Away With The Steiners

25 Top things to do in Delhi and what to see on your first time in India.  

Sarah Steiner

For most people Delhi will be the introduction to India. It is not always a gentle introduction.  Nothing can quite prepare you for the kaleidoscopic bustle of colours and chaos of South Asia and India’s megacity capital. But if you give Delhi a chance you will discover the incredible history, beautiful places, a few rare pockets of tranquillity and each of the fabulously unique things to do in Delhi that make this city one of a kind – and one of our all-time favourites! 

It’s no secret that we love India.  

Writing this blog about the top things to do in Delhi had me feeling a roller coaster of emotions.  The chance to share the treasures of the city is exciting while coupled with the unlikely feeling of protective duty for this crazy and colourful capital.  

Often the megacity is overlooked in a rush to escape to the iconic tourist havens of cities further south.  But having spent literally months exploring Delhi I can genuinely say we love this city.  We have loads to pay forward and share for your adventure in the capital.  

So here goes, with every effort to condense the ultimate list of top things to do in Delhi, India. 

And – at the end of this post, we give recommendations of the 10 best things to do in Delhi, to help you narrow down this mega list of sights.  Read on to plan your Delhi itinerary or, skip ahead to the shortlist now.  

Blog contents – Things to do in India

About Delhi. Is it New Delhi or just, Delhi? 

New Delhi is the capital city of India and is a part of the territory of Delhi.  Delhi is the mega city, a larger metropolitan area, and New Delhi is an urban district located in the city of Delhi.  

Although colloquially Delhi and New Delhi are used interchangeably, old Delhi is likely what you’re picturing in your mind when you imagine the chaos of India.  

The old city lives up to its name with many of the historic things to do in Delhi like the famous Mughal era Jama Masjid (mosque) and the Red Fort.  New Delhi is more spread out and has some of the more recently famed icons like India Gate and the Lotus Temple.

You might be picturing Delhi something like this? This is the busy old city near Chandni Chowk; but it's not all like this.
You might be picturing Delhi something like this? This is the busy old city near Chandni Chowk; but it’s not all like this.

What is the best time to visit Delhi? 

Delhi is in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and experiences a subtropical climate. 

The winter months from November to March are mild and sunny while the summer is scorching for May and June followed by a wet, humid monsoon season from July to September. 

How long do you need to see things in Delhi? 

Ideally, plan on spending a minimum of 3 days in Delhi.  As you can see the list of things to do in Delhi is very long and it would take a busy week to get through everything! 

Two to three days gives you enough time to see all of the top 10 things to do in Delhi.  And we recommend for a first visit to India if you are flying in and out of Delhi, to split time in the city for a day at the beginning and one or two days at the end. 

Two or three days including time for golden evenings in the peaceful Lodi Gardens.

What is the best way of getting around in Delhi? 

Personally, we recommend hiring a taxi or auto-rickshaw and driver for the day to get around your choice of things to do in Delhi and travel at your own pace.  

Alternatively you can use public transport and many of the main sites are connected and close to Metro stations.  

However in between the stations and the sites its likely you will require a rickshaw at some stage.  To take the stress out of haggling, it’s much easier to hire a driver for the day.

Do you recommend a tour guide for the things to do Delhi?

We reckon the best way to get around and see all the best things to do in Delhi is independently by auto rickshaw, hiring a driver for the full day. 

At each of the main sites in Delhi like Humayun’s Tomb and Jama Masjid it is possible to get a registered guide for the site as you enter.  There are a list of fixed prices on the board at the larger sites and guides that will approach you.  If you want to know more about a site or have a guided tour of somewhere specific, this is a good option.  

Otherwise the best way to get around is by auto rickshaw independently but with the same driver for the day. 

We have a fantastic driver contact to recommend in Delhi.  

Sunny and his brother Vinny are two of four brothers, who with their father all work in tourism and transport in Delhi driving rickshaws and taxis all over this megacity.  

