Places to Visit in Delhi

Tourist Places in Delhi

India Gate, Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Hauz Khas, Bahai (Lotus) Temple, Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Paranthe Wali Gali, Sarojini Nagar Market, Jantar Mantar, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Connaught Place, Kingdom of Dreams, Raj Ghat and many more.

A startling cornucopia of history, culture, cuisine, street life and commerce, Delhi keeps its visitors thoroughly engaged. You may be overwhelmed by the chaos at first but as the city gradually sheds its layers, you will find there are many fun-filled places to see in Delhi that will take your breath away.

With not just one, but three UNESCO World Heritage sites within its boundaries, you are sure to come across historical attractions in Delhi that will blow your mind with their grandeur. Apart from these, there are many street food shops and stalls in the old lanes that will pamper your taste buds with some lip-smacking dishes. Not forgetting the most happening party hubs in the city, locals, as well as travellers, come here to have the best time of their lives.

For the energetic crowd, these buzzing nightlife destinations are some of the important tourist places in Delhi. So if you have the will and energy to explore Delhi, there is no dearth of interesting places to explore here.

01 – India Gate

India Gate is an important site to visit when on your tour to Delhi. India Gate has its original name as All India War Memorial that was built in order to commemorate the 82000 soldiers of the Indian Army who lost their lives during the First World War happened from 1914 to 1921 as well as in the Third Anglo-Afghan War. The war memorial is situated at Rajpath where you can reach by getting down at Barakhamba Road Metro station in Delhi.

India Gate is located on the eastern edge of the ceremonial axis of Delhi and it was formerly called Kingsway. The names of around 13300 servicemen including some soldiers and officers from the United Kingdom are displayed on the gate. The architecture of India Gate is world famous as the triumphal arch that looks like the Arch of Constantine and also compared to the Arc de Triomphe and the Gateway of India in Mumbai.

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The designer of the memorial was Sir Edwin Lutyens. After the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, there was a simple structure including a black marble plinth with a reversed rifle which was capped by a war helmet and bounded by four eternal flames built under the Memorial Archway. This one was the Amar Jawan Jyoti or the Flame of the Immortal Soldier.

The construction of India Gate was started in 1921 and completed in 1931. The architectural dimensions of the structure say that it is 42 meters tall and 9.1 meters wide. It was constructed using yellow and red sandstone along with granite. In 2014, the Government announced the plans to construct a National War Memorial around the canopy as well as a National War Museum at the park nearby.

India Gate Parade or the Republic Day Parade is the most ceremonious and prestigious event happen in front of India Gate every year. On January 26th, each year, India commemorates the day it became a republic with an esteemed presence of many national as well as dignified guests from other countries.

India Gate entry time:
Anyone can visit India Gate anytime as it is open on all days 24 hours.

India Gate Entry fee:
There is no entry fee to visit the structure.

India Gate location:
Rajpath Marg, India Gate, New Delhi, Delhi 110001.

02 – Humayun’s Tomb

Maqbera e Humayun or the Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi is a major historical site in India and also one of the best places to visit in north Delhi. It is the tomb of the famous Mughal emperor of India Humayun. It was commissioned by the first wife of Humayun who was the chief consort as well, Empress Bega Begum in 1569-70. The design of the tomb was born in the heart of Mirak Mirza Ghiyas- a persial architect invited by Bega Begum herself. Located in Nizamuddin East in Delhi, the tomb is known as the first garden tomb found on the Indian subcontinent, placed very close to the Dina-panah citadel

Humayun’s Tomb entry timing:
The visit to the tomb is allowed from sunrise to sunset on all days but the best time to visit is between 08:00 am and 06:00 pm.

Humayun’s Tomb entry fee:
Indian citizens and the visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries have to pay Rs.10 to enter the tomb while for other foreign nationals, it is Rs.250 per person. Children up to the age of 15 need not pay an entry fee.

Humayun’s Tomb location:
Opposite Dargah Nizamuddin, Mathura Road, New Delhi, Delhi 110013.

