Stay : Delhi in all seasons for a long weekend
3 days, time may seem short to see all the facets of the Indian capital. However, a long weekend stay can be an excellent way to discover Delhi for the first time and why not set the first milestones before coming back later.
Summary of the stay
Best time to go
3 days
€ - Good and cheap
Detail of the stay : Delhi in all seasons for a long weekend - 3 days
Day 1: First glimpse of Delhi
Steps: Delhi
The morning can be spent visiting Connaught Place and its surroundings. To immerse yourself directly in Hinduism, you can start with Laxmi Narayan Birla Mandir, on Mandir Marg, west of Connaught Place. This temple inaugurated in 1938 by Gandhi is an example of classical North Indian temple architecture. You can continue to explore the religious communities here by visiting the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib on Ashoka Road. This is the largest Sikh temple in Delhi, built in white marble in the 18th century. Then join Sansad Marg to visit Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory with strange trapezoidal constructions installed in the early 18th century by the maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh II, who was himself an astronomy enthusiast and designed an even more sophisticated observatory in his own city. If you take Tolstoy Marg, a street perpendicular to Sansad Marg, on your left, you will reach the tree-lined avenue of Janpath, which is ideal for lunch. For good South Indian food, go to Saravana Bhavan, a canteen for employees and locals. You can also choose to taste Thai specialties at Spice Route, one of the restaurants of the Imperial Hotel. The food is as good as the setting is beautiful. To digest, do some window shopping at Central Cottage Industries Emporium where the fixed prices of handicrafts will be a good reference for your future purchases!
In the afternoon, you can either continue the cultural tour or dive into the popular atmosphere of Pahar Ganj for a shopping spree. For the first option, start with a visit to the National Museum which, with nearly 200,000 artifacts, traces 5,000 years of Indian history on three thematic levels. When you leave the museum, go to the government quarter built by the British in 1931. If Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential residence, is closed to the public, you can, on the other hand, stroll in the Mughal gardens located behind the building. The North and South Blocks as well as Sansad Bhavan, the Parliament, are also to be seen in this area.
The shopping option takes you to the Main Bazaar. It is the favorite district of tourists with a small budget. You can make a plethora of purchases at low prices. The stores offer handicrafts, clothes, incense, etc. Bargaining is the golden rule! After shopping, go to the New Delhi railway station, located at the beginning of Main Bazaar, and watch a train departing: guaranteed spectacle.
Whichever option you choose for your afternoon, do as the locals do and reach India Gate at dusk to sit on the lawns of Raj Path and watch this Indian triumphal arch light up. Then take a rickshaw to have dinner in one of the restaurants of Khan Market. If you are not too tired, treat yourself to a dance or classical Indian music show at the Mandi House or the Purana Qila, in sound and light.
GURUDWARA BANGLA SAHIB / INDIA GATE / MUSÉE NATIONAL / RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN / BIRLA MANDIR (LAXMINARAYAN MANDIR) / JANTAR MANTAR
Day 2: The great monuments of Delhi
Steps: Delhi
To start your morning in the frenetic Old Delhi, first take some fresh air at the Shanti Vana Park, also called the Yamuna park. Located in the south-east of the red Fort, it is a magnificent park with a landscaped decor, and above all, the most recent pilgrimage site in Delhi. It houses the funeral monuments (samadhis) of the most important people in the Indian Republic starting with that of the Father of Independence, Mahatma Gandhi. Then, take a rickshaw to go to Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi's main Avenue, and ask the driver to stop at the entrance to Khari Baoli, the largest spice market in Asia. Then, visit the Fatehpuri mosque built in 1650 by one of the wives of the emperor Shah Jahan. If you feel hungry, you can, right next to the mosque, enjoy a parantha in a Dhaba of Paranthewali Gali, also known as the "parantha street" by the inhabitants! If you want something sweet, don't miss Ghantewala, the oldest pastry in Delhi, located on Chandni Chowk. Then, continue the visit of Jama Masjid Mosque, India's largest mosque, built in 1644. With a capacity of 25 000 people, this mosque would still be the third largest mosque in the world after those in Mecca and Lahore. Don't forget that its entry is free even if you are told the opposite, badge (false) in support! To end the day, visit the red Fort (open from 9am to 6pm), another emblematic building in Delhi, which has been classified as UNESCO World Heritage since 2007. We recommend that you stay there at nightfall to see it lighting up: here too, it's magical! After this busy day, you will have a well deserved dinner at Chor Bizarre, the city's best Kashmiri restaurant, located south of , in the Darya Ganj district (10 min by rickshaw). In its setting worthy of an Ali Baba cave, specialty buffet or tarami, a typical Kashmir dish, served in a conical-shaped container.
CHANDNI CHOWK / LAL QILA (FORT ROUGE) / FATEHPURI MASJID / JAMA MASJID (GRANDE MOSQUEE) / SHANTIVAN PARK & RAJ GHAT
Day 3: From Qutab Minar to Jor Bagh
Steps: Delhi
You can spend your morning visiting the Qutab Minar complex. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993, the minaret of Qutab Minar is in Delhi what the Eiffel Tower is in Paris! Go to the metro station of the same name and take a rickshaw to arrive at the site entrance. The complex of Qutab Minar, which reflects the foundations of the Sultanate of Delhi, is a very pleasant walk among local tourists and art students coming to design the buildings. For lunch, you can then reach the metro to Hauz Khas Village, the bobo district of Delhi. The Gunpowder restaurant will offer you tasty cuisine, a well-chosen music and a direct view of Deer Park.
In the afternoon, continue the visit by returning to the subway station Jor Bagh. You can first discover the tomb of Safdarjung, the last notable example of a garden tomb erected in the capital. Then, join Lodi Road and stroll through Lodi Garden, which is sort of the Central park in Delhi. By leaving this haven of peace, take a rickshaw to join Mathura Road and visit the tomb of Humayun, the most beautiful monument in the capital. Prototype of the Mughal tombs-gardens, this huge mausoleum in red sandstone and white marble inspired, among others, the Taj Mahal. It has been on the UNESCO World heritage list since 1993. Then, there are two options: either visit the popular and Sufi district of Nizamuddin (especially on Thursday to listen to Sufi songs in the dargah of the saint) and dine in the district close to Sunder Nagar, or take a rickshaw to combine shopping and dinner at M Block Market, in Greater Kailash I, in the south of the city. Don't miss the butter chicken, speciality of the Indian restaurant Mothi Mahal Deluxe. If you are having an overdose of Indian cuisine, you can dine at the Mocha Café. Located in a in a very cosy setting, the hotel will receive you to enjoy a more cosmopolitan dish as well as a succulent and high calorie dessert! For your last night in Delhi, you can extend the evening in a trendy bar or in a nightclub of N Market or Chanakyapuri district.
HAUZ KHAS / LODHI GARDEN / TOMBEAU DE HUMAYUN / TOMBEAU DE SAFDARJUNG / COMPLEXE DU QUTAB MINAR / DEER PARK
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