Sunny is a great driver.  And where trying to find a trustworthy and safe driver in the chaos of Delhi’s some 100,000 rickshaws is like searching for a needle in a haystack.  We can recommend Sunny and Vinny to take all the stress out of navigating transport around the busy city.  They will wait for you outside at each site and can wait for you at your hotel and go out again for dinner in the evening.

Send Sunny a message on WhatsApp for any bookings or transport in Delhi. 

Out on an adventure again in Delhi with driver Sunny.

24 Top things to do in Delhi, India

Here is our ultimate list of the best things to do in Delhi including location, timing, entry cost and how best to get there.  

1. Humayun’s Tomb / Maqbara-e-Humayun 

If it’s your first time in Delhi, an outing by rickshaw to Humayun’s Tomb is seriously exciting.  Humayun’s Tomb is one of the most famous sights and a great place to start to find your feet in this historic megacity.  The tomb is thought to have inspired the Taj Mahal, which it predates by 60 years. 

While the rickshaw ride to get there is busy enough, the tomb is situated in the centre of the tranquil Chahar Bagh Gardens and makes for a peaceful start to Delhi once inside the grounds. The complex is UNESCO World Heritage structure with a beautiful blend of Persian and Mughal architecture and the first example of the garden-style tomb in India.

Humayun’s Tomb is one of the must-see things to do in Delhi and we recommend it on your first day and before visiting the Taj Mahal as it ties together the connection with Emperor Humayun and Shah Jahan, who commissioned the India’s now famous wonder.    

A first introduction to the iconic style of Indian Mughal era architecture.
Atop of Humayun’s Tomb with the brilliant red sandstone and the colours of India.

2. Jama Masjid / Friday Mosque, Delhi 

This historic mosque in Old Delhi is one of my favourite places to visit in Delhi.  It is another fabulous example of Mughal architecture.  The mosque was commissioned by emperor Shah Jahan (who built the Taj Mahal) between 1644 and 1658.  

It was at the time of its construction, the largest mosque in the subcontinent and today it is exceeded in size only by the Friday Mosque of Lahore, Pakistan.  It is India’s largest mosque and can hold up to 25,000 worshippers in the prayer hall and outside in the beautiful red sandstone courtyard. 

Modest dress is required to enter the masjid.  

If you don’t have appropriate attire you can borrow an abaya/gown and scarf from the entrance to the mosque. 

A gown is 100 INR per person. 

Sunset at the magnificent Jama Masjid in the old city.

3. Delhi Red Fort

The impressive Red Fort in the old part of the city was founded by emperor Shah Jahan in the early 17th century.  Shah Jahan was the emperor who built the Taj Mahal and like the other iconic Mughal sites, this is one of the things to do in Delhi that connects the dots and the story of the Taj Mahal before you visit. 

4. Chandni Chowk and Khari Baoli markets

Chandni Chowk is one of Delhi’s oldest and most famous marketplaces.  This is the centre of the old city and a fab destination to get a feel for the bustle of the historic heart of the city.  

Be aware that the crowds are intense and you’ll constantly be dodging cars, motorbikes, and hawkers.  But if you haven’t tried a cycle rickshaw yet, this is the most common means of transport down the main drag of Chandni Chowk.  And paradoxically perhaps, but amidst the hawkers, touts, bicycles, motorcycles, and porters it is a neat way to see the busy marketplace without being right in it.  It is colourful, busy and exciting. 

Cycle rickshaws are the best way to get around Chandni Chowk.
Brilliant spices in the Baoli Markets behind Chandni Chowk.

5. Digambara Jain Temple and Bird Hospital

Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir is the oldest and most iconic Jain Temple in Delhi.  It is located directly across the road from the Red Fort at the start of the Chandni Chowk area.  And interestingly, the temple is known for being home to the Jain Bird Hospital, in a second building behind the main temple.

Even if you don’t go inside, the temple is impressive from the marketplace and differs from the many Hindu temples with the typical steeple style of Jain architecture. 

