Delhi, the capital of India, was our first stop on a month-long journey around northwest India. We spent two nights in the city and absolutely loved the lively atmosphere and vibrant lifestyle.
While staying in Delhi, we spent around 25 Euros per person per day (which was half of our planned budget!), and we stayed in a 3-star hotel in Paharganj, conveniently located for exploring Delhi.
This article shares a quick overview of our personal experiences, hoping it helps you plan your own trip to Delhi. Keep in mind that all the information here is based on our experiences in December 2023.
If you want to learn more about our month-long route through northwest India, you can check this blog post (coming soon!).
We arrived Delhi by plane from Istanbul since we visited Zeynep's hometown before our trip to India. We took a connecting flight via Riyadh with Flynas and we were very happy with the deal we got. We paid around 180 Euros per person and the ticket price included checked luggage. Fingers crossed that you find an even better deal for yourself, and if you know of a better alternative to Skyscanner for researching flights, please let us know.
We had a 2-hour layover in Riyadh before arriving at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in the early morning. Please note that you might need a visa for Saudi Arabia, even though you are only taking a connecting flight. As we had a connecting flight with Flynas and our transfer time was less than 12 hours, we did not need a visa. The transfer in Riyadh was smooth, and we even got to check the airport and grab some midnight snacks while waiting for the next flight.
Once we got off the plane, we proceeded to immigration quite quickly. Before traveling to India, we applied for our visa online almost a month in advance and received an electronic travel authorization by email within a few days. In addition to our e-visa, we filled out an arrival card that we got at the airport. At the police check, we were asked to show our passports, our printed Electronic Travel Authorization, and the arrival card. After a few minutes and standard immigration questions, we were allowed to start our journey in India.
After immigration, we proceeded to collect our bags, and while waiting for the baggage, it is possible to use the airport's free Wi-Fi network. If you don’t have an Indian phone number yet, you will need a Wi-Fi code given to you by airport staff at baggage claim.
The airport is connected with an express metro line and it will bring you to the city pretty fast. The ticket to New Delhi Railway station was 60 Rupees per person, and there is a ticket counter right at the metro entrance. The ticket price depends on your destination. Please note that you have to pay your ticket in cash (at least we were not given any other option), so it's better to get some Rupees already at the airport.
In general, we experienced India as a cash-only country, and there were very few opportunities where card payment was accepted (including most of the hotels). However, most locals use a mobile payment solution (PhonePe and Paytm), but you need an Indian bank account to use it.
When you enter the metro, you will go through a security check, and the security will scan all your bags. This takes a minute and is a standard procedure, which you will encounter a couple of times while traveling the country. There are separate queues for men and women.
From the airport, if you do not want to jump on the metro right away, you can ask your hotel to arrange a transfer for you. Our hotel proactively offered to arrange an airport transfer and warned us about people trying to scam tourists at the airport or the metro stations. Hotel's offer was 700 Rupees to pick us up and take us to the hotel in Paharganj. On the streets of Paharganj, we saw offers for airport transfers for 400 Rupees.
To be fair, the hotel was right about warning us about potential scammers at the railway station. As we left New Delhi Railway Station, two guys approached us and asked us where we wanted to go. They seemed very friendly and helpful, and told us that the whole area of Paharganj is under lockdown by the police due to riots. They said that it is very dangerous to walk there and we cannot enter the area. They offered to help us finding a new accommodation in a safe area. It was really confusing because their offer felt sincere, but when we asked some policemen if this story is true, and they said no.
Also, to be fair, we think maybe during the whole month, only a handful of people tried to scam us (hopefully no one succeeded), and plenty of people actually helped us.
Delhi is a mega city, home to more than 30 million people, offering plenty of places to stay. We researched a few options before arriving using booking.com and makemytrip.com. As we were trying not to spend more than 50 Euros per person per day in total, we decided to stay in a small hotel in Paharganj.
Paharganj is a popular area among backpackers and is within walking distance of the New Delhi Railway Station. Many trains connect from here to other cities in India. So, if you are planning to travel to other cities by train, the proximity to this train station might come in handy.
Paharganj is full of vibrant life, featuring restaurants, street food, functioning ATMs, and many shops. Especially in the evenings, the streets are bustling with life, and we witnessed many wedding ceremonies. Curious about Indian wedding traditions, we watched one particular wedding, and the people were very friendly, explaining what was going on. They even insisted that we stay and celebrate with them. We kindly declined because everyone was so beautifully dressed, and we were in our street clothes.
Paharganj is also home to RK Ashram Marg (metro station), which we found useful for exploring the city. We considered Paharganj a great area to stay because of its affordable accommodation, good food, and excellent connections to other parts of the city.
