Delhi is not one city and never has been. Seven or eight capitals have been built on this stretch of the Yamuna plain, and rather than replacing each other they simply piled up — a 12th-century minaret in one suburb, a Mughal walled city in the middle, a British imperial grid to the south, and glass towers ringing the lot. Most travellers arrive at Delhi’s airport, spend a nervous 36 hours, and leave for Agra. That’s the mistake this guide is designed to prevent.
The city rewards a plan. Delhi has India’s best metro — clean, air-conditioned, cheap, and with a women-only carriage on every train — which means the version of Delhi that terrifies first-timers (bargaining with drivers in 40°C heat) is entirely optional. Do the sequencing right and you get Mughal architecture on the scale of Istanbul, one of Asia’s great street-food cities, and the country’s finest museums, all in three days.
Here’s Delhi for budget travellers, families, and luxury travellers, with costs, gear, a two-day plan, and a map.
Getting Oriented
Think of Delhi in three bands. Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) in the north is the Mughal walled city: the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, and the compressed chaos of Chandni Chowk’s bazaars. New Delhi in the middle is the British-built capital — the wide green avenues of Lutyens’ Delhi, India Gate, Connaught Place’s white colonnades, and most of the museums. South Delhi is where the oldest ruins hide in the newest neighbourhoods: Qutub Minar, Hauz Khas, Mehrauli’s tomb-scattered parkland, and the restaurants and boutiques of Khan Market and Saket.
The Delhi Metro connects all three, running roughly 6am to 11pm, with fares of ₹10–60 and a tourist day card at ₹200. It is the single most useful fact about the city. Autorickshaws fill the last mile — insist on the meter or agree a fare first; ride-hailing apps sidestep the negotiation entirely.
Delhi on a Budget
Sleeping cheap. The Paharganj backpacker strip near New Delhi railway station runs ₹500–1,200 for a basic double and hostel dorms ₹400–800. It is loud and grubby but unbeatably central. A step up in comfort and calm: guesthouses in Majnu-ka-Tilla or South Delhi’s Hauz Khas for ₹1,500–2,800.
The monuments are the value. Delhi’s three UNESCO sites — Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, the Red Fort — charge foreign visitors ₹600 each, Indian nationals ₹40. Everything else worth seeing is free: Jama Masjid (₹300 camera fee only), the Lodhi Gardens’ tombs standing in a public park, Mehrauli Archaeological Park, the vast white marble Akshardham complex, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and its free community kitchen.
Eating cheap. This is Delhi’s superpower. Chandni Chowk’s paratha lane, kebab shops around Jama Masjid, chaat stalls, and butter chicken joints will feed you extremely well for ₹150–350 a meal. Karim’s, the legendary Mughlai canteen behind Jama Masjid, does a full meal for ₹400.
Budget total: ₹1,600–3,000 a day.
Delhi for Families
Delhi is more forgiving with kids than its reputation suggests, provided you accept two rules: air-conditioned transport between sights, and a long midday break.
- The Red Fort and Jama Masjid — the fort’s scale sells itself, and climbing Jama Masjid’s southern minaret (₹100) gives kids a genuine reward and you a rooftop view over Old Delhi.
- A cycle-rickshaw through Chandni Chowk — the single best 30 minutes in Delhi with children. It converts an overwhelming bazaar into a ride, and costs about ₹200.
- The National Rail Museum — steam locomotives, the Fairy Queen, a toy train circuit around the grounds, and blessedly few crowds. Ideal for ages 3–10.
- Humayun’s Tomb — big lawns to run on, and a building that visibly rehearses the Taj Mahal you’ll see two days later. Good for pointing out the family resemblance.
- Akshardham — an immense modern temple with a boat ride through Indian history and musical fountains. No phones or cameras allowed inside; security queues are long but it lands well with school-age kids.
- Kingdom of Dreams and the Waste to Wonder park — miniature world monuments built from scrap metal, near Nizamuddin; a cheap, breezy evening.
Bring a stroller only if it folds small; footpaths are unreliable and a toddler carrier is the better call.
Delhi in Luxury
Delhi does grand hotels as well as any city in Asia, and at a fraction of the price. The Imperial on Janpath is the historic choice — Art Deco corridors hung with colonial-era lithographs, ₹22,000–40,000. The Oberoi, Taj Mahal Hotel on Mansingh Road, and The Leela Palace run ₹25,000–60,000, and the last is the most theatrically opulent. Around them: a private Mughal-architecture tour with a historian, a dawn walk through Old Delhi with a chef followed by a market breakfast, a Kathak or sitar recital arranged in a haveli, and the tasting menus at Indian Accent and Bukhara — the two restaurants that genuinely justify a detour. Have a car and driver for the day (₹3,000–5,000); in Delhi it buys more comfort per rupee than anything else.
Signature Sights, Honestly Ranked
Humayun’s Tomb — the best building in Delhi, the Mughal garden-tomb that the Taj Mahal was drawn from, and mercifully calm. Go first. Qutub Minar — a 73m victory tower from 1193 in a courtyard of carved ruins and a 1,600-year-old iron pillar that famously doesn’t rust. Jama Masjid — India’s largest mosque; go late afternoon and climb the minaret. Red Fort — historically essential, architecturally thinned by centuries of British-era demolition; an hour is enough. Chandni Chowk — not a sight but an experience; do it by rickshaw or with a food-walk guide. Lodhi Gardens — 15th-century tombs in a jogging park, free, and Delhi’s most pleasant hour. The National Museum — an underrated collection with the Harappan “Dancing Girl”. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib — the free langar kitchen feeds tens of thousands a day and welcomes visitors into it.
