Recommended itinerary:
Where to go and what to see in Delhi to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and leading travel writer Amar Grover.
Editor note – Amar has not included specific recommendations of where to stay each day unless it’s necessary. Instead, see the ‘Where to stay’ section in our Delhi destination guide.
Start the day exploring New Delhi’s key landmarks such as Connaught Place, India Gate and the Parliament building before heading on to Hauz Khas.
Pause for a bite at The Tea Room From Blossom Kochhar (cafe-style menu) before wandering over to the medieval water tank and its clutch of monuments.
Time and stamina permitting, continue south to the striking Qutb Minar complex (whose fluted minaret you might have spotted while landing at Delhi). Cocktails and dinner – ‘modern Indian’ – at swanky Rooh.
Delhi, India
The distinctive concentric circles and radial roads of Connaught Place (officially renamed Rajiv Chowk in 2013 to honour assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi), mark the commercial heart of Delhi. Its curving two-storey buildings with classical facades were loosely modelled on Bath’s Royal Crescent.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Delhi, India
Lutyens’s ‘triumphal arch’ is actually a war memorial to the many thousands of soldiers in the British Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921. Inaugurated in 1931, it is illuminated each evening.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Delhi, India
Parliament House, or Sansad Bhavan, is home to India’s two houses of parliament. Designed by Lutyens and fellow architect Herbert Baker, its striking circular design features a central domed chamber and several subsidiary halls.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Delhi, India
Britain’s rule from 1858 to independence in 1947 known as the ‘Raj’ was a defining period in India’s history.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Humayun’s Tomb and the nearby Lodi Gardens make for an easy-going start to a full day before continuing to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum.
Adjourn for lunch (South Indian specialities) at the Ashoka Hotel’s Sagar Ratna before plunging into earthy Old Delhi. A rickshaw ride might take you to the Red Fort and Friday Mosque via Chandni Chowk and the Khari Baoli spice bazaar.
For traditional unfussy Mughlai cuisine, have dinner at the venerable Karim’s Restaurant.
Delhi, India
Stunning mausoleum and precursor to the Taj Mahal, with tranquil well-maintained gardens.
Best for ages: 13+ | £1
Delhi, India
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
Delhi, India
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
Delhi, India
Hire a cycle rickshaw for a genuine, earthy experience of Old Delhi’s atmospheric backstreets.
Best for ages: 8+ | £1 | 15+ minutes
Cross the Yamuna River to the enormous Akshardham Temple complex before heading to the National Museum of India. Pause for lunch at Lazeez Affaire in Chanakyapuri.
For relaxed and varied shopping, several state government emporia around Baba Kharak Singh Marg along with Janpath’s Cottage Industries Emporium offer fixed-price handicrafts.
Enjoy dinner – Northwest Frontier cuisine – at Bukhara Restaurant (in the ITC Maurya Hotel).
If it’s a Thursday, consider an evening of spiritual music with the qawwals, or bards, at Nizamuddin’s tomb-shrine.
Delhi, India
An extraordinary modern temple complex, drawing on traditional religious architecture and design.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Delhi, India
The National Museum houses five millennia’s worth of Indian culture alongside an eclectic collection of its celebrated art forms.
Best for ages: 13+ | £7
Delhi, India
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
Delhi, India
A solid and dependable luxury hotel with top-notch facilities, including an ayurvedic spa, a lovely swimming pool and famous restaurants.
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