Delhi is two cities sharing a name. Shahjahanabad, which everyone calls Old Delhi, is a seventeenth century Mughal capital of lanes and mosques. New Delhi is a twentieth century imperial capital of roundabouts and lawns. One day in Delhi is enough to see both properly, provided you do them in the right order and do not try to add a third thing.
This is the route we use, and why.
Start in Old Delhi, early
Old Delhi is at its best between about eight and eleven. The lanes are open, the light comes down between the buildings, and the crowds have not built. By one in the afternoon Chandni Chowk is difficult.
Begin at the Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque, finished in 1656. Courtyard entry is free, there is a charge for cameras, and the minaret climb is worth it for the view over the rooftops towards the Red Fort. Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off.
From there, walk into Chandni Chowk. The spice market at Khari Baoli, the silver lanes, the paratha alley. This is walking territory, not driving territory. A cycle rickshaw for part of it is genuinely the practical choice rather than a tourist novelty.
Red Fort, or not
The Red Fort is across the road and it is a major Mughal monument. It is also large, hot and, for many visitors, less rewarding per hour than Humayun’s Tomb. If your day is tight, this is the thing to drop. It is closed on Mondays.
Lunch, then cross over
Eat in Old Delhi rather than driving to a hotel. Parathas, kebabs, chaat — the same rules apply as anywhere in India, and they are set out in our Jaipur food guide, which travels well.
Then move south and west, which is where the day changes character.
Humayun’s Tomb
Built in the 1560s for the second Mughal emperor, and the building the Taj Mahal is descended from: the same charbagh garden, the same central dome, eighty years earlier and in red sandstone. It is quieter than almost anything of comparable importance in India, and the late afternoon light on the sandstone is the best of the day.
If you are also going to Agra, seeing Humayun’s Tomb first makes the Taj Mahal make far more sense. That is the argument for pairing this with the Taj Mahal sunrise trip later in a trip rather than earlier.
Qutub Minar
A 73 metre victory tower begun in 1193, surrounded by the ruins of Delhi’s earliest Islamic complex, including an iron pillar that has not rusted in sixteen hundred years. It sits in a park in south Delhi. Late afternoon suits it.
India Gate and the government quarter
Finish by driving through Rajpath past the Secretariat buildings and India Gate at dusk. You do not need to stop for long, and there is nowhere to park anyway. Fifteen minutes and a couple of photographs.
The practical shape of the day
- Old Delhi 8:00 to 12:00, on foot.
- Lunch 12:00 to 13:15.
- Humayun’s Tomb 14:00 to 15:15.
- Qutub Minar 15:45 to 17:00.
- India Gate and Rajpath at dusk.
Monday closes the Red Fort; most other sites stay open. Traffic between north and south Delhi in the middle of the day is the single biggest variable, which is why the walking half comes first.
Doing it with a car and a guide
Delhi is the one Indian city where we strongly recommend not driving yourself and not relying on picking up transport between sites. The distances are large and the parking is not casual. Our Old and New Delhi in a day tour runs this exact route with a licensed guide for the walking and a car that meets you where you come out.
If Delhi is your arrival city and Jaipur is next, you do not need to double back: Delhi to Jaipur by road covers the stops worth making, and the Delhi to Jaipur transfer turns the drive into a sightseeing day instead of five wasted hours.