The brilliantly red Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir in Chandni Chowk.

6. National Gandhi Museum 

This is an interesting museum and one of the quieter things to do in Delhi (truly).  The museum preserves some of Ghandi’s personal belongings – including his spectacles and two of his teeth(!) – and it is here that he spent the last years of his life before he was assassinated. 

It is best to visit in the morning for a quiet experience. 

The National Gandhi Museum is a peaceful and interesting spot in the city.

7. Main Bazar, Paharganj – Things to do in Delhi

Paharganj is known as the backpacker area and the main bazaar in Delhi.  It is a very busy, colourful and chaotic part of the city and one of the things to do in Delhi that is unashamedly touristic and epitomises the old India vibes of the megacity capital just as you imagine. 

Main Bazar is the main market street running through the middle of Paharganj from New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS).  On a first visit it can be overwhelming, as it is tourist-heavy and thus there are touts galore.  But we reckon it’s one of the most fun and exciting things to do in Delhi and feels like an outing to the India you imagine.  

The Main Bazar market has plenty of souvenirs, trinkets and interesting things for sale and crowds for people-watching in abundance.  

The amazing colours and bustle of Main Bazar is just as you imagine Delhi to be.
Exploring Main Bazar is one of our favourite things to do in Delhi.

8. Lodi Gardens 

I love visiting the Lodi Gardens.  This is another of my favourite things to do in Delhi and especially in the late afternoon before the golden hour of sunset.

The gardens are the surrounding to a series of Lodi-era tombs that predate even the Mughal empire in India.  But these days, they are a popular oasis of calm in the busy capital city.  

The grounds are spread out over a huge green area in the heart of New Delhi with large lawns, manicured gardens, pathways and small ponds.  And in the afternoons they come alive with people exercising, relaxing in the beautiful green spaces, playing football and just generally enjoying the city.

A walk through the Lodi Gardens is a unique way to glimpse a different side of life in the capital city. 

The historic Lodi era gardens are a beautiful pocket of calm in the late afternoon.

9. India Gate – Things to do in Delhi 

India Gate is also known as the Delhi Memorial or the All-India War Memorial and is a magnificent sandstone arch dedicated to the British Indian troops who died in battles fought between 1914 and 1919.  The monument is a lasting tribute to the bravery of Indian Army soldiers with over 13,000 names etched on its walls to honour their memory and valour.

It is a bustling and exciting place to visit day or night with market stalls and (lots of) people all around. 

Under the walkway to get closer to India Gate are photographs displayed with information about the history of the memorial.  It is definitely one of the iconic things to do in Delhi. 

The fabulous India Gate lit up at night.

10. Agrasen ki Baoli / Stepwell 

The Agrasen ki Baoli is a stepwell built in the 14th century and used historically for preserving water.  This is one of the (surprisingly) peaceful things to do in Delhi near the Connaught Place area.  It is a quiet spot off the main road and despite not being used for its original purpose, the stepwell is in amazing condition for its age. 

Agrasen Ki Baoli has been the set for many Bollywood films.
A different type of Indian stepwell to the typical square shape in Rajasthan.

11. Akshardam Temple / Hindu Temple and Museum 

This is a relatively new Hindu temple built in 2005 using ancient techniques to create a breathtakingly lavish temple, exhibition and museum.  While many of the things to do in Delhi showcase the historic Mughal empire, Akshardam stands as a monument to the rich Hindu heritage of India. 

The complex is well set up for tourists and includes the option for a 20 minute slow-boat ride through 10,000 years of Indian history with stories of life from the different eras and regions of India.

In the middle of the complex is Akshardam Mandir, an internal temple built with white marble and pink stone.  The whole structure has more than 20,000 figures sculpted across it! 

We couldn’t believe we had visited Delhi so many times over the last few years and only recently discovered Akshardam Temple! I now recommend this everyone as one of the top things to do in Delhi.