Best Time to Visit
October to March, without qualification. November to February brings daytime highs of 20–25°C and cool nights — the season the city is built for. February adds flowering gardens before the heat. The costs: December and January bring dense morning fog that routinely delays flights and trains, so never schedule a tight connection out of Delhi in those months, and winter air quality is genuinely poor — bring N95 masks and asthma medication if anyone in the family needs it. April to June is punishing, regularly above 42°C, and the July–September monsoon trades heat for humidity and flooded underpasses. Air quality is at its worst from late October through January, spiking around Diwali.
Essential Gear & Must-Haves for Delhi
| Must-have | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| N95 masks | Winter air quality is a real health issue, not a formality |
| Metro tourist card | ₹200 a day removes every fare argument you’d otherwise have |
| Ride-hailing app | Fixed fares end autorickshaw negotiation instantly |
| Scarf or shawl | Required to cover heads at gurudwaras and mosques |
| Slip-on shoes | You will remove them at every temple, mosque and gurudwara |
| Refillable bottle + filter | Never drink tap water; refills save a dozen plastic bottles |
| Hand sanitiser | The street food is worth eating — wash your hands, not the plan |
What It Costs
Rough per-person daily figures (2026; verify before travel):
| Budget / backpacker | Family (per adult) | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | ₹400–1,200 | ₹2,500–5,000 | ₹22,000–60,000 |
| Food | ₹400–800 (street, dhabas) | ₹800–1,600 | ₹4,000–12,000 |
| Sights & transport | ₹600–1,200 | ₹1,500–3,000 | ₹5,000+ (car, guide) |
| Daily total | ₹1,600–3,000 | ₹4,800–9,600 | ₹31,000–80,000 |
The Two-Day Plan
| Time | Day 1 (Mughal Delhi) | Day 2 (Old and older) |
|---|---|---|
| Early | Humayun’s Tomb at opening | Qutub Minar before the buses |
| Late morning | Nizamuddin’s lanes, Lodhi Gardens | Mehrauli Archaeological Park |
| Afternoon | Long lunch, rest through the heat | National Museum or Rail Museum |
| Evening | Jama Masjid, minaret climb, Karim’s | Chandni Chowk rickshaw, India Gate after dark |
Delhi is India’s hub in the literal sense: the Golden Triangle closes here, and almost every onward flight and overnight train in the north starts here.
Where Is Delhi?
Delhi sits on the Yamuna river in north India, on the plain between the Himalayan foothills and the Rajasthan desert — the strategic gateway that made it a capital for a thousand years. The map below shows the city centre.
Mistakes First-Timers Make in Delhi
Treating it as an airport with a fort attached. Two nights minimum. The classic error is landing, sleeping badly, seeing the Red Fort in a jet-lagged haze, and driving to Agra with the impression that Delhi is unbearable.
Taking prepaid-taxi touts at their word. The scam that catches most arrivals: a driver claims your hotel has closed, burned down, or is unreachable due to a “riot”, and offers an alternative. It is always false. Book an airport transfer in advance, or use the official prepaid taxi booth inside the terminal and ride-hailing thereafter.
Ignoring the metro. Visitors bake in traffic because they assume Indian public transport is chaos. Delhi’s metro is the opposite — better than most European systems, and it goes to Qutub Minar, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, Akshardham and the airport.
Sightseeing between noon and 3pm. Even in winter this is the worst part of the day. Locals don’t do it; nor should you. Go out at 7am instead.
Fearing the street food into a bland trip. The genuine risk is water and cut fruit, not hot food cooked in front of you. Busy stalls with high turnover, food served hot, bottled water, no ice — that formula lets you eat the best of Delhi safely.
Booking Agra as a day trip from Delhi. It’s a common package and a bad one: eight hours in a car for two hours at the Taj. Take the early Gatimaan Express and stay one night in Agra instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do I need? Two full days covers the essentials; three lets you take South Delhi and the museums at a civilised pace.
Is Delhi safe for families? Yes, with normal city caution. Petty scams are common, violent crime against tourists is rare. Solo women travellers should prefer ride-hailing after dark and use the women-only metro carriage.
Old Delhi or New Delhi to stay? Neither, for most people. South Delhi (Hauz Khas, Saket) or the area around Connaught Place gives you metro access, restaurants and quiet. Paharganj is for budget proximity only.
Can I drink the water? No. Bottled or filtered only, including for brushing teeth, and skip ice in street drinks.
Is the Delhi–Agra train worth it over a car? Yes. The Gatimaan Express covers it in about 100 minutes with breakfast served, against 3.5–4 hours of highway.
What about the air quality with children? From late October to January it is a legitimate concern. If you’re travelling with an asthmatic child, weight your trip towards February–March or the Rajasthan and southern legs instead.
Next Steps
Delhi opens the Golden Triangle: run the fast train down to Agra for the Taj Mahal, then the road to Jaipur for forts and bazaars. Overnight trains reach Varanasi and Amritsar; flights reach Leh and the south. The India travel guide sets out costs and timing country-wide, and the India visa guide covers entry paperwork.
Planning a longer trip? See our full India family travel guide.