Humayun's Tomb in Delhi is a magnificent UNESCO-listed Mughal mausoleum built in 1572 that set the template for garden tomb architecture across South Asia and served as the direct architectural inspiration for the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra.
India: Delhi – 2 Day Tour
🕌 A City of Layers: History at Every Turn
Few cities on earth carry the weight of history quite like Delhi. Having served as the capital of numerous empires — from the Delhi Sultanate to the Mughals and the British Raj — the city is home to an extraordinary concentration of monuments spanning more than a thousand years. The UNESCO-listed Qutb Minar, the haunting ruins of Mehrauli, the commanding Red Fort, and the serene beauty of Humayun’s Tomb each tell a chapter in a story of conquest, culture, and reinvention. Wandering through Old Delhi — the city Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built in the seventeenth century — feels like stepping into a living, breathing museum, where mosques, havelis, and narrow alleys pulse with a vitality that no amount of modernisation has managed to dim. Delhi does not curate its past; it simply lives alongside it.
🍛 Flavours, Festivals & the Fabric of Daily Life
Delhi’s cultural life is as rich and varied as its architecture. The city is one of India’s great culinary destinations, where eating is less a necessity than a civic passion. Street food is an institution: buttery parathas in Paranthe Wali Gali, tangy chaat at Lajpat Nagar, and kebabs at the legendary Karim’s near Jama Masjid have earned devoted followings that span generations. Beyond food, Delhi hosts some of India’s most exuberant festivals — Diwali transforms the city into a constellation of light, while Holi turns its parks and streets into a joyful riot of colour. The city’s performing arts scene, supported by institutions such as the India Habitat Centre and Kamani Auditorium, ensures that theatre, classical music, and contemporary art remain very much part of its cultural heartbeat.
🌿 New Delhi: Green Avenues, World-Class Museums & Modern Energy
Alongside its ancient soul, Delhi possesses a thoroughly modern face. Lutyens’ New Delhi — the ceremonial quarter designed by Edwin Lutyens for the British Raj — offers wide, tree-lined boulevards, grand governmental buildings, and some of the finest museums in South Asia, including the National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art. The upmarket neighbourhoods of Khan Market, Hauz Khas Village, and Lodhi Colony offer excellent dining, independent boutiques, and a thriving café culture that reflects the city’s young, cosmopolitan population. Meanwhile, an ever-expanding Metro network has made navigating this vast city considerably more manageable, knitting together destinations that once seemed worlds apart. For all its contradictions and overwhelming scale, Delhi has a magnetic quality that leaves most visitors not exhausted, but hungry for more.
🗺️ Two-Day Delhi Itinerary at a Glance
Day One
- Qutab Minar complex
- Humayun’s Tomb
- Gandhi’s Tomb (Raj Ghat)
- India Gate
- Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace) drive-by
Day Two
- Jama Masjid (Masjid-i Jahān-Numā)
- Cycle rickshaw tour of Old Delhi
- Red Fort complex
Day One
🕌 Qutab Minar – A Very Tall Tower With a Very Complicated Past
We’d been warned that Delhi would be an assault on the senses, and it absolutely was. But amid the chaos and the frankly baffling traffic, the Qutab Minar stopped us dead.
It’s a minaret — a tower from which the faithful are called to prayer — and the centrepiece of the Qutab Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Delhi’s southern fringes. At 73 metres tall, tapering from a base of 14.3 metres to just 2.7 at the top, it has held together since roughly 1192. Which is more than can be said for most things built recently.
Five storeys of red and buff sandstone, each with its own architectural personality. From directly above, it apparently resembles a lotus flower — sacred in Hindu and Buddhist tradition, representing purity and rebirth. Rather poetic for a very large medieval chimney.
Inside, 379 spiral steps wind to the top. The views must be wonderful. We say “must be” because visitors are no longer permitted up — and the smog on the day we visited made it academic anyway. The ban followed 4th December 1981, when the internal lights failed mid-visit. In the resulting panic, forty-five people — many of them schoolchildren — were killed in the crush. The interior has been closed ever since. Hard to argue with, though one does wish someone had changed the bulbs.
🏛️ A Brief and Suitably Complicated History
Construction began around 1192 under Qutb ud-Din Aibak, founder of the Delhi Sultanate and, originally, a Turkic slave who’d risen to military commander — quite the career arc. He died in 1210 falling off his horse during polo, which is one of history’s less dignified royal exits. His son-in-law Iltutmish finished the job and added three storeys. Lightning struck in 1369; Firoz Shah Tughlaq repaired it and added another. Earthquakes in 1505 and 1803 brought further damage and further repairs.
