City guide · India
New Delhi
Mughal tombs, Lutyens boulevards and old-city food lanes
October–March
Indian Rupee (INR)
Hindi, English
Asia
The guides
The best of New Delhi, by category
India's capital layers eight historic cities on top of each other, from the Mughal splendour of Humayun's Tomb and the Red Fort to Edwin Lutyens' tree-lined imperial avenues. Old Delhi's 17th-century lanes serve some of the subcontinent's greatest street food, minutes by metro from polished galleries and luxury hotels.
The shortlist
If you only have time for the best
The single highest-rated picks across every category in New Delhi.
Hotels
See all 6- 1
The Imperial
Janpath, Connaught Place
4.7★15,000+ reviews
- 2
The Oberoi, New Delhi
Dr. Zakir Hussain Marg, near Delhi Golf Club
4.8★10,000+ reviews - 3
The Leela Palace New Delhi
Chanakyapuri
4.7★15,000+ reviews
Restaurants
See all 6- 1
Bukhara
ITC Maurya, Chanakyapuri
4.6★15,000+ reviews - 2
Indian Accent
The Lodhi, Lodhi Road
4.7★7,500+ reviews - 3
Karim's
Jama Masjid, Old Delhi
4.5★50,000+ reviews
Bars
See all 6- 1
Sidecar
Greater Kailash II
4.6★5,000+ reviews - 2
1911 Bar
The Imperial, Janpath
4.6★1,500+ reviews - 3
PCO
Vasant Vihar
4.5★3,000+ reviews
Attractions
See all 6- 1
Humayun's Tomb
Nizamuddin East
4.6★75,000+ reviews
- 2
Qutub Minar
Mehrauli
4.6★100,000+ reviews - 3
Red Fort (Lal Qila)
Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk)
4.5★100,000+ reviews
Where to base yourself
New Delhi neighborhoods, decoded
Pick your area first — it shapes everything else about the trip.
Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk)
Mughal-era sensory overloadThe walled city of Shahjahanabad crams the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, spice markets and 400-year-old food stalls into a web of lanes. Take the metro to Chandni Chowk or Jama Masjid station and explore on foot or by cycle rickshaw.
Lutyens' Delhi & Khan Market
Imperial avenues, posh boutiquesThe leafy government quarter holds India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan and Lodhi Garden, with Khan Market's bookshops and cafés as its social hub. It's Delhi at its greenest and most orderly.
Hauz Khas Village
Medieval ruins meet boho nightlifeA 13th-century reservoir, madrasa and deer park back onto lanes of designer studios, galleries and bars. Sunset over the tank from a terrace bar is a south Delhi rite of passage.
Connaught Place
Georgian colonnades, commercial buzzThe 1933 white-colonnaded circles of CP remain Delhi's central business and social district, ringed with restaurants, state emporiums and heritage cinemas. Janpath and the underground Palika Bazaar serve budget shoppers.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the ride
Agra & the Taj Mahal
2 hr by Gatimaan/Vande Bharat trainThe world's most famous monument to love, plus Agra Fort, makes an easy dawn-to-dusk rail trip from Delhi. Book the train and Taj tickets online in advance.
Jaipur
4 hr by train or expresswayRajasthan's Pink City offers Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and bazaars; doable as a long day trip but better overnight.
Neemrana Fort-Palace
2.5 hr by carA 15th-century hill fort converted into a heritage hotel where day visitors can lunch, swim and ride India's first zipline over the ramparts.
Eat like a local
What to order in New Delhi
Butter Chicken
Tandoori chicken simmered in a silky tomato-butter-cream gravy, invented in Delhi after Partition.
Try it at: Moti Mahal, Daryaganj
Chole Bhature
Spicy chickpeas with puffed fried bread, Delhi's most beloved indulgent breakfast.
Try it at: Sita Ram Diwan Chand, Paharganj
Parathas
Stuffed flatbreads fried in ghee with dozens of fillings, served with pickles and chutneys.
Try it at: Paranthe Wali Gali, Chandni Chowk
Daulat ki Chaat
An ephemeral winter-only cloud of churned milk foam dusted with saffron and pistachio.
Try it at: Old Delhi street vendors near Dariba Kalan (winter mornings)
Good to know
New Delhi essentials, answered
Three days covers the headline monuments, Old Delhi's food lanes and a museum or two at a comfortable pace. Add a fourth day if you want a day trip to Agra for the Taj Mahal.