Two things to keep in mind: Almost all hotels only accepted cash for payment. Paying with a credit card was not an option. Wherever you end up, try to not get a room on the ground floor. Rooms are not soundproofed, and you may be disturbed by late check-ins, early checkouts, or the night guard watching Instagram reels on his phone all night without headphones.
We preferred to take the metro and walk around when exploring Delhi. A metro ride costs between 20 and 70 Rupees per person, depending on where you want to go. There is always a ticket counter at the entrance with someone who will help you choose the right fare. We usually found the ticket counter just before the security check. Expect a security check before entering the metro station, with separate lanes for men and women. Occasionally there is a ticket machine, but to our experience it often did not work.
We found traveling around with the metro to be quite relaxed and easy. If you are a woman and your journey is going to take a little longer, then take a look at the first carriages of the train. This area is reserved for women and men are not allowed to travel there.
Note that you have to scan your ticket or token twice. Once when you enter the metro and once when you leave. So don't throw your ticket away once you've found a seat.
Sometimes we decided to take one of the many tuktuks in the city. Since we live in Berlin, taking a tuktuk is fun and adventurous for us, but don't forget to haggle over the price. Always agree on the price before you sit down. If you are not happy with the price, be prepared to walk away and ask the next driver. Also, make sure that the price you have agreed is for all the people in the car. Some tuk-tuk drivers will say yes to 50 Rupees, but they mean 50 Rupees per person, whereas you assume 50 Rupees for the ride.
We understand that haggling over a price might be difficult without any reference point. We always asked at our hotel for an estimate. We also used the UBER app, which was a great help in getting a reasonable reference point. Of course you can also order a ride or tuktuk (auto rickshaw) via UBER, but waiting time was always very long.
With only two nights in Delhi, we had little time. Here is how we used it:
Taking a Free Walking Tour in Old Delhi
A free walking tour is a guided tour with no price tag and at the end, you pay what you can or what the tour is worth to you. We found our tour via Guruwalk and at the end of our tour (which was great) we gave the guide 1,000 Rupees per person. The tour offered by our guide Aman was particularly great. Aman is a super nice guy and spoke very good English.
In 3 hours he showed us all the highlights of Old Delhi like its hidden lanes, Asia's largest spice market and so many great places to eat. Our personal highlight was a visit to the Sikh temple and a short introduction to Sikhism. The introduction is followed by a visit to the Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib Temple where they provide a free meal to all visitors in their community kitchen and it was pretty tasty.
Aman is a true local expert. If you have any questions or need help planning your trip to India, check out his Instagram.
Lotus Temple
The Lotus Temple is one of the city's modern architectural highlights and reminded us of the Sydney Opera House. The Lotus Temple is open to people of all faiths and encourages you to meditate or pray to your own god(s).
Admission to the Lotus Temple is free. Do not listen to anyone who approaches you and tries to sell you a ticket (this is a scam). In our opinion, there is no need for a guide to show you around. We arrived at the Lotus Temple by metro and it was a 10-minute walk from the metro station. If you do not want to walk from the metro to the temple, you can also take a tuktuk.
We arrived at the Lotus Temple at 9:30 in the morning, which was nice as the tourist crowds had not yet arrived. Also at 10:00 there was a 10-minute ceremony and everyone was invited to sit down and listen to prayers from different faiths. Although we did not understand a word, it was very peaceful.
Be aware that you cannot enter the temple with your shoes on. There is a place on the campus right before the building where you can safely leave your shoes. Although we would not recommend walking around barefoot or even in slippers anywhere in India, it is more than safe to do so in any of the temples you will visit.
Humayun's Tomb
Visiting Humayun’s Tomb is an absolute must when exploring Delhi. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its unique architecture served as a blueprint for the Taj Mahal, which was built 100 years later. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the site and its lovely gardens, providing a great escape from the bustling city life.
To reach Humayun’s Tomb, we took the metro and a tuktuk. At Nizamuddin Railway Station, there were numerous tuktuks eager to take us to the mausoleum (don’t forget to haggle over the price for the ride).
At the entrance, you will find two ticket counters—one for locals and one for foreigners. The reason for this is that foreigners pay a 600 Rupees entrance fee, significantly higher than the 30 Rupees paid by locals. Nevertheless, we accepted our fate and paid the fee for our tickets. Fortunately, we had some cash on us because the card machine had broken down, and card payment was not possible. Additionally, at the entrance, you will encounter many individuals offering their services as tour guides. We don’t know if it is worth hiring them, as we enjoyed our time exploring on our own.
After entering, we strolled around the lovely gardens, enjoying the greenery. Since we arrived early, there were not too many tourists around, creating a pleasant experience. During our stroll, a very nice elderly security guard approached us. He shared some insights into the history and even took some really nice photos of us using our phone. Of course, his intention was ultimately to make some extra money, but we acquired some truly nice content for our Instagram.