03 – Hauz Khas

Hauz Khas is a beautiful neighbourhood of South Delhi and is one of the major tourist places in Delhi. The pulse of Hauz Khas is known to be the historically important Hauz Khaz Complex. It exhibits both rural and urban atmosphere and also known as mehak ka chota quila. The location is surrounded by Green Park to the west and Gulmohar Park towards the north. It had witnessed different diplomatic missions like the Albania, Iraq, Guines, Burundi, Macedonia Missions and more.

Its name started achieving appreciation from the outer world due to the presence of an ancient water reservoir by the same name. It is now part of the huge Hauz Khas complex. Hauz means water tank in Urdu and Khas is referred to royal and thus it is considered to be the royal tank in the village. Hauz Khas’s water tank was built firstly by Allauddin Khilji in order to supply water to the inhabitants of Siri Fort and later in the 1960s, it was developed by the famous builders in India, DLF.

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Hauz Khas entry timing:
The Hauz Khas Village complex will be open on all days from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 07:00 pm but the restaurants in the complex will be open till 11:00 pm. Another famous structure that is Hauz Khas fort will be open on all days from 10:30 am to 07:00 pm.

Hauz Khas entry fee:
There is no entry fee is applicable.

Hauz Khas location:
Hauz Khas, South Delhi, Delhi 110016, India.

04 – Qutab Minar

A valuable, protected structure of India is Qutub Minar, Delhi which has been considered to be a highly important historical attraction existing currently in India. It is a part of the Qutub Complex which was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is also one of the famous places to visit in north Delhi. The structure is situated in the Mehrauli area of Delhi. Qutub Minar Metro Station located at a distance of about 3km will be the easiest access to reach the amazing architectural brilliance.

Qutub Minar is made of red sandstone and marble making its height up to 73 meters and gives a tower like structure to it which is consisted of five stories and its diameter is 14.3 meters at the base and it becomes 2.7 meters at the top.

Another main feature of it is the spiral staircase of 379 steps. It has been saying that the design of the tower had its origin from the Minaret of Jam located in Western Afghanistan. Qutub Minar’s founder was the legendary Qutub al-Din Aibak who was behind the existence of the Delhi Sultanate. The construction of the structure was started in 1192 and it was completed by Aibak’s successor Iltumish in 1220. But after some decades, its top storey was destructed by a lightning and later Firoz Shah Tughlaq renovated the damaged storey and constructed one more.

Around the tower, there are several historical monuments like the Qutub Complex with Quwwat ul IslaMosqueue and the Iron Pillar of Delhi. The structure of the tower has a style that resembles the architectural style prevailed in Iran but some artistic conventions found locally were incorporated such as looped bells, garlands and lotuses that are borders were carved out. One can see different inscriptions in Parso-Arabic and Nagari at different sections of the structure.

Qutub Minar entry timings:
The visit to the structure is restricted to the day time between sunrise and sunset on all days.

Qutub Minar entry fee:
For Indian citizens: Rs. 30 and for foreign nationals: Rs.500.
For children up to 15 years, the entry is free.

Qutub Minar location:
Qutub Minar Delhi is situated in Mehrauli in South West district of New Delhi, India.

05 – Red Fort

A brilliant architectural beauty is a historical fort in Delhi, Red Fort which was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty for more than 200 years. The Mughal families lived there until 1857. A golden feather in the crown of Delhi is the fort and it houses several museums in it. Though it was the house of the Mughal emperors, it was also the political and cultural center of the Mughal state and this was the place where a lot of significant events happened.

But what made the fort famous was the midnight speech made by Jawahar Lal Nehru before India was going to wake up to independence from British rule and afterward, it was becoming the politically significant spot in Indian history. It hosts the Independence Day celebrations each year from then onward. Red Fort history has a lot to share with the world and it came into the concept form in 1639 after the then Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan shifted his capital to the newly constructed city in Delhi and laid the foundation stone to build up the fort.

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Red Fort architecture is an amusing one with a huge walled citadel that shines in red sandstone and the construction of the fort took almost one decade to complete and it came into the limelight in 1648. For the next 200 years, it was maintained as the seat of the Mughal Empire. Once the capital of the Mughal Empire, the fort lies along the famous river Yamuna. Some of the facts regarding the fort say the complex consist of Shah Jahan’s palace as well as the Salimgarh fort which came into existence in 1546 AD.