Then in 1828, Major Robert Smith renovated the structure and, in a moment of enthusiasm history has judged poorly, added a decorative cupola on top. It looked ridiculous. Viscount Hardinge, then Governor-General, had it removed in 1848. It now sits at ground level nearby, known — rather brilliantly — as “Smith’s Folly.” Not the legacy any major wants.
ℹ️ The Practical Bits
- 📍 Location: Qutab Complex, Mehrauli, South Delhi, New Delhi 110030
- 🚇 Getting there: Delhi Metro Yellow Line to Qutab Minar station, then a short Uber or auto-rickshaw ride. Book via app to avoid fare negotiations in the heat. Around 15km from Connaught Place; 11km from Indira Gandhi International Airport.
- 🌐 Website: Archaeological Survey of India — online booking recommended; saves queuing and gets a small discount
- ☎️ Telephone: +91 11 2465 4832
- 📧 Email: circledel.asi@gmail.com
- 🕖 Opening hours: Daily, 7:00am–5:00pm. Last entry 4:30pm. Open seven days including public holidays. Check ASI website before travelling — closures happen.
- 🎟️ Entry fees: Indian nationals and SAARC/BIMSTEC visitors — ₹35. Foreign nationals — ₹600 cash or ₹550 online. Children under 15 free.
🏛️ Humayun’s Tomb — A Grand Monument with an Undignified Origin Story
We’d done our reading before we arrived, and still nothing quite prepared us for the sheer scale of the place. The complex is enormous — a sprawling, beautifully kept garden peppered with elaborate tombs, and sitting right at the heart of it all is the main structure itself. It’s genuinely impressive, and we say that as people who’ve spent enough time traipsing around old stones to have become thoroughly jaded about the whole business.
The garden alone is worth the entrance fee. Laid out in the classic Persian charbagh style — four formal quadrants divided by raised water channels — it stretches across roughly 30 acres and stands as one of the earliest Mughal garden complexes of its kind on the Indian subcontinent. Designed to evoke paradise as described in the Quran, it’s neat, ordered, and extraordinarily lush given that Delhi in summer is essentially a very large oven. A rather civilised backdrop for what was, let’s be honest, an exceptionally elaborate funeral arrangement.
The tomb is the final resting place of the Mughal Emperor Humayun — second ruler of the Mughal Empire and a man who had a complicated relationship with staying in power. It was commissioned in 1569–70 by his first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum — also known as Haji Begum — roughly fourteen years after his death. She brought in a Persian architect named Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, and he did rather a good job. The structure is now widely regarded as the direct architectural template for the Taj Mahal, built about eighty years later in Agra. So if you’re visiting Delhi first, you’re essentially getting a spoiler for one of the most famous buildings on Earth. You’re welcome. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, which felt entirely deserved.
💀 The Death That Nobody Saw Coming — Except Perhaps the Staircase
On 24 January 1556, Humayun was descending the stairs from his library in the Purana Qila — the old fort in Delhi — carrying a stack of books. The muezzin called the Azaan, and Humayun, being a devout man, immediately moved to kneel. His foot caught in his robe, he tumbled down several steps, struck his temple on a stone edge, and died three days later, aged 47.
The man had survived a thirty-year struggle to reclaim his empire after being driven out by the Afghan king Sher Shah Suri, years of exile in Persia, a near-drowning whilst fleeing battle, and any number of military campaigns. He had survived everything history could throw at him. And then a loose robe on a staircase finished the job. The universe, apparently, has a cruel sense of humour.
🗺️ Useful Visitor Information
- Location: Mathura Road, Nizamuddin East, New Delhi – 110013
- Getting There: Nearest Metro is JLN Stadium on the Violet Line; taxis and ride-share apps work well too
- Website: www.againdia.org
- Phone: +91 11 2435 5275
- Opening Hours: Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week (approximately 6:00 am – 6:00 pm)
- Entry Fee: ₹35 Indian nationals; ₹550 foreign nationals; free for children under 15
🕊️ Raj Ghat – Gandhi Memorial
We visited Raj Ghat on a warm Delhi morning, and it turned out to be one of those quietly powerful experiences you really weren’t expecting. No rollercoasters. No gift shop selling Gandhi fridge magnets. Just a black marble slab, some fresh flowers, and the weight of an extraordinary life pressing down on you.
