After the Commonwealth Games circus has left town, there should never be a better time to visit Delhi, with renovations of the capital’s old buildings and a huge expenditure on infrastructure making Delhi gleam, at least in parts. Here are 20 great things to do in India’s capital.
- Try Dilli-ki-Chaat – Delhi's tangy local street food, such as chaat papdi(fried wafers loaded with potatoes, chickpeas, yoghurt and chilli) or golgappas(fried hollow dough filled with chickpeas and spicy potatoes), in Old Delhi
- Visit the great sandstone carcass of the Red Fort, and imagine the last days of the Mughal empire and the British era.
- Humayun's Tomb combines Persian style with local craftsmanship, and is surrounded by the fiercely symmetrical Mughal gardens: take a stroll here at dusk.
- Hear qawwalis (devotional music) sung at dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya; religious songs resounding at around sunset at one of Islam's holiest tombs.
- A trip through the doors of the Imperial hotel is like a voyage back into the days of the Raj, with polished hallways hung with chandeliers and works of art. Drink a G&T in its 1911 bar.
- Lose yourself to shopping, in the temples to Indian craft that are Delhi's government emporiums on Janpath, close to Connaught Place.
- Get lost and confused in the narrow bazaars of Old Delhi, and feel like you've wandered somewhere medieval.
- Ride on the Delhi metro: so cheap, so clean, so democratic, unlike the other world upstairs.
- Get a suit made in Khan Market– take one to copy and get made-to-measure at a fraction of the cost of Savile Row.
- Visit the former home of Indira Gandhi, Indira Gandhi Smriti, where she was shot dead by one of her bodyguards in 1984, and learn about India's most powerful dynasty.
- Wander around Lodhi Gardens on a Sunday afternoon, the perfect place for people watching.
- Discover the district of Hauz Khas,with its crumbling Mughal tombs and tempting art, antique and fashion boutiques.
- Chow down on scrumptious masala dosas at the Janpath branch of Saravana Bhavan, and finish your meal with a deliciously gritty south Indian coffee.
- Use the map from William Dalrymple's City of Djinnsfor a different way to explore the city.
- Eat a great Gujarati thali at pristine Rajdhani, opposite Rivoli cinema, just off Connaught Place.
- Shop middle-class Delhiite-style at laid-back Khan Market, browsing its bookshops and hanging out for a chat at Café Turtle, fuelled by coffee and gooey cake.
- Take a trip out to peaceful Qutb Minar, with its towering minaret resembling an ornate factory chimney.
- Wind up at the Jama Masjid, climb the mosque's minaret, then enjoy a classic non-veg meal at nearby culinary institutions Karim's or Al-Jawahar, famous for their roasted meat kebabs.
- Get flabbergasted by the wealth of Indian art at the National Museum.
- Visit Gandhi's simple tomb in its tranquil gardens, and drink in the atmosphere – nowhere else in Delhi is as peaceful as this.
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