The fort is managed by the Archeological Survey of India and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Red Fort Light and Sound Show:
A spectacular show regarding the history of Red Fort and the capital Delhi is shown at the fort for one hour every evening. The show will be in Hindi and English with a half an hour gap in between the two shows.

Light and Sound show at the fort starts at 06:00 pm. To watch the Light and Sound Show, adults should pay Rs.80 and children should pay Rs.30.

Red Fort visiting timing:
The Fort will be closed on Mondays but will be open on all other days from 09:30 am to 04:30 pm.

Red Fort Entry Fee:
Entry fee for Indian citizens is Rs.10 while the same for foreigners is Rs.150.

Red Fort location:
Netaji Subhash Marg, Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi 110006.

06 – Akshardham Temple

Among the temples in Delhi, Akshardham Temple or Swaminarayan Akshardham Complex is amazingly famous as it is known to be a spiritual and cultural campus in Delhi and also one of the famous places to visit in east Delhi. This complex showcases the traditional Hindu and Indian culture, spirituality and architecture. Tourists from all over the world come to Delhi will visit the temple to understand the spiritual facts of India. The temple was opened in 2005 by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It is one of the most religious places to visit in Delhi with family.

Sitting on the banks of the Yamuna River in eastern Delhi, the complex possesses the temple at the center and the construction was according to the Vastu Shastra and Pancharatra Shastra. There are an Abhishek Mandap, Sahaj Anand Water Show, a theme based garden, and three exhibitions like Sahajanand Darshan, Neelkanth Darshan and Sanskruthi Darshan which is a cultural boat ride.

Among the attractions inside the complex, Akshardham Mandir is quite famous and more charming. The architectural measures prove that the temple is 141 foot high and 316 foot wide. The walls of it are explicitly carved with the images of flora, fauna, musicians, deities etc. It has an intricate architectural style of Maharishi Vastu concepts and for the construction of the temple, the pick sandstone from Rajasthan and Carrara marbles from Italy was used. It accommodates 234 adorned pillars, nine domes, 20000 murtis of sadhus, devotees, and acharyas.

Akshardham temple entry timing:
Entry: 09:30 am to 06:30 pm
Exhibition: 10:30 am to 06:00 pm and the tickets for the exhibition will be available from 10:00 am to 05:00 pm.
Musical fountain: 07:45 pm

The temple will be closed on Mondays.

Akshardham temple entry fee:
Complex entry is completely free.
Exhibition rates are Rs. 170 for adults, Rs.125 for senior citizens, Rs.100 for children between 4 and 11 years.
Musical fountain: Rs. 80 for adults, Rs.80 for senior citizens, Rs.50 for children between 4 and 11 years.

Akshardham temple location:
NH 24, Akshardham Setu, New Delhi, 110092.

07-Bahai (Lotus) Temple

The Lotus Temple is among the famous tourist places in Delhi and a major landmark of India that has been attracting tourists from all over the world because of its architecture and beauty. The construction of the temple was finished in 1986. It resembles the lotus flower but created in white colour. The Lotus Temple is open to all people, regardless of region and caste. The structure is built of 27 free-standing marble clad petals in clusters of three to form nine sides. 

There are nine doors onto the central hall that can accommodate around 2500 people at a time. It has won numerous awards for its inimitable and beautiful architecture. The temple has a great connection with the Bahai Faith that promotes harmony among people through a common place for worship. Those who belong any religion or any worship method can come to the Lotus Temple as it is a Bahai House of Worship.

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There are the sacred writings of Bahai Faith as well as of other religions can be read or chanted but reading non-scriptural texts and performing ritualistic ceremonies are forbidden even though there is a fixed set of the pattern for worship services. As all Bahai Houses of Worship follow certain architectural elements, the Lotus Temple also has some of them in its structure. The Bahai scripture says that there should not be any pictures, statues of images displayed inside the house of worship. The Lotus Temple is located near Nehru Palace and Kalkaji Mandir metro station. The architect of the temple was Fariborz Sahba who was an Iranian. The construction was started in 1976.

Lotus Temple entry timings:
During summer, the entry timing is from 09:00 am to 07:00 pm while in winter it is from 09:00 am to 05:30 pm on all days except Mondays.

Lotus Temple Entry fee:
The entry to the temple is free.

