Places to visit in Delhi

• Qutab Minar: One of Delhi's most iconic monuments is the Qutab Minar, erected in 1192 to mark Mohammed Ghori's victory over Prithviraj III, the last Hindu king of Delhi.
• Hauz Khas Complex: Once served as madrasas, now among the most happening places in Delhi filled with restaurants, boutiques and bars, Hauz Khas complex still shares the story of the city's glorious past through the royal tombs and ruined structures.
• Humayun’s Tomb and Safdarjung Tomb: Move on to Lodhi Gardens, bookended by Safdarjung's tomb and UNESCO World Heritage Site Humayun's tomb, the perfect example of a Mughal garden tomb.
• Lotus Temple: This is another popular tourist attraction in the city. Also known as the Bahai House of Worship, it's a beautiful place to spend some time in silence. With 27 pristine marble petals of a lotus, the structure looks precisely like a lotus, giving it the name, the Lotus Temple. There are nine pools around the petals which look stunning in the evening when the shadow of light fall on its surface.
• Jantar Mantar: An 18th-century observatory, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur to match the requirement of bigger astronomical instruments. The entire complex comprises six instruments that are quite fascinating to observe.
• Rashtrapati Bhawan: The wonder of the Rashtrapati Bhavan is multi-dimensional. It is a huge mansion, and its architecture is simply stunning. It was Sir Lutyens who conceptualised this H-shaped building, covering an area of 5 acres on a 330-acre estate. Rashtrapati Bhavan comprises 340 rooms spread over four floors, 2.5 kilometres of corridors and 190 acres of garden area.
• India Gate: The India Gate is a war memorial nestled astride the Rajpath, on the eastern edge of the "ceremonial axis" of New Delhi. It was earlier called Kingsway. It stands as a memorial to 70