Delhi

India·Asia

Currency

INR

Language

Hindi, English

Timezone

Kolkata

Continent

Asia

Our guide

Discover Delhi

Delhi is really two cities stacked on each other: the Mughal old town and the capital the British laid out in the 1920s. The red sandstone Red Fort and Chandni Chowk, its market, hold the first. The second is ordered around wide avenues and Rashtrapati Bhavan, a presidential palace larger than Versailles. Between them, Humayun's Tomb served as the model for the Taj Mahal sixty years before it, and the Qutub Minar Complex has raised a seventy-three-metre brick minaret since 1193. The Lotus Temple, Bahá'í and open to all, closes the picture to the south.

When to go

October to March, without argument. April to June regularly passes 45 °C, which makes outdoor sightseeing unwise. The monsoon falls from July to September: cooler, but humid and often flooded. December and January bring thick fog that delays flights and veils the monuments — and real cold, around five degrees at dawn.

Getting around

The metro is clean, air-conditioned, very cheap and covers most of what matters: by far the best way to move, with carriages reserved for women. Ride-hailing and autorickshaws fill in, the latter on the meter or at a price agreed beforehand. Surface traffic is dense and slow; do not plan more than two or three sights a day, they are far apart.

Where to eat

The street food of Chandni Chowk is a destination in itself: stuffed parathas, chaat, jalebis. North India gave the world the dishes it knows — tandoori, kebabs, breads from a clay oven. Vegetarian is not a constraint here but the default across much of the restaurant trade. Three halal addresses are explicitly listed, which understates reality: the old city holds many, and the label is rarely applied.

Good to know

The rupee is the currency and cash still helps. Tap water is never drunk, including for brushing teeth. Air quality is a genuine issue from November to January, when Delhi reaches dangerous levels — a mask is not excessive. Covered clothing is expected at places of worship, and shoes come off at temple and mosque doors.

Smart Planning