Lotus Temple Location:
Lotus Temple Rd, Bahapur, Shambhu Dayal Bagh, Kalkaji, New Delhi, Delhi 110019.

08 – Waste to Wonder Park

As the name suggests, this park is created out of industrial and various other waste materials and it will indeed leave you speechless with wonder. Housing the replicas of the seven classical wonders of the world, this is one of the famous attractions in Delhi. If you are wondering where you can take your kids for some enrichment, then do visit the Waste to Wonder Park as it is one of the best places to visit in north Delhi.

The Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, and India’s very own Taj Mahal along with the other wonders are exquisitely built out of pipes, metallic sheets, scrap angles, and various other waste materials. The park entirely built with the motive of conserving the environment also uses solar and wind energy for lighting purposes during the evening. Enjoy the dreamlike setting and keep your cameras ready for some enthralling pictures.

 Entry Timings- 11 am daily. Closed on Monday.

 Entry Fee- Rs 50 for adults and Rs 25 for children aged between 3-12 years.

 Location- Near Nizammudin Metro station, Block A, Nagli Rajapur, Sarai Kale Khan, New Delhi.

09 – Jantar Mantar

Among the five major Jantar Mantar constructed by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, the one in which Delhi has an equal reputation as of the Jaipur one. At Delhi Jantar Mantar, there are 13 architectural astronomy instruments. It is one of the most visited and it was designed in order to compile the astronomical tables and to predict the movement and timings of the sun, the moon and the planets. Situated on the Parliament Street, south of Connaught Circus in New Delhi, the Observatory possesses masonry built astronomical instruments.

Due to the unlimited desire of Maharaja Jai Singh II to spend time in the astronomical observations and to study the systems, the observatory was erected by himself. The name of the observatory gives us a meaning that is the instrument for calculation. The instruments preserved in the observatory were made of brick rubbles and then plastered with lime. As the time progressed, the instruments had undergone several repairs and restoration. But major alterations were far from them.

The Samrat Yantra, the Jai Prakash, Ram Yantra, and Misra Yantra are the principal instruments preserved in the observatory. A temple dedicated to Bhairava is also near the building which was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. The Jantar Mantar in Delhi had its construction started in 1724. It came into existence in 1724 but by 1867, the observatory had faced a considerable amount of decays. After the construction of the Jantar Mantar in Delhi, Maharaja Jai Singh II had built more observatories in Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi, and Mathura.

Jantar Mantar entry timings:
The observatory is open on all days from 09:00 am to 07:00 pm.

Jantar Mantar entry fee:
To enter the observatory, Indian citizens should pay INR 5 and foreign nationals have to pay INR 100.

Jantar Mantar location:
Sansad Marg, Connaught Place, New Delhi, Delhi 110001.

10 – Chandni Chowk

Moonlight Square is the English name for the Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest yet busiest markets in Delhi. A major attraction in India is this vibrant market that provides A to Z items you would like to buy at the best rates. The Red Fort is a part of the square and it is one of the best places to visit in north Delhi. The compilation of the marker was happened in the 17th century by the then Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and its design was done by his daughter Jahanara. 

It was divided by canals to reflect moonlight and still, it is considered to the largest wholesale market in Delhi. There are records blowing light to its history that says its birth was happened during the founding of the capital city of Shahjahanabad with the existence of the Red Fort. Originally, the market contains 1560 shops, the square is 40 yards wide and 1520 yards long. There is a pool in the centre of the complex which makes the bazaar illuminate. It is one of the best places to shop in Delhi as the bazaar gave space to a number of silver merchants.

But later, the pool in the complex was replaced by a clock tower during the 1950s. The chowk runs through the heart of the walled city from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to Fatehpur Masjid. There are separate markets for sarees, suits, electronic items, accessories, ornaments, footwear, food items, shawls, sherwanis, decoration materials, lanterns, colourful dresses and what not. Chandni Chowk itself has a metro station near the market and it is the easiest way to reach the square.

Chandni Chowk entry timing:
The shops at Chandni Chowk would be open on all days except on Mondays from 10:00 am to 07:00 pm.

Chandni Chowk entry fee:
No entry fee is applicable to enter the square.

Chandni Chowk location:
Kaccha Bagh Area, Old Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi 110006.