Away With The Steiners

5 Quiet places to visit in Delhi unashamedly away from the crowds. 

Sarah Steiner

Delhi, the capital city of India, is rich in culture, history and incredible sites.  But it is notoriously known as being one of the busiest cities in the world.  As a visitor, and especially if planning your first trip to India, the idea of Delhi can feel daunting.  However, there are some truly beautiful, and albeit paradoxically quiet places in Delhi that made a fabulous addition to your India itinerary. 

So, yes, the city is seriously busy in epic proportions.  But Delhi is loveable.  And with a slight break in busy-ness it can be gentle in doses – and surprisingly green and lush accompanying the quieter spaces. 

Here are our top 5 quiet places in Delhi to get unashamedly away from the crowds. 

About the megacity of Delhi in India

New Delhi is the capital of India and is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the country.  It is a colourful and vibrant world of its own in the North of India. 

As a capital city it is enormous and one of the most populated and crowded cities in the world.  The population of Delhi comes in somewhere around 25 million plus.  However, there are some pockets of calm within the chaos and some unlikely peaceful and quiet places in Delhi that are well worth adding to your India itinerary. 

Lodi Gardens quiet places in Delhi.
Because, seriously does this even look like the Delhi you imagine?!

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. 

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.  

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 it is 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 in Delhi is independently by auto rickshaw and hiring a driver for the day. 

At each of the main sites in Delhi (like Humayun’s Tomb and Jama Masjid) there are registered guides available advertised at the entrance.  There are a list of fixed prices on the board and guides waiting 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 in Delhi 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.  

We know that 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.  And by using a local driver who speaks English you can find treasures in the city like these quiet places in Delhi to experience what is truly the best of India’s capital. 

They can wait for you outside at each site.

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

Driver Sunny waiting patiently outside the busy India Gate in Delhi.

The top 5 quiet places in Delhi to get away from the crowds

Here are 5 quiet places in Delhi to get away from the crowds and to experience a different side of this incredible megacity capital of India. 

1. Lodi Gardens – Quiet places in Delhi

I love visiting the Lodi Gardens.  The gardens are the surrounding to a series of Lodi-era tombs that predate even the Mughal empire in India. The tombs date back to the 15th century and are named after the Lodi dynasty that ruled over Delhi once.

Today the Lodi Gardens are 90-acres of flowers and trees and green space that was opened as a park under the British-era rule. They are a popular oasis of calm in the busy capital city and one of the quiet places in Delhi that feels somewhat surreally peaceful. 

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. 

Sunset in the humbling surrounds of lush gardens and 15th century tombs.
The gardens are an amazing way to glimpse local life of a different kind in New Delhi.

2. Agrasen ki Baoli / Stepwell

Agrasen ki Baoli is a stepwell built in the 14th century and used historically for preserving water.  The stepwell is right in the heart of Delhi and surrounded by many commercial buildings and residential streets of the Connaught Place area.  But it is in 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. 

Despite being in the middle of the city, it is not crowded like other monuments and is one of the blissfully (and surprisingly) quiet places in Delhi. 

Agrasen Ki Baoli has been the set for many Bollywood films and is an otherwise peaceful and romantic hangout in Delhi.

3. Sunder Nursery / Azim Bagh Gardens

Sunder Nursery is a heritage park complex opposite Humayun’s Tomb.  The park 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 in India you will know that the tranquillity of the Persian and Islamic style of garden makes these historic sites a peaceful walled oasis in the now modern city.   

The Sunder Nursery park is a stunning and paradoxically quiet place in Delhi with lush, green gardens that have been beautifully preserved and manicured.  There are 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!

4. Tomb of Safdar Jung – Quiet places in Delhi

Safdarjung’s Tomb is a sandstone and marble mausoleum built in 1754 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 dare I say as a non-historian, it looks almost identical in style to Humayun’s Tomb.  However, while Humayun’s Tomb is one of the most popular things to do in Delhi, Safdarjung’s is lesser visited.  

The beautiful garden is divided into four parts outside of the main tomb building.  Parts of the grounds are under construction but the gardens are vast and peaceful.  

It is a third of the cost of visiting Humayun’s Tomb and at least three times emptier.  If you are seeking a quiet place in Delhi, Safdarjung’s Tomb is nearly always deserted. 

Don’t be fooled thinking it looks like Humayun’s Tomb. It does look similar – but without the crowds!
Restorations going on at the quiet Safdarjung Tomb.

5. Purana Quila / Fort – Quiet places in Delhi 

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 quiet wander in the large fort gardens. 

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. 

Other (fairly) quiet places in Delhi 

These ones are second best.  They aren’t the top quietest places in Delhi, but they come in at second best and do provide a general quieter-than-average vibe within the megacity.  

An empty but appreciated quiet at the Sufi shrine of Hazrat Nizam-ud-din.
Youngsters with Hookah outside the Dargah (shrine).

5 Places that are NOT quiet in Delhi 

We love the bustle of India’s megacity capital though admit some of the busier places are best for a short visit if it’s your first time in Delhi. 

Crowds gathering for fire paan outside India Gate in Delhi.
Sorry, Chandni Chowk but you are one of the least quiet places in Delhi!

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 

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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