Delhi Itinerary (The 10 Best Things To Do In Delhi, India)

Last Updated: November 17 2020

We booked 3 nights in New Delhi so we could visit some of the popular sights. If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the centre, we will go through the places you need to add to your Delhi itinerary!

In all honesty, Delhi is the craziest city we have ever visited! Like most people, Delhi was our first stop on our India backpacking route. Delhi can be overwhelming due to the intense culture shock upon arrival, and honestly, we wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

However, it should still be on everyone’s India itinerary because it is the country’s capital.

In this blog post we are going to go through all the sights you need to visit for the perfect itinerary for Delhi. We will also go through the best ways to get around Delhi, and accommodation options so you don’t have too.

The Best Places To Add To Your Delhi Itinerary

The city of Delhi is part of the famous ‘Golden triangle itinerary’ and attracts millions of tourists each year.

There are so many places around Delhi to visit, so we have gone through some of the best ones. Here are the destinations that you should add to your Delhi itinerary!

1. Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb is one of the most historical places in Delhi. It was built in the 1560s and paved the way for the incredible Taj Mahal. The tomb was built after Emperor Humayun passed away, and was commissioned by his wife.

The tomb is stunning, with incredible architecture. It is a must for any Delhi itinerary, and we recommend you head there about 4 pm. It was surprisingly quiet, especially for a tourist attraction in India!

Humayun’s Tomb is one of Delhi’s most popular tourist attractions and one of the most expensive for foreigners. Honestly, we were a bit bummed out by the price difference between foreigners and locals. We understand that as tourists you will always pay extra, but a price increase of over 1000% for foreigners is pretty steep if you ask me.

Opening times: Every day, 6 am – 6 pm

Closest Metro Station: Hazrat Nizamuddin (Pink Line)

Entrance Fee: 35 INR for Indians
600 INR (about £6.60) for foreigners

(these were the prices as of April 2019, but they seem to change quite regularly)

2. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is one of the main Sikh pilgrimage centres in Delhi. Everybody is welcome here, no matter their religion. You are required to dress modestly, and they will give you something to cover your head upon entering.

You also get to take a look at the kitchens here, where people come to make meals for other people voluntarily every day. There are so many tourist places around Deli, but if you are looking for a cultural experience then Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is your place. Honestly one of our best experiences in this city!

Opening times: All day, every day

Closest Metro Station: Patel Chowk (Yellow Line)

Entrance Fee: Free

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3. Lodhi Garden

If you are looking for fun things to do in Delhi, then exploring the Lodhi Gardens should be on your list! It is a lovely place to relax and escape the craziness of the city centre.

There is so much to explore, with there being two tombs located here. There is also plenty of nature that can be found here, including hornbills. A must for any Delhi travel itinerary!

Opening times: April – September, every day 5 am – 8 pm
October – March, everyday 6am – 8pm

Closest Metro Station: Jorbagh (Yellow Line)

Entrance Fee: Free

4. Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple was the first attraction we visited in New Delhi, and we loved it! It was free too, which is rare for such a beautiful and popular spot.

The temple is shaped like a lotus flower, with there being pools located around the temple. If you look up drone shots of this temple, you won’t be disappointed. It looks just as beautiful from above.

You can also enter the temple for roughly 10 minutes. Once a group of people are in, the doors are closed for 10 minutes meaning you are not allowed to exit. Somebody says a prayer, and you are not allowed to speak. Overall a very calm and tranquil experience, definitely one for your Delhi itinerary!

Opening times: Monday – Closed,
(Summer) Tues- Sun 9am – 7:30pm
(Winter) Tues – Sun 9am – 5:30pm

Closest Metro Station: There are three metro stations closeby; Kalkaji Mandir (Violet Line), Nehru Place (Violet Line) and Okhla NSIC

Entrance Fee: Free

5. Connaught Place

Connaught Place is referred to as the commercial centre of Delhi. It is where you will find all the branded stores such as Nike and its home to plenty of well-known restaurants and fast-food chains.

It is expensive compared to other parts of Delhi and houses plenty of global brands with high prices. Definitely worth a visit, if you are looking for something different to do in the city.

Opening times: Sunday (Closed)
Mon-Sat 10am – 8:30pm

Closest Metro Station: Rajiv Chowk (Blue & Yellow line)

Entrance Fee: Free

6. India Gate

India Gate is a beautiful war memorial that was opened in the 1930s. Every Delhi city tour visits the India Gate so it is very popular; both with locals and tourists. You can take a walk right up to it, and there is also a light show that goes on in the evenings. This place gets crazy busy, so just keep that in mind!

Opening times: All day, every day
India Gate light show 7pm – 9:30pm

Closest Metro Station: Central Secretariat (Violet & Yellow line)

Entrance Fee: Free

7. Red Fort

The Red Fort is another really popular tourist attraction in Delhi.  Originally it was a residence for the royal family but today, it is used as the location to hoist the national flag every year for Independence day.

The Red Fort is another spot in Delhi which is very pricey for foreigners, but still, somewhere you should include on your Delhi itinerary.