The memorial is, by the standards of what you might expect for one of the twentieth century’s most consequential figures, almost shockingly understated. A simple rectangular plinth of polished black granite, set into a broad, peaceful garden on the western bank of the Yamuna River, inscribed with Gandhi’s last words — He Ram (“Oh God”) — and almost always covered in fresh flowers and garlands. No grand statues. No soaring columns. There is an eternal flame quietly burning in one corner, but even that manages to be modest about it. It suits him, somehow.
The site sits a little outside the chaotic heart of Old Delhi, which gives it a calm that feels almost surreal after the usual assault on the senses that the city cheerfully delivers. Many of the people we saw arriving were not tourists in any conventional sense. They came quietly, removed their shoes at the entrance, walked slowly around the plinth, and stood in something that looked far more like prayer than sightseeing. You could feel that distinction quite clearly as we walked through, and it made us slow down too — which, frankly, was probably good for us.
Worth every minute.
🗺️ Useful Visitor Information
- Location: Raj Ghat Memorial, Ring Road, New Delhi — western bank of the Yamuna River
- Getting there: Raj Ghat Metro station (Violet Line), about 800 metres on foot; any autorickshaw driver will know it instantly
- Website: https://rajghatnewdelhi.in
- Phone: +91-11-2331-1793
- Opening hours: Daily, 6:30am – 6:00pm; Friday prayer meeting at 5:30pm
- Entry: Free
- Tip: Go early — shoes off at the entrance, photography permitted in the gardens
🏛️ India Gate — A Monument Worth the Rickshaw Ride
We’ll be honest — when we first clapped eyes on India Gate, we were bracing ourselves for that familiar traveller’s disappointment. You know how it goes. You’ve seen the photos, read the guidebooks, built the thing up in your head for weeks, and then you arrive and think, “Oh. That’s it, is it?” Not so here. India Gate genuinely stopped us in our tracks.
The gate soars 42 metres above the flat plains of New Delhi, anchoring the eastern end of Kartavya Path — formerly known as Kingsway, which really does tell you everything about when and why it was built. The whole grand boulevard was laid out by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker during the 1910s and 20s, when the two architects were handed the rather enormous task of conjuring an imperial capital more or less from nothing. Lutyens modelled the gate itself on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, because if you’re building an empire’s front door, you may as well steal from the best. It was completed in 1931 — by which point the British Empire was already looking a bit moth-eaten, though nobody in authority was admitting it quite yet.
The memorial honours roughly 90,000 Indian soldiers who died serving in the First World War between 1914 and 1918 — fighting in Flanders, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, and East Africa, largely for an empire that wasn’t, it must be said, enormously focused on their welfare. Carved into the pale Bharatpur sandstone are 13,516 individual names of soldiers who also fell in the Anglo-Afghan War of 1919 — a messy, bloody little conflict that tends to get completely swallowed by the shadow of the Great War. Standing there reading name after name does put your complaints about the hotel air conditioning into rather sharp perspective.
At the base sits the Amar Jawan Jyoti — the Flame of the Immortal Soldier — added in 1972 to honour those killed in the Indo-Pakistani War of December 1971. That conflict lasted barely a fortnight but created the nation of Bangladesh and cost thousands of lives. The eternal flame burned here for fifty years before being ceremonially merged with the flame at the nearby National War Memorial in January 2022.
📍 Useful Visitor Information
- Location: Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath), New Delhi, Delhi 110001, India
- Getting There: Metro to Central Secretariat or Udyog Bhawan stations (Yellow Line); auto-rickshaws and taxis readily available from central Delhi
- Website: www.indiaculture.gov.in
- Phone: +91-11-2338-3988 (Archaeological Survey of India)
- Opening Hours: Open 24 hours; best visited at sunrise or after dark when floodlit
- Entry Fee: Free
Day Two
🕌 Jama Masjid — Delhi’s Grand Mosque
We’d been warned about Jama Masjid. Not in any alarming way — more in the manner people warn you about Niagara Falls or the Eiffel Tower. “You simply can’t miss it,” everyone said, and they were absolutely right, largely because it’s enormous and sits on a slight rise in the middle of Old Delhi, glaring down at you like a disapproving headmaster who’s spotted you smoking behind the bike sheds.
Officially, it goes by the rather splendid name Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa — which translates, magnificently, as “the mosque that reflects the world.” Most people sensibly stick to Jama Masjid, the name it’s carried since its completion in 1656. The “Jama” is thought to derive from jummah, the weekly Friday congregation when Muslims gather for communal prayer. Given that up to 25,000 people can fit inside at once, the name seems entirely appropriate.
