end
- Longer trips
- One night in, two nights out
- Flights on
- Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Varanasi
- Luxury trains
- Most begin in Delhi
- Journeys that begin here: our classic Golden Triangle and Delhi, Jaipur and Agra in luxury.
- At the end: some guests save Delhi until they are rested and curious, and fly home from it.
- Split in two: one night on arrival to recover, straight to Jaipur, then two nights at the end for the monuments.
- Where splitting works: longer journeys such as Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur or the grand Royal Rajputana.
- A hub: flights from Delhi reach Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, as well as Varanasi, in a little over an hour or two.
- Before a luxury train: our guide to luxury trains explains how we add a night or two in the city before boarding.
Variations for different travellers
- Children
- Short mornings, free afternoons
- Couples
- Days built around the light
- Repeat visitors
- Tughlaqabad, Lodhi murals
- Grandparents
- Flat, shaded sights
- Mondays
- South Delhi
For families with children
Pace: keep the mornings short and the afternoons free.
What children love: Old Delhi's cycle rickshaws, the bird hospital behind the Jain temple on Chandni Chowk, and the arms and armour in the Red Fort's war museum.
- Steam engines: at the National Rail Museum in Chanakyapuri.
- Room to run: the lawns of Sunder Nursery and Lodhi Garden, and ice cream and balloons at India Gate in the evening.
- More ideas: our notes on travelling with children.
For couples
Follow the light: Humayun's Tomb at sunset, and the Qutub Minar glowing in the last light from a Mehrauli terrace.
- Between: a lazy spa afternoon and a long dinner in the city's best restaurant.
- Most romantic hour: qawwali at Nizamuddin on a Thursday evening.
For repeat visitors
Go deeper: the ruined fortress of Tughlaqabad and the Purana Qila where Humayun fell.
- Nizamuddin: walk its lanes with a guide from the community.
- Street art: the murals of the Lodhi Colony art district.
- Or: the rooftops of Khari Baoli, a morning in the Crafts Museum, or a private Old Delhi food walk focused on one neighbourhood.
For several generations together
Short visits: with the car close by.
- Wheelchairs: use one at the bigger monuments if it helps.
- Flat and shaded: Humayun's Tomb, Sunder Nursery and the Qutub complex.
- In Old Delhi: cycle rickshaws carry grandparents through the lanes while the grandchildren walk alongside.
For a smoky winter day
Move indoors: in November and December, the National Museum, the Crafts Museum, the National Gallery of Modern Art, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and a long lunch.
- Outdoors: keep walks short, carry masks and save the gardens for a clearer morning.
- The honest picture: our best time to visit Delhi guide explains the winter air.
For a Monday
- What's shut: the Red Fort and several museums.
- What we plan: south Delhi. Humayun's Tomb, the Qutub Minar, Mehrauli and Lodhi Garden are all usually open.
Where these days eat
Old Delhi days: breakfast in the lanes, with your guide choosing the stalls: jalebis, stuffed parathas, dahi bhalla and sweet tea.
Other days: a long, slow breakfast at the hotel.
- Old Delhi breakfast
- In the lanes, guide's choice
- South Delhi lunch
- Mehrauli terrace or Hauz Khas
- Old Delhi lunch
- Karim's, since 1913
- Great dinner
- Bukhara, Dum Pukht, Indian Accent
- Lunch near the sights: a terrace in Mehrauli or a café in Hauz Khas in the south, and Khan Market or the Lodhi Colony area in the centre.
- Karim's: near the Jama Masjid, serving Mughlai kebabs and curries since 1913, the classic lunch after a morning in the lanes.
- One great dinner: Bukhara and Dum Pukht at ITC Maurya, and Indian Accent at The Lodhi. Book well ahead in winter.
- First night: eat simply at the hotel. Room service dal and rice is a perfectly good introduction to Indian food.
- Water: bottled or filtered, and leave raw salads and street drinks until your guide says otherwise.
Getting around Delhi on these plans
A private car: we arrange experienced drivers who know the city and wait for you at each stop.
Old Delhi: leave the car at the edge of the walled city. Cars cannot enter the main avenue of Chandni Chowk in the daytime.
- Best way
- Private car and driver
- Old Delhi
- On foot or by cycle rickshaw
- Avoid
- Morning and evening rush hours
- Metro
- One short ride, not at rush hour
- To the airport
- About 40 minutes at night
- Rush hours: our plans keep you close to one neighbourhood at a time, so you never cross the city at peak times.
- The Metro: clean, fast and air-conditioned. Some guests enjoy one short ride for the experience.
- Airport timings: much longer by day than at night. Our guide to airports and flights has them.
- Onward to Jaipur: about four to five hours by road. See our note on the Delhi to Jaipur expressway and our guide to trains in Rajasthan.
What we tell our cousins before their Delhi days
Landing day: never plan a full day of sightseeing on it.
Humayun's Tomb before the Taj: it makes Agra much easier to understand.
- Red Fort
- Closed Mondays
- Taj Mahal
- Closed Fridays
- Smog weeks
- November and December
- Fog weeks
- Late December and January
- Check the day of the week: the Red Fort is closed on Mondays and the Taj on Fridays.
- Rest every afternoon: Delhi families do, and so should you.
- Smog: in November and December, check the air quality each evening and be ready to swap days.
- Fog: in late December and January, allow for it with late starts and afternoon departures.
- Dress modestly: and carry a scarf for the mosques, the gurdwaras and the Nizamuddin shrine.
- One unplanned hour: leave room for it each day. The best moments in Delhi are rarely on the schedule.