Opening times: Monday – Closed,
Tues- Sun 9:30am – 4:30pm

Closest Metro Station: Jama Masjid (Violet line)

Entrance Fee: The entry fee is 50 INR for Indians & 600 INR (about £6.60) for foreigners

(these were the prices as of April 2019, but they seem to change quite regularly)

8. Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India, and it is incredibly beautiful! The construction began in the 1640s and was designed by the emperor who also built the Taj Mahal.

You have to take your shoes off before entering, and you will be given a robe/shawl to make sure you are covered up. We didn’t take any camera equipment in as you had to pay 300 INR (about £3.30) for each device, which isn’t a lot but we had plenty of devices on us so we left them locked in our drivers’ car. You can also pay to go up one of the towers to see a view over the city of New Delhi.

Opening Times: Everyday; 7am-12am & 1:30pm -6:30pm

Closest Metro Station: Jama Masjid

Entrance Fee: Free
You have to pay for anything with a camera e.g Phone, Camera, iPod. 300 INR for each item (about £3.30)

9. Rashtrapati Bhavan

Rashtrapati Bhaven is home to the President of India, also known as the ‘President House’. This spot is very popular, especially with the locals who like to come and relax in the gardens nearby. Tours are available at certain times, where you can take a look inside. The architecture is beautiful, so if you have time make sure you visit this place!

Opening times: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (Closed)
Thurs-Sun 9am – 4pm

Closest Metro Station: Central Secretariat (Violet & Yellow line)

Entrance Fee: It is free to take a look outside, but if you want a tour of the inside you have to pay. We’re not too sure on the tour prices though, as we didn’t go in. We’ve read that it is 50 INR (about £0.55) per person, which we think is the price for locals.

10. Agrasen Ki Baoli

Agrasen Ki Baoli is one of the oldest monuments in Old Delhi and is located near India Gate. Baoli’s are step wells, which were once used to keep water.

This stepwell has beautiful architecture and has also appeared in many Bollywood movies. It is home to plenty of bats which is pretty cool and is also said to be haunted!

Opening times: Every day, 7 am – 6 pm

Closest Metro Station: Janpath (Violet Line)

Entrance Fee: Free

How to get around Delhi

Delhi has over 18 million people, so as you can imagine the traffic is pretty intense. However, often we found it to move pretty quickly and only encountered short spells of traffic. There are different options to get around, so we will write them below:

Delhi Metro

Delhi’s metro is super easy to use, and cheap. There are metro stations located all over the city, which makes travelling to different spots easy. You can get a day pass and multiple-day passes, which will also reduce the cost.

Uber

We used Uber a few times and found it to be very reliable. The best part is that it’s super cheap in India, and there always seems to be somebody available. Although we encountered no issues, it is always important to be safe. Make sure you check your drivers’ license plate before jumping into any car, so you know they are your driver.

Tuk Tuk/Rickshaw

Be very careful if you are planning to travel around Delhi this way. We have heard numerous stories about touts who will give you a very ‘cheap’ price, and then proceed to take you everywhere under the sun. This leads to you paying super high prices, and it is near impossible to get out of paying because they will often have the back up of multiple other rickshaw drivers.

Private Driver – Delhi day tour 

We knew nothing about India’s capital city, so decided to organise a driver for the day through our hostel. This was the best decision we could have made, and is a great way to see Delhi! We organised it through our hostel Backpackers Heaven@ New King and it only cost us 1000 INR (about £11) for a full day trip. We were out from 9 am – 6 pm, and saw so much of Delhi’s sights and attractions.

Top tips for staying in Delhi

• If you are staying in Delhi during the hotter months, definitely pay more for air conditioning. You will need it!
• The Delhi belly (food poisoning) is so common here! So many people at our hostel had got sick within the last few weeks, so always try to find a restaurant that cooks with filtered water. It always states it on the menu.
• Always avoid ‘tourist information shops’ and dodgy looking ‘travel agents’. The majority are scams and you will not get anything for what you paid. If you are struggling to book transport or a tour, it is always safer to do it with your hostel or guest house.
• Book somewhere comfortable. Delhi is chaotic and having a nice private room to ourselves allowed us to relax.
• The culture shock is real in Delhi, and it can take a while to adjust. If you are like us you may never adjust and want to leave as soon as possible haha!

Where to stay in Delhi

We found it very difficult to know where to stay in Delhi due to its size, so just booked a cheap option. However, by using the metro, it won’t matter where you stay. We are going to say where we stayed, and also give two other accommodations to show you some of the options available.

Budget – Backpackers Heaven @ New King (This is where we stayed in New Delhi. The hostel is down a little side street which isn’t very pleasant however we had such a comfortable stay, and the owners helped us book onward transport and tours. There are also plenty of good food options and markets around).

Mid Budget – Himalayan Hostel

Luxury/High Budget – The Claridges New Delhi

Booking.com

We hope this post has given you some ideas of the places you should include in your Delhi itinerary. Delhi is a city that you will either love or hate but either way it should be on everyone’s India travel itinerary.

There are plenty of places to enjoy in Delhi if you take the time to explore, so make the most out of your trip.

P.S If you want more travel tips, you can follow our Pinterest here.

Thanks,

Jack & Abbie.

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