12. Laxminarayan Mandir / Hindu Temple 

The Laxminarayan Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to the presiding deity of Vishnu and honouring Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. 

The temple is famous today for having been inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi who ensured that members of all castes would be allowed in the temple.

Entering Laxminarayan Hindu Temple.

13. Connaught Place

Connaught Pace is a famous shopping district and bustling hive of activity located right in the heart of New Delhi.  As well as being one of the city’s key financial and business centres, the area is also filled with all things cultural, from antique cinemas and toy shops to leading contemporary art galleries, restaurants and popular shopping brands. 

14. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib / Sikh Temple 

Delhi is an amazing mixture of culture, heritage and religion.  This Gurudwara is a magnificent, white-marble Sikh Temple and the most prominent Sikh house of worship in Delhi.  

It was first built as a small shrine in 1783 to honour the eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Hari Krishan, and stands on the site where the guru performed a small miracle. The guru tended to victims of Delhi’s cholera and smallpox epidemic, distributing sanctified water to the sick, and thus the waters of the large tank are said to have healing powers. 

Today people still treat the contents of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib’s pools as holy water.  

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is a great opportunity to experience Sikh culture and religion in India.

15. Sunder Nursery / Park – Things to do in Delhi 

Sunder Nursery is a heritage park complex opposite Humayun’s Tomb that was built by the Mughals in the 16th century with the original name of Azim Bagh.  If you have visited any of the Mughal sites you will know that the tranquillity of Persian and Islamic style of garden makes these historic sites easily the most peaceful of things to do in Delhi.  

The Sunder Nursery park is a stunning and paradoxically quiet and lush, green part of the city that has been beautifully preserved.  It is a manicured park garden with meandering pathways and fountains, cypresses, bougainvillea, climbing roses, symmetrical lawns and wandering peacocks.   

The typical style of Islamic architecture of the gardens with water features and symmetrical layout.
You could almost be anywhere in the world; not just a megacity in South Asia!

16. Jantar Mantar / Observatory 

This is one of the five observatories in India built by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the ruler of Jaipur.  The observatory in Delhi was built in 1725 and is a collection of curving geometric buildings that are calibrated to monitor the movement of the stars and planets.  

It is another reasonably quiet spot in the city.  Though without a guide or tour it is slightly challenging to work out the instruments, however it is interesting for a wander around the observatory grounds. 

Jantar Mantar observatory is a splash of colour and history in the otherwise new city district.
Old meets new with a Mughal era observatory and modern skyscrapers.

17. Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Dargah / Shrine

This is the beautiful marble shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Nizam-ud-din Auliya.  The Dargah (shrine) is tucked away behind a tangle of narrow bazar streets selling typical offerings, rose petals and Attar (perfumes). 

18. Tomb of Safdar Jung

Safdarjung’s tomb is a sandstone and marble mausoleum built in 1754 in the late Mughal Empire style for Nawab Safdarjung, a prime minister of the Mughal Empire. 

This was the first time someone outside the immediate imperial Mughal family built themselves such a tomb and garden complex.  

The tomb, within a garden, is in a late version of the style of earlier Mughal imperial tombs.  And like Itmad-ud-Daula is touted as the Baby Taj in Agra, Safdarjung’s Tomb looks almost identical in style to Humayun’s Tomb!  It is built in the style of the both Humayun’s Tomb and the Taj Mahal with inside ‘eight paradises’ (hasht bihisht) or rooms around the main chamber under the dome, and a garden divided into four parts outside.

The Tomb of Safdarjung looks strikingly like Humayun’s Tomb.

19. Khan-i-Khanan’s Tomb – Things to do in Delhi 

Yup, another tomb. This place is the burial of Abdul Rahim Khankhana, a poet and minister in Mughal emperor Akbar’s court.  The tomb is situated in Nizamuddin East on the Mathura road near Humayun’s Tomb.

