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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 01 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Amar Grover

Built in the late 1500s as a mausoleum for the Mughal emperor Humayun, this Persian-inspired confection of sandstone and marble laid the foundations for a style that reached its apogee in the Taj Mahal. Set atop an imposing arcaded plinth, it’s a profoundly elegant and atmospheric monument.

Like the Taj Mahal, this tomb is also a ‘monument to love’, built at great expense by Humayun’s second wife nine years after his death.

The surrounding formal gardens, with their shallow water channels and features, are integral to the site’s appeal and make for one of Delhi’s loveliest and most tranquil havens.

Price from: £1
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

The ticket booth stands just off Bharat Scouts and Guides Marg, though some taxis and auto-rickshaws may simply drop you off at the nearby Mathura Road roundabout.

Official and audio guides are available by the main entrance and well worth considering for a more informed visit.

When to do it

It’s open all year round, seven days a week, from sunrise to sunset. Though rarely excessively crowded, you’ll probably have the place to yourself early in the morning, before coach parties arrive.

May and June are very hot and uncomfortable ­– try to avoid If possible.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Mughal Heritage Tour Including Lodhi Garden, Humayun Tomb and Akshardham Temple

Mughal Heritage Tour Including Lodhi Garden, Humayun Tomb and Akshardham Temple

New Delhi

The tour gives a deep insight into Mughal rule, and the monumental history of Delhi. Experience faith in the historic Sai Baba Temple and le...

$72 | Rating 4.42 / 5 [14 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Imperial New Delhi Hotel

Delhi, India[4.7 miles]

Superb, centrally-located property whose refined ambience and vintage decor distills the glamour and flair of the Raj’s high-point in creating New Delhi.

Official star rating:

Thikana Delhi

Delhi, India[5.4 miles]

A small but comfortable B&B with the ambience of a homestay, featuring recently-renovated rooms and super-friendly hosts.

Official star rating:

Leela Palace

Delhi, India[6.2 miles]

Modern, high-rise and self-consciously palace-styled hotel, set beside the capital’s genteel diplomatic enclave with an ‘Indo-baroque’ vibe, slick service and rooftop infinity pool.

Official star rating:

Haveli Dharampura

Delhi, India[6.9 miles]

Elegant boutique hotel in the heart of Old Delhi which lends a more immersive experience to this fascinating corner of the capital.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Delhi

India

India’s intense sight- and monument-filled capital is a compelling blend of the modern Raj-influenced New Delhi, and the sights, sounds and smells of Old Delhi’s heaving and exotic lanes and bazaars.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Friday Mosque

Delhi, India[6.6 miles]

Completed in 1656 by Emperor Shah Jahan, this is one of India’s largest and most beautiful mosques.

Best for ages: 18+ | £3

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Red Fort

Delhi, India[7 miles]

Vast sandstone-walled fort with gardens, audience halls and royal apartments – a high point of Mughal military architecture.

Best for ages: 13+ | £5

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Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Qawwali singing

Delhi, India[0.9 miles]

A unique opportunity to experience traditional devotional music, performed in the courtyard of an ancient Sufi tomb-shrine in south Delhi.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 1 hour

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National Gallery of Modern Art
Experience

National Gallery of Modern Art

Delhi, India[2.5 miles]

Formerly a palace belonging to the Maharaja of Jaipur, the gallery is now a superb repository of Indian paintings, sculpture and even photography.

Best for ages: 18+ | £5

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Lodi Garden
Experience

Lodi Garden

Delhi, India[3.1 miles]

Among Delhi’s quietest and leafiest parks, Lodi Gardens contain several 15th- and 16th-century tombs and monuments, most relating to the Afghan Lodi dynasty, which was eventually replaced by the Mughals.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum
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Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum

Delhi, India[4.4 miles]

The former bungalow residence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is now a slightly macabre museum. Assassinated here in 1984 by her bodyguards, even that very spot remains spotted with blood.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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