Last week, we asked our travel community for their advice on exploring the Indian capital. Facebook advice poured in for BBC Travel reader Andy Graf, who asked, “Off to Delhi in December for a short work trip. What can be done and seen in the area with time limits (three days free)?”
Check out some of the advice we received from our travel community.
From Ashleigh Davidson: “[I] would like to add the Salam Baalak Trust walk. It is a charity set up to take kids off the street. They educate them, care for them and send them out successfully into the work force. Some stay on to be guides who take you around the maze of back alleys of Old Delhi and describe what life is like on the streets. It is an amazing and humbling couple of hours, and the guides were incredible and professional! You get to go to the school and meet the children and see the amazing work that these great people are doing – a great highlight of the real Delhi behind the scenes!”
From Kavyanjali Kaushik: “Definitely visit Nizamuddin Dargah on Thursday evening for Qawwalis [Sufi devotional music], yummy kebabs and a messy, but amazing, experience. Humayun's Tomb is a must; so is the Taj Mahal, which is now just two hours away max, thanks to the Yamuna Expressway. Dedicate a day to Old Delhi – Chandni Chowk for food, photographs and madness of the crowd. Ruins of Mehrauli are perfect for sunsets. Go shopping at Hauz Khas Village and check out niche boutiques [as well as] Elma's Bakery for delicious desserts. Squeeze in a stroll in Lodhi Garden [in the] early morning, and a quick round of Connaught Place in central Delhi is a must. That should be enough for three days!”
From Rachel Lynn Collins: “Janpath Market is worth checking out in New Delhi. It's a good place for traditional souvenirs at reasonable prices, [such as] tapestries, carvings, etc... don't miss the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Take the fast train to Agra around 6 am. It's one of the few that usually runs on schedule and is pretty clean and modern.”
From Amit Tonse: “Day trip to the Taj on the new highway two hours each way. I rented a car and [drove] from my hotel, and saw Delhi's sights in one day: Raj Ghat, Red Fort, Jamma Masjid, Lotus temple, Humayun's tomb [and] Qutub Minar.”
From “BELIEVERS”: “If you happen to be there on Thursday, don’t miss the Sufis in Nizamuddin Dargah after sunset.”
From Elizabeth Lloyd: “Most definitely the Gandhi Memorial, which was quite impressive. You see the window where Gandhi stepped out of his room every morning, and you can retrace his footsteps. There are also a myriad of Gandhi's quotes throughout the park/memorial. It really caused an impact on me.”
From A Traveler’s Tales: “Relax at a five-star [hotel] (maybe Taj), enjoy a sumptuous meal (something local) and then explore the city on your own on [the] Metro or DTC Red line.”