Sample itineraries for Delhi
Delhi rewards a focused plan, because the city is large and traffic is heavy — group sights by area and use the Metro to skip jams. Below are suggested frameworks; adjust pace to the season and the air quality.
One day — Old Delhi and the ceremonial core.
- Morning: Start early at the Red Fort (remember it's closed Mondays), then walk or take a cycle-rickshaw to Jama Masjid and climb the minaret for the rooftop view.
- Midday: Dive into Chandni Chowk and Paranthe Wali Gali for a street-food lunch; browse the spice and textile lanes.
- Afternoon: Pay respects at Raj Ghat, then move to New Delhi.
- Evening: Stroll Kartavya Path to a floodlit India Gate; finish with a wander around Connaught Place.
Two days — add the southern monuments.
- Day 1: As above.
- Day 2, morning: Qutub Minar complex, then Humayun's Tomb — the two great UNESCO sites of the south, ideally in the cooler early hours.
- Day 2, afternoon: Lotus Temple (closed Mondays) for calm and architecture, and a walk in Lodhi Gardens among the tombs.
- Day 2, evening: Hauz Khas village for dinner and a lakeside sunset, or the state emporia at CP for craft shopping.
Three to four days — culture, markets and breathing room.
- Day 3, morning: Akshardham (closed Mondays; leave phones and cameras at the cloakroom, so budget extra time).
- Day 3, afternoon: The National Museum on Janpath (closed Mondays) for a grounding in Indian history, or Gandhi Smriti and the nearby memorials.
- Day 3, evening: Markets by mood — Dilli Haat for crafts and regional food in an open-air setting, Sarojini Nagar for bargain clothing, or Khan Market for bookshops and cafés.
- Day 4: A slower day — Sunder Nursery beside Humayun's Tomb, a Sikh gurudwara such as Bangla Sahib (all are welcome; cover your head and remove shoes), or a themed food or heritage walk through Old Delhi. Keep this day flexible as a buffer against winter fog delays or a heavy-pollution day when indoor options make more sense.
Delhi as a Golden Triangle base. Delhi is the classic starting point of the Golden Triangle with Agra (roughly 230 km) and Jaipur (roughly 280 km). A common pattern is two to three days in Delhi, then onward by fast train or car to Agra for the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, continuing to Jaipur, and looping back — a five-to-seven-day circuit in all. Because the road and rail links radiate from Delhi, it also works well as a hub for onward trips to Rishikesh, Amritsar, the hill stations of the lower Himalayas, or Rajasthan proper. Book intercity trains well in advance and keep morning departures loose in winter, when fog can push schedules back.