The mosque was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan — the same chap responsible for the Taj Mahal, so he clearly wasn’t one for modest ambitions — and overseen by his chief minister, Saadullah Khan. Construction began in 1644, employed around 5,000 workers, and took six years to complete. That puts your average British infrastructure project to considerable shame. Shah Jahan inaugurated it in 1656, just a year before his own son, Aurangzeb, unceremoniously imprisoned him. Bad timing doesn’t quite cover it.
The mosque sits in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi’s legendary market district, which has been gloriously, chaotically trading since the 17th century and shows absolutely no sign of calming down. If you’re after spices, saris, street food, or simply a thorough sensory overload, Chandni Chowk delivers magnificently on all fronts.
Visitor Information
- 📍 Location: Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, Delhi 110006
- 🚇 Getting There: Jama Masjid Metro Station (Heritage/Violet Line); Chawri Bazaar Station (Yellow Line, ~500m); Old Delhi Railway Station nearby; auto-rickshaws and taxis readily available
- 🌐 Website: Delhi Tourism — Jama Masjid
- 📞 Phone: +91 11 2326 4006
- 🕐 Opening Hours: Daily 7:00am–12:00pm and 1:30pm–6:30pm (closed during Friday noon prayers)
- 🎟️ Entry Fee: Free; camera permit ₹300 (~£2.80); minaret access ₹100 extra
🛺 Take a Cycle Rickshaw Ride Through the Streets of Old Delhi
We took a cycle rickshaw ride through the streets of Old Delhi, and I want to be very clear about something from the outset: this was not a gentle, genteel little tootle through picturesque lanes with a nice old chap pedalling serenely while you sip imaginary tea. Not even close.
Old Delhi — the area historically known as Shahjahanabad, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan back in 1639 — is a labyrinth of impossibly narrow lanes, or galis, that were never designed with the motor car in mind. Or the rickshaw, frankly. Or, apparently, human survival. The whole place has been magnificently chaotic for the better part of four centuries, and nothing much seems to have changed. The lanes around Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest and busiest markets in all of India, dating back to 1650, were crammed with cycle rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, carts piled high with goods, stray dogs, and approximately the entire population of a medium-sized European country, all going about their business with cheerful indifference to one another.
Our rickshaw wallah — the chap doing all the actual work while we sat there like a pair of bewildered garden ornaments — launched us into this melee with what I can only describe as reckless optimism. What followed was, without exaggeration, as thrilling as anything you’d find at a Six Flags theme park. Possibly more so, because at Six Flags they at least have the decency to strap you in. Here, the closest thing to a safety feature was gripping the edge of the seat with both hands and making a series of involuntary noises.
We lurched, we swerved, we missed a motorbike by what I estimated to be approximately three millimetres. Oncoming traffic materialised from nowhere. Pedestrians stepped out without looking. A man on a bicycle carrying what appeared to be an entire wardrobe came at us head-on. Our man didn’t flinch. He simply rang his little bell — ting — and somehow, mystifyingly, the sea parted.
I did attempt to take photographs. I want you to know that I genuinely tried. The results were a collection of blurred images featuring, variously: the back of someone’s head, a wall, my own thumb, and one surprisingly decent shot of a power cable. The jerking and weaving made any attempt at composed photography essentially hopeless. You either put the camera away and enjoyed it, or you persevered and ended up with a gallery of abstract art.
It was, in all honesty, absolutely brilliant. Terrifying, yes. Undignified, certainly. But brilliant.
🏯 The Red Fort, Delhi — Worth the Bother
We had, of course, done absolutely no research before turning up. That’s how we travel. Blunder in, squint at things, and pretend we knew exactly what we were looking at all along. Works every time.
The Red Fort — or Lal Qila as it’s properly known in Urdu, or Lal Qalʿah if you’re feeling particularly pedantic — sits in the heart of Old Delhi, and it is, quite frankly, enormous. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahān, the same chap responsible for the Taj Mahal down in Agra, and construction got underway around 1638. Shah Jahān had decided to relocate the Mughal capital from Agra to a brand-new city he was building called Shahjahanabad — essentially what we now call Old Delhi. The fort was finished in 1648, so a solid decade of serious building work. No planning permission required, presumably.
The walls are red sandstone — hence the name, which even we managed to work out — standing around 23 metres high, or 75 feet in proper measurements. The perimeter runs to over two kilometres. It’s genuinely staggering in scale, and rather puts your average English castle to shame, though I’d never admit that at home.
