Mughal monuments, Hindu temples, new shopping malls and crowded alleyways teeming with rickshaws, street vendors and pedestrians: every facet of Indian life is on display during a holiday in Delhi.
Delhi is the sprawling hub of the nation and one of India’s most colourful and chaotic cities. Known for its outstanding architecture – influenced by centuries of Hindu, Muslim and British rule – it continues to attract holiday-makers from around the world, who come to soak up the rich history, old cultural traditions and amazing cuisine.
On your holiday in Delhi be sure to see historic sites like Humayun’s Tomb, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid, Delhi’s oldest mosque. Wander through dusty Chandni Chowk market, stopping for guava juice and spicy vegetable pakoras along the way. Or head to the hip Hauz Khas village for coffee-shop culture, contemporary art galleries, indie bookstores and new-wave dining.
If you only have a few days in Delhi during your India holiday, take advantage of the modern metro system to explore this vast metropolis, or consider one of the many guided tours to help make the most of your time.
Popular excursions include early morning cycling trips around Old and New Delhi, local-led culinary walks highlighting authentic Indian street food and personalised shopping tours if you’re in search of custom-made outfits or the best bazaar bargains.
Holidays in Delhi can be overwhelming, so the best way to approach the city is to focus on a single area at a time. In New Delhi, see the India Gate war memorial, the colonial-era Imperial Hotel and the World Heritage-listed Humayun’s Tomb, a remarkable Mughal mausoleum which strictly adheres to rules of Islamic geometry.
Alongside Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort, Old Delhi is home to the Digambar Jain temple complex and the Raj Ghat memorial to Mahatama Gandhi, while in affluent South Delhi you can shop, drink and dine to your heart’s content, or visit the Qutub Minar tower, the tallest brick minaret in the world.
There’s so much to see and do on a holiday in Delhi – and whether you choose to stay in the centre or one of its fast-growing neighbourhoods, this unforgettable, compelling city will soon get under your skin.