Delhi was my first stop in India and although I was very excited, I was very nervous about the unknown. I have always believed that India is a country that you love or hate, I have met people from both sides but never any intermediate. It is a totally different culture and since I went inside the plane I was full of uncertainty and eager to arrive.
Today, Delhi has expanded so much that it includes New Delhi (the capital) and several cities that were nearby. For this reason, it is considered the second most populous city in the world with almost 29 million inhabitants. You will understand this chaos a little later.
I did not know what was going to happen or what my course was going to be, I have marked my map with many destinations in India and I do not even know where to start. It is for this same reason that I decided to take Delhi as a place to plan my movements and to think my trip throughout India. While I figured out what to do, I obviously had to tour this incredible city full of wonders.
How to arrive and move around Delhi
If you come from another country and although India has more international airports, chances are that you will arrive to Delhi like me. I flew from Madrid with Air India and I will not lie to you, since I entered the plane my nerves and emotion began to shake. The Indira Gandhi airport is quite large and since the moment you arrive you already feel the chaos and the huge amount of people. Very long lines of migration and besides that, Corona Virus was already beginning so there where a lot more of controls.
The vast majority of countries need to obtain VISA but the process is very simple. You have to enter the electronic VISAS Electronic VISAS website and apply. In my case, it took 24 hours to the process to be approved, I recommend printing it for the time of your trip.
Once in Delhi, you must decide how you are going to move around the city. Although Uber is very cheap and you can order it from the airport, I decided I was going to take the subway. In the station you have to say in which station you are going to get off because they will give you a Token that you can only use to enter the station you are in and exit at the station you asked for. Being at the airport you must pay a special fee that costs 30 INR (0.4 USD) and then pay the normal token 20 INR (0.3 USD).
I recommend moving around on the metro because it is quite easy and cheap, I bought a metro card that allowed me to recharge and move without buying tokens. You can easily reach the vast majority of places that I am going to mention to visit in this city.
If you want to live the India experience, I recommend using Tuk Tuk’s is a very fun experience (I felt like Mario Kart). A recommendation that I give you is to look at the estimated price of Tuk Tuk’s on Uber and there you have an idea to negotiate with drivers.
Delhi is going to test your patience, everything is chaos, cars driving without thinking of others, people trying to sneak in everywhere, endless lines … If I where you, I would start enjoying this chaos.
What to do in Delhi
Red Fort
A fort created in 1648, it was home to Mughal emperors and today an incredible place to visit. If you arrive for independence day, you can see a great celebration here. Although the palace was created under Islamic parameters, it has architectural representations merging Persian, Timuria and Hindu.
There’s ways huge crowd of people trying to sell you tickets, I recommend you just ignore them and keep walking. If you are looking directly at the fort, the Tokens box office is on your right hand, you have to walk a long way along the wall and then to enter, you must go back and enter where security is.
Something that you will notice in India and I found it wonderful, to enter any tourist attraction, there is always a window for foreigners and locals. The long line is always the one of the locals. It is cheaper for them but you will appreciate not making that line. Admission costs 550 INR (7.5 USD)
Humayun’s Tombs
Emperor Mughall Humayun’s tombs were the first construction to use so much red sandstone in one building. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993. The construction was commanded by his first wife Bega Begum and was completed in 1572. Begum, devastated by the death of her husband, dedicated her life and wealth to build the most impressive mausoleum in the empire. Today, the bodies of Humayun, two wives of the emperor and a grandson are on the site.
In the garden complex, it is possible to find other mausoleums of people very close to the family.
Entrance for foreigners costs 500 INR (6.5 USD) and if you want to enter any special filming equipment, you must pay an additional fee.
Safdarjung Tombs
Known as the Taj Mahal of Delhi, this mausoleum was built in marble in 1754 for the Mughal emperor Nawab Safdarjung. An incredible representation of the architecture of the time. His similarity with the Taj Mahal confuses many people because they believe that they are visiting this mausoleum without knowing that it is in Agra.
