Delhi – The City Of Experiences

INDIA. Delhi: Most of the states in India are now open to travelers, though the visitor numbers are still low. The threat of COVID-19 is still around, but safety measures are now implemented efficiently everywhere. Also, if you follow the norms of wearing a mask, not being a personal-space invader, this is the ideal time for an avid traveler to visit popular cities and sites that are usually overcrowded. New Delhi, the capital city of India certainly is one such city.

Delhi, the national capital of India, is a glorious city. Delhi is a complete deal, it is diverse, serene, and is another name for chaos. Delhi has been the capital of at least seven previous civilisations, and each has left behind a trail of monuments. It’s also a very green city, with wide, leafy boulevards everywhere, and is India’s cultural heart and political center. Delhi is a gastronome’s pleasure garden and a shopper’s paradise too.  

Well, the best way to explore Delhi is to get lost in it, but very carefully as it can transform you into someone else. The city cannot just be visited, it has to be experienced. And the best way to experience Delhi is to mix up and give yourself plenty of time to absorb the greatness of the country.  

A holiday in Delhi is like experiencing both sides of a coin; one full of culture and heritage and the other that shows the commitment to touch the sky with its modern skyscrapers. For a traveler, the romance with the city begins the moment he steps out at the airport or the railway station of Dilwalon ki Dilli (a city of hospitable and heartful people).

In Delhi, sightseeing is a part of daily life. The city is full of monuments on every corner. Even during an early morning trip to fetch your supplies of milk and bread, you might have to cross a park housing a monument.

When in Delhi, do whatever you want to do, but be sure to experience the city and not just visit as a tourist. There is a lot of must-see things to do, I am listing a few. Don’t go according to my list, there are many, many more things to do and see. My list is just like touch and go, so be adventurous, and take detours whenever and wherever you want to:

• Gawking at the city’s three UNESCO World Heritage sites (Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Humayun’s Tomb).
• Find Inner Peace at various religious places like Lotus Temple, Akshardham temple,  Bangla Sahib, Gurudwara Sheesh Ganj, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Nizamuddin Dargha, Jama Masjid, etc.  
• Take a walk to India Gate, the Rashtrapati Bhavan,
• Party away at Connaught Place
• Go boating at the Old Fort
• Take a rickshaw tour of Chandni Chowk, Savour the food at Paranthe Wali Gali
• Take a photo tour of Humayun’s Tomb
• Watch the fair at Pragati Maidan
• Pay homage at Raj Ghat and at memorials of other famous leaders, Kisan Ghat, Shanti Van, etc.
• Enjoy a heritage walk
• Lose yourself at the Jantar Mantar
• Experience the haunting thrills of Feroz Shah Kotla fort
• Relish the food at Little Tibet
• Enjoy Budget Street shopping at Sarojini Nagar Market, Janpath Market, Chandani Chowk, and various others.
• Pick your choicest spices at Sadar Bazaar
• Grab a bargain at the Sunday book market
• Take a toy train ride at National Rail Museum
• Watch a performance at Kamani Auditorium
• Learn the art forms at Lalit Kala Akademi
• Immerse in the fragrance of the Flower Market
• Watch a street play
• Get inspired at Ghalib ki Haveli
• Go for a morning walk at Lodhi Gardens
• Travel to space at the Nehru Planetarium
• Take a HoHo city bus tour
• Marvel the architecture of Agrasen ki Baoli
• Go bird watching at Okhla
• Get up close to fluttering patients at the Bird’s hospital
• National Gallery of Modern Art
• Tomb of Safdarjung
• Light and Sound Show at Red Fort
• Admire the architectural and harmonious design of famous white bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi.  
• Be part of history at the elegant Imperial Hotel, where partition talks took place.  
• Be healthy at various Yoga and Ayurvedic treatment centers.  
• If you are visiting in winters, get frozen in Dilli ki Sardi – believe me, Delhi can be one of the coldest places you have ever visited.
• Stay at the heritage Maidens Hotel in the Civil Lines, built in the early 1900s, where the British were quartered.

Go ahead, and enjoy Delhi, but be careful. Its summer time, so venture out only in the mornings and evenings to avoid getting roasted in Delhi’s heat – yes, the summers in Delhi can be deadlier than the heat in Sahara Desert.

Read Also: The Wallahs Of Delhi

And do come back to learn more about Delhi’s experiences in detail in our forthcoming features…