Albeit we were the only people there when we visited.  But I’ve listed it as while it isn’t one of the most popular things to do in Delhi it is definitely one of the quietest. 

Inside the tomb of Abdul Rahim Khankhana.

20. Purana Quila / Fort

Purana Qila literally means ‘Old Fort’ and it is one of the oldest forts and historical things to do in Delhi.  This is where Mughal emperor Humayun died in 1556 after tumbling down the steps of his multi-storey library, Sher Mandal.  

The fort is surrounded with a peaceful garden and features a blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles. It has high battlemented walls, three grand gateways, the Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque, and Sher Mandal, an octagonal tower.  If you have extra time in Delhi it is worth a wander. 

The grand entrance to Purana Quila with a flagpole just visible through the archway.
The multi-storey library building where Humayun fell to his death.

21. Qutab Minar / Tower 

The Qutab Minar is a minaret and ‘Victory Tower’ that forms part of the Qutab complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot. 

The tower that gives the complex its name is an unmissable, soaring Afghan-style minaret, erected by sultan Qutb-ud-din in 1193 to proclaim his supremacy over the vanquished Hindu rulers of Qila Rai Pithora.   

It is the tallest masonry tower in India, measuring 72.5 metres high and has been made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The complex is interesting to visit with the tower surrounded by intricately carved stone mausoleums and tombs.  

Qutab Minar tower and complex (that just doesn’t quite fit in the photo).
A close up showing the scale at the base of Qutab Minar.

22. Lotus Temple / Bahai House of Worship

The famous Lotus Temple is a Bahai House of Worship.  It is a practicing temple and open to all regardless of religion and was created to bring faiths together according to their own beliefs.  

The temple’s shape is inspired by a half-open floating lotus flower shaped with delicate-looking white marble petals. 

It opened in 1986 and is now one of the most iconic things to do in Delhi and another rare pocked of calm in the hectic city. 

23. Dilli Haat INA / Market 

This takes souvenir shopping to a whole new level! Dilli Haat is a paid-entrance open-air market, food plaza and craft bazaar and it truly is the best market for showcasing handicrafts and beautiful souvenirs of India that we’ve seen. 

We definitely recommend this market as one of the last essential things to do in Delhi for some seriously good souvenir shopping. It is more relaxing than the open markets as due to the 100 INR entry fee there are only shoppers inside the marketplace. 

Shopping for souvenirs at Dilli Haat Market is one of the essential things to do in Delhi.

24. Sarojini Nagar Market – Things to do in Delhi 

Sarojini Nagar Market is a local shopping market.  It is a mixture of outdoor stalls, kiosks and tables set up with clothing and wares as well as indoor, permanent shops in the market area. 

The shopping scene is a unanimously vibrant and diverse experience in India’s megacity capital.  And if, like me, you also have in mind to somehow arrive and go shopping to get outfits for your India trip, the chaos can sound dubiously daunting.  We have found Sarojini Market the best place to shop for Kurta and India-ready outfits and one of the fun things to do in Delhi before starting your trip. 

Getting kitted out with a Saree and Kurta to start off our India trip at Sarojini Market.

What are the top 10 things to do in Delhi? 

Here are our ten must-see things to do in Delhi.

Connect between all of these with a great tour of Delhi by auto rickshaw. Challo!

Where to eat / Cafes and restaurants in Delhi

Thali at the family friendly Kaleva restaurant in Connaught Place.
Delicious Lal Maas at Lazeez Affaire restaurant in Connaught Place.

Getting to Delhi 

Most travellers begin and end their India trip in Delhi because of the large, international airport there. It is easy to find flights to Delhi from all over the world with connections in the Middle East and South Asia. 

Where to stay in old Delhi, New Delhi and South Delhi or near the airport 

Checking in to our spacious room near the airport at Taurus Sarovar Portico Hotel.
Our basic quad room at Smyle Inn in Main Bazar, Paharganj.

Read more about travel in North India

Tips for travel planning to India and beyond

These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

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