Old Delhi seen from a minaret of the Jama Masjid, with a marble dome in the foreground
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Delhi in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 10.4 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days let you see Delhi as a city rather than a list of monuments. There is time for all three routes, for the medieval south, and for sitting down to eat without watching the clock. It is the plan for travellers who like a calm pace and want to leave knowing why the bazaars, the tombs and the British avenues belong to the same city.

Day 1From India Gate to Humayun's Tomb

Give the morning to «New Delhi highlights», from India Gate to the pool of Bangla Sahib. Eat parathas in Paranthe Wali Gali and in the afternoon take a taxi down to Humayun's Tomb. Then head north again to see Raj Ghat before closing time. It is a day that links the British and Mughal empires, with few kilometres on foot and more moments of calm.

  1. Morning

    New Delhi highlights: from India Gate to the pool of Bangla Sahib

    Mixed · 4.5 km · 2 h 30 min

    1. India GateA 42-metre triumphal arch honouring more than 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in the First World War.
    2. Agrasen ki BaoliA medieval stepwell hidden among tower blocks, with 108 steps leading down into silence.
    3. Connaught PlaceThe great white-colonnaded circus the British built to give their new capital a commercial heart.
    4. Jantar MantarIn 1724 an astronomer-maharaja built giant stone instruments here to measure the sky with the naked eye.
    5. Gurdwara Bangla SahibThe bungalow of a raja where the Sikhs' child Guru died in 1664, now with a sacred pool and a kitchen that never closes.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Parathas from Paranthe Wali Gali at Pandit Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan. Paranthe Wali Gali, Chandni Chowk, Vieja Delhi

  3. Afternoon

    Humayun's Tomb

    India's first great Mughal garden tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built in the 16th century by Humayun's widow. Its red sandstone and white marble foreshadow the Taj Mahal. It sits in the south: take a taxi or the metro and give it an hour and a half.

    Directions

    Raj Ghat

    A park with Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, a black marble platform where he was cremated in 1948. It is a calm place of lawns and trees, a few minutes from the Red Fort and Feroz Shah Kotla. You go barefoot. A good place to breathe before the sunset route.

    Directions

Day 2Shahjahanabad among the spices

A full second day in Old Delhi on the «Shahjahanabad» route: the Jama Masjid, the Red Fort, Lal Mandir, Begum Samru's palace, Sis Ganj and Fatehpuri. Start early, before the traffic. At midday, a freshly made jalebi in Dariba Kalan serves as street lunch. In the afternoon, Khari Baoli, a short walk from Fatehpuri, and then the metro to Lodhi Gardens to slow right down.

  1. Morning

    Shahjahanabad: the city Shah Jahan drew with a ruler and marble

    History · 3 km · 2 h

    1. Jama MasjidShah Jahan's great mosque, set on the highest hill of his city so nobody could doubt who was in charge.
    2. Red Fort (Lahori Gate)The fortress the Mughals ruled from, and the gate where India's prime minister speaks every 15 August.
    3. Lal Mandir Jain TempleOld Delhi's oldest Jain temple began, according to its own tradition, in the tent of a Mughal army officer.
    4. Begum Samru's Palace (Bhagirath Palace)A dancing girl from Chawri Bazar who came to command an army, turned Catholic and built herself a palace on Chandni Chowk.
    5. Gurdwara Sis Ganj SahibThis was the Mughal police station where Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, was beheaded in 1675.
    6. Fatehpuri MosqueThe mosque that closes Chandni Chowk was sold at auction after 1857 and bought back in exchange for four villages.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Jalebi at Old Famous Jalebi Wala. Esquina de Dariba Kalan con Chandni Chowk, Vieja Delhi

  3. Afternoon

    Khari Baoli

    A wholesale spice market billed as Asia's largest, a few steps from Fatehpuri Mosque. Sacks of chillies, turmeric, cardamom and dried fruit, porters at a run, and plenty of noise. Walk in from the end of the history route and bring some patience.

    Directions

    Lodhi Gardens

    A park of 15th- and 16th-century tombs from the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties among lawns, palms and paths. This is where Delhiites themselves come to stroll. Perfect for slowing down after the bazaar, and easy to reach by metro or taxi.

    Directions

Day 3Sultans, minarets and ghosts

Head south early: the Qutb Minar is best with few people around, and Hauz Khas is minutes away by car. Then take the metro to Chandni Chowk for a dahi bhalla and a rest. At sunset, the route «Djinns, bloody gates and a lost sultana», from Feroz Shah Kotla to the Jama Masjid. For dinner, korma, nihari and kebabs at Karim's, right beside the mosque. A neat finish.

  1. Morning

    Qutb Minar

    A red brick minaret over 70 metres tall, begun in 1192, surrounded by the ruins of Delhi's first mosque and an iron pillar more than fifteen hundred years old. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Go first thing, when it is quieter, and allow an hour and a half.

    Directions

    Hauz Khas

    A medieval water tank from around 1300, with the ruins of a madrasa and 14th-century tombs beside the water, and a neighbourhood of cafés and galleries around it. Only minutes by car from the Qutb Minar: a good spot for a long break.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Dahi bhalla at Natraj Dahi Bhalle Wala. Chandni Chowk, junto a Paranthe Wali Gali, Vieja Delhi

  3. Early evening

    Djinns, bloody gates and a lost sultana

    Mysteries & legends · 2.9 km · 2 h

    1. Feroz Shah KotlaThe ruins of a 14th-century sultan, an Ashokan pillar nobody could read for centuries and letters addressed to the djinns.
    2. Khooni Darwaza, the Bloody GateA 16th-century gate whose name only appears in 1857, when a British officer shot three Mughal princes here.
    3. Turkman GateOld Delhi's southern gate is named after a Sufi saint who lived here when all this was wilderness.
    4. Tomb of Razia SultanA tiny courtyard in a back lane may hold the only woman who ever reigned as sultan of Delhi.
    5. Jama Masjid: relics and a legendary cupThe mosque is named after a mythical cup that showed the whole world, and it keeps relics attributed to the Prophet.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Mughlai korma, nihari and kebabs at Karim's. Gali Kababian, frente a la puerta 1 de la Jama Masjid, Vieja Delhi

The map

Delhi in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Delhi in 3 days

  • Spread the effort: one day of new city, one of Old Delhi, one of the south and legends. If it rains or the heat is fierce, swap the days around, not the routes themselves.
  • Winter can bring heavy pollution, so check the air quality. The pleasant season runs October to March; in summer start early and pause at midday.
  • Use the metro and ride-hailing taxis between areas: Delhi traffic is unpredictable. Many monuments close one day a week, so check before you fix the day.

Questions

Delhi in 3 days: your questions

What to see in Delhi in 3 days?

Free Tours Free's three routes (New Delhi, Shahjahanabad and the legends of southern Old Delhi), plus Humayun's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens, Raj Ghat, the Khari Baoli market, the Qutb Minar and Hauz Khas. It is a good summary of centuries of history.

How far do you walk in three days?

The three routes add up to about 10.4 km (4.5, 3 and 2.9) spread over three days, plus strolling at the extras. It is a comfortable pace, with time to rest, eat and hop between areas by metro, tuk-tuk or taxi.

Is the Qutb Minar worth the trip?

Yes, once you have two days done. It is one of the oldest Islamic monuments in India, with a minaret, a ruined mosque and an iron pillar. It is far from the centre: go early and combine it with nearby Hauz Khas.

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