🏛️ What’s Inside
Shah Jahān built an entire world within those walls. There are palaces, private chambers, audience halls, ornamental gardens laid out in geometric patterns, baths, and indoor canals — which, given Delhi’s climate, strikes you as an extraordinarily sensible idea. There’s also a lovely mosque within the complex. The Mughals did not do things by halves.
Two halls draw the crowds particularly. The Diwan-i-ʿAm — Hall of Public Audience — is where the emperor received ordinary petitioners, sixty red sandstone pillars holding up a flat roof open on three sides, grand without being oppressive. Then there’s the Diwan-i-Khas, the Hall of Private Audience, smaller, more intimate, built entirely of white marble. This is where the famous Peacock Throne once sat — a jewelled thing of almost comical extravagance, later looted by Persian king Nādir Shāh when he sacked Delhi in 1739. It’s gone now, which saves everyone the embarrassment of staring at it and pretending they’re not jealous.
🇮🇳 History You Can’t Ignore
The fort changed hands over the centuries, eventually passing to the British after they suppressed the Indian Uprising of 1857. The British promptly used it as a military garrison, knocking about a fair bit of the interior in the process — which rather explains some of the emptier courtyards. India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, gave his famous independence speech from the ramparts on 15th August 1947. It remains the site of the Prime Minister’s Independence Day address every year. UNESCO made it a World Heritage Site in 2007.
At roughly five pounds for entry, that’s considerably better value than a service station coffee on the M1 — and a great deal more impressive. Go. It’s worth every paisa.
📋 Useful Visitor Information
- 📍 Location: Netaji Subhash Marg, Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi 110006
- 🚇 Getting There: Nearest Metro is Lal Quila station (Violet Line); auto-rickshaws and taxis widely available from central Delhi
- 🌐 Website: asi.nic.in
- 📞 Phone: +91 11 2327 7705
- 🕘 Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm (closed Mondays)
- 🎟️ Entry Fees: Indian nationals & SAARC/BIMSTEC countries ₹35 | Foreign tourists ₹500
- 💡 Tip: Arrive early — it gets busy by mid-morning, especially at weekends
Planning Your Visit to New Delhi
Best Time to Visit New Delhi
❄️ Winter · November to February
Rating: Ideal | Temperatures: 5 °C – 20 °C
Winter is widely considered the finest time to visit Delhi. Daytime temperatures are pleasantly cool while evenings carry a crisp chill. The sky clears between December and February, making long days of sightseeing at the Qutb Minar, Red Fort, and Humayun’s Tomb a genuine pleasure. December and January bring dense fog that can disrupt flights and trains, so build buffer time into your itinerary. January’s Republic Day parade on the 26th is a spectacular, if crowded, occasion.
What to pack: A warm coat or puffer jacket for evenings and early mornings, light to medium jumpers for daytime, comfortable walking shoes, a scarf and gloves for January, and sunglasses for clear days. A compact daypack is useful for temple visits.
🌸 Spring · March to April
Rating: Good | Temperatures: 20 °C – 35 °C
Spring arrives quickly in Delhi. March is delightful — warm but not oppressive — and the city blooms with bougainvillea and jasmine. Holi, the festival of colour, falls in March and is one of Delhi’s most exuberant street celebrations. By April the mercury climbs steeply and afternoons become distinctly hot and dry. Spring offers lower hotel prices and fewer crowds than peak winter, but those sensitive to heat should aim for March only.
What to pack: Light, breathable clothing in natural fabrics such as cotton or linen, a light long-sleeved layer for temple visits and cooler evenings, high-SPF sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a reusable water bottle.
☀️ Summer · May to June
Rating: Difficult | Temperatures: 35 °C – 48 °C
Delhi in summer is brutal. May and June regularly push temperatures above 42 °C, and hot dust-laden winds known as the loo sweep across the plains each afternoon. Serious outdoor sightseeing grinds to a halt between 11 am and 5 pm. Air-conditioned museums, galleries, and shopping centres become essential refuges. This is the low season, and hotel rates reflect it — a practical choice only for the most budget-conscious or heat-tolerant traveller.
What to pack: Ultra-lightweight, loose-fitting clothing in pale colours, a full-coverage sun hat, very high-SPF sunscreen, UV-protective sunglasses, a large reusable water bottle, and oral rehydration sachets. A portable fan or cooling mist spray can make a real difference.