The entrance for foreigners costs 250 INR (3.5 USD) and if you want to enter some special filming equipment, you must pay an additional fee.
Lotus temple
It is a temple built for all religions, it is an incredible architectural piece. 27 marble structures come together to form the nine faces of the building, giving it the lotus leaf shape that can be seen. It is common to see people of different religions praying because it is a symbol of peace.
Lodhi Gardens
A park located in the middle of New Delhi, a perfect place to walk and rest from the chaos of cars. A place with incredible architectural works dating from the fifteenth century a place that I recommend you go for a great picnic. The admission is completely free.
Qutub Minar
The tallest brick minaret in the world at 73 meters, is a great representation of Islamic architecture in India, being the oldest in Delhi. In 1993, it was declares as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Its construction began in 1193 by the first Muslim ruler of Delhi. His idea was to base the design on the Jam Minaret in Afghanistan and exceed its height. It was built in 3 phases and its construction finished in 1368.
You can enter and like all the monuments in Delhi just for being a foreigner you must pay more. The price to enter is 600 INR (8 USD) and if you want to enter some professional filming or photographic material you must pay a fee.
Akshardam
I think this Hindu temple left me speechless, I have never seen anything as spectacular as this. It was inaugurated at the end of 2005 and this palace represents the Hindu culture perfectly.
Its temples, corridors, statues are all perfectly designed to leave you speechless and give you peace of mind. The entrance to the temple is completely free, there are some additional exhibitions that you can do and the fountain show that you have to pay for.
Although admission is free, it is difficult to enter and there is too much security. You can’t enter with any backpack, camera, cell phone … to enter they offer you some lockers where you can leave everything and additionally you have to go through several security points. Sadly you cannot take pictures, here you can se one from the Internet and one that I was able to take from outside.
India Gate
In memory of the 70,000 British-Indian soldiers who died in the First World War. Its architecture is based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Currently it is used as the tomb of the unknown soldier and every night the lights are turned on lighting the Indian flag on the arch.
Where to stay in Delhi
Being the capital, you have a great variety of accommodation that fits your needs. The first days I was in the city I decided to stay close to the “center” so I looked for a hostel where there was a great atmosphere, close to the metro and comfortable. In my search I found The Hosteller, a good hostel where I could meet several travelers with whom I traveled a bit trough India.
In my case, I had a friend who lived on the outskirts of the city and my last days I went there to rest and visit them. On the outskirts of Delhi, there are several neighborhoods where you can stay without any problem.
Where to eat in Delhi
If anything people warned me when they found out that I was going to India, it’s about the food. You have to be careful for 2 reasons:
- Delhi belly or traveler’s diarrhea: It usually happens by eating some food with bacteria and usually gives pain and symptoms for 4-5 days. It is so common to occur in India that it was given the name of Delhi. Avoid eating on the street, look for small restaurants and drink water from a safe bottle.
- Spicy food: You will experience this throughout India and although I was warned that it was more spicy in the south, I really can’t imagine. If you order any type of food, I warn you that even if you say NOT spicy, it will be very spicy!
Being a different culture, take into account that here in India you cannot get beef because it is a sacred animal so the most common meals you are going to find are chicken, lamb or vegetarian dishes. I have always considered myself a meat-lover person and although I needed it and have never eaten many vegetables, here in India I opened up and tried wonderful vegetarian dishes.
I leave these 2 restaurants because I really loved them and I recommend you visit them. You can get them in various parts of the city so you won’t have much of a problem:
- Biryani Blues: Biryani is a mixture of rice and I really loved it. In the restaurant I recommend you order the lamb one (Mutton Biryani) and if you want to try a vegetaria, the Paneer Biryani is really good.
- Rajdhani Thali: A buffet where you can try different Hindu dishes and enjoy great food.