India Gate
On the day of our arrival we wanted to do something easy and check out India Gate. It was a nice and relaxing idea for us as we were tired from our overnight travels. Unfortunately, the air pollution was pretty bad on the day we arrived. So we did not really get a good view of India Gate or the Presidential Palace. If you have some free time, you can check out this area, but in our opinion it is okay to miss it.
Akshardham Temple
Akshardham Temple in Delhi is a beautiful Hindu temple, celebrated for its architecture and immersive cultural exhibitions. It is a must visit to experience India's rich heritage and spiritual essence. With only a few times at our disposal, we unfortunately missed out on visiting this place. Talking to other travelers and listening to their excitement about visiting the Akshardham Temple is a real pity. Be aware that it is not allowed to take pictures inside.
We successfully avoided getting food poisoning in Delhi or having any problems with our bellies. A real achievement as we immediately immersed ourselves in the local food culture. In Delhi we ate mostly street food, which was very tasty, surprising, and cheap.
A cool place in Paharganj was Sita Ram Diwan Chand for chole bhatura breakfast(chickpeas and fried dough). We were the only tourists there and it was a highlight for everyone that we joined the breakfast gang. Also at Tootie Chowk (Square) in Paharganj there is 55 Bistro. They have a nice rooftop and if you get a good seat, you can enjoy a lassi, watch the bustling market and occasional wedding parades from few stories above the street.
If you're in the Connaught Place area and don't want to go to Chili’s or Nando's, try Sareen Dhaba. I think we were one of the very few tourists to ever turn up at this street food stall and we were made very welcome. It was a fun and delicious experience.
Throughout the month-long trip around India, Zeynep managed to avoid any stomach problems. We are quite convinced that this was due to the fact that Zeynep drank almost exclusively bottled water and avoided ice in any drink, besides occasional salty lassis. Dominik was more experimental with fresh juices and lime lemonades and paid a high price for it.
First of all, we would like to say that almost everyone we met on our trip was super nice and helpful. On more than one occasion we found ourselves in situations where we would have been lost if someone local had not taken the initiative to make sure we got on the right bus or got a fair price for a tuktuk ride. Still, a handful of people tried to scam us. Fortunately, we did not fall for any of their attempts.
A tricky situation arose when we arrived in Delhi and took the metro from the airport to New Delhi railway station. At the New Delhi metro station, we got a bit lost and did not know how to get to Paharganj. A person approached us and asked us where we were going. After we told him where we were going, he told us that the police locked down the whole area because of a riot and that we are not allowed to go there. This person offered to help us find somewhere else to stay.
Luckily we heard about this type of scam before, because mostly before we travel to any unfamiliar place, we check YouTube and watch some videos about typical scams at our destination. Although we heard about the scam before, we still felt unsure about the situation. The person approaching us was so nice and seemed really interested in helping us. We couldn’t imagine that this was an attempt to scam us. Still, we decided to withdraw ourselves from the situation by walking away from the person and finding a quiter corner. Luckily two policemen were standing around there and we asked if there were any riots in the city and if Paharganj was really under lockdown. Police told us that this was not true and with this information, we felt brave enough to find our way to the hotel without listening to the potential scammer anymore.
Here you can read more about typical scams in India (coming soon!).
India is a massive country with so much to see and do. After visiting the country’s capital, we decided to go to Rishikesh, also known as the yoga capital of the world. Rishikesh is a really beautiful place and a gateway for anyone heading to the Himalayas. You can read more about Rishikesh in our blog post (coming soon!).
We decided to take the bus to Rishikesh and bought the tickets through 12goasia. They charge a small service fee which is totally reasonable considering the convenience it provides.
There is also an Indian platform called redBUS, which was recommended by some locals. Since we arranged all our tickets in advance via 12goasia, we never used it, but maybe you want to check it out.
Waiting for our bus to Rishikesh
Finding your way around an unfamiliar city can be difficult and challenging. That is why we both got an Airtel SIM card at the airport. After you leave the baggage claim area and pass through customs, there is a large Airtel counter. As we were travelling to India for a month, we were offered unlimited calls and 1.5GB per day for 30 days. This was 450 Rupees per person. You can download the Airtel app and see how much data you have left. When you use 50% of your data, you get a data alert via SMS.
Our time in Delhi was wild, noisy, stressful and wonderful. This has nothing to do with a weekend trip to any European city for sightseeing or shopping. This has nothing to do with a picture perfect holiday. India is the ultimate place for real travel adventure and to immerse yourself in a culture that is so different to anything we are used to, that we strongly recommend you make up your own mind and have your own experience. If you are prepared for the crowds, the noise and the endless amount of stray cows, then this is the place for the ultimate new experience.
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