🌧️ Monsoon · July to September
Rating: Mixed | Temperatures: 25 °C – 38 °C
The monsoon brings welcome relief from the summer heat but introduces its own challenges. Rainfall arrives in heavy, unpredictable bursts, causing localised flooding and waterlogged streets. Humidity is high and persistent. That said, the city turns green, the air quality improves markedly, and Delhi’s gardens — particularly Lodi Garden and Mehrauli Archaeological Park — become lush and atmospheric. Prices remain low and crowds thin. Those prepared for the rain will find a more intimate, less-polished version of the city.
What to pack: Quick-dry clothing, a sturdy waterproof jacket or packable rain mac, a compact umbrella, waterproof sandals or shoes, and zip-lock bags to protect electronics and documents. Insect repellent is important during and after heavy rain.
🍂 Autumn · October to early November
Rating: Very good | Temperatures: 18 °C – 33 °C
Autumn is an underrated gem of the Delhi calendar. October sees the monsoon ease, humidity drop, and temperatures settle into a very comfortable range. The city buzzes with the Diwali festival of lights, typically falling in October or November, which fills every neighbourhood with lamps, fireworks, and sweet vendors. It is worth noting that post-Diwali air quality can deteriorate sharply due to crop-burning in neighbouring states, so those with respiratory conditions should check pollution forecasts carefully.
What to pack: Light daywear with a medium layer for evenings, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen for October afternoons, and a light scarf. A pollution mask (N95) is worth including if you are visiting in late October or early November.
Overall best time to visit
If you can choose only one window, aim for late October through to early February. This roughly five-month stretch — covering the tail end of autumn and the whole of the winter season — offers the most consistently comfortable conditions for exploring Delhi’s extraordinary spread of monuments, markets, and neighbourhoods. November and early December hit a particular sweet spot: the post-monsoon air is relatively clear, the Diwali festivities may still be in full swing, crowds are manageable, and the temperatures are ideal for walking. Those wishing to catch a specific cultural highlight should note that Holi in March and Diwali in October or November are each transformative experiences in their own right, and scheduling a visit around either festival will add real depth and colour to any trip.
Where to stay in New Delhi
1. HAVELI DHARAMPURA
Tucked into the lanes of Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, Haveli Dharampura is a restored 19th-century mansion that operates as a boutique heritage hotel. The property was rescued from near-dereliction and reopened in 2015 following a painstaking restoration that brought back its original courtyard layout, carved wooden screens, and ornate façades. It has 14 rooms, each decorated in a traditional style that reflects the architectural character of the building rather than imposing a generic luxury finish. The rooftop restaurant serves Mughlai and North Indian food with views across the Old City’s rooftops and minarets. The location puts guests within walking distance of Jama Masjid and the spice markets of Khari Baoli. It is not a property for those who want modern amenities above all else, but for travellers interested in the history and fabric of Old Delhi, it is a well-considered base.
2. MAIDENS HOTEL
The Maidens Hotel in Delhi is one of India’s oldest surviving hotels, built in 1903 during the British colonial era. Located in the Civil Lines area of Old Delhi, it originally served as a residence for British officials and dignitaries. The hotel is a fine example of colonial architecture, with wide verandas, high ceilings and well-maintained gardens that give it a distinctly old-world character. It has 54 rooms and suites, a swimming pool, and several dining options including the Latitude 28° restaurant. The property is now managed by the Oberoi Group under its heritage brand. Despite being over a century old, it remains a functioning hotel rather than a museum piece, attracting guests who want a quieter, more traditional alternative to Delhi’s modern five-star options. Its location near the university and government buildings makes it convenient for visitors with business in the northern parts of the city.
3. BLOOM ROOMS NEW DELHI
Bloomrooms @ New Delhi Railway Station is a three-star boutique hotel in Paharganj, roughly 300 metres from New Delhi Railway Station and close to the metro, making it a practical base for those arriving or departing by rail. The hotel is immediately recognisable for its bright white and yellow colour scheme, and cleanliness is clearly a priority — a point that guest reviews mention consistently. Rooms are compact but well-equipped, with air conditioning, flat-screen TVs, blackout curtains, in-room safes and Grohe rain showers in the bathrooms. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout. The hotel has 48 rooms across five room types, an in-house café and restaurant serving Pan-Asian dishes, and a 24-hour front desk. Extras such as iMac stations and a fireplace in the common area add a touch of character. It sits among the bustle of central Delhi, so the surrounding streets are noisy and congested, but for travellers passing through the city the location and value are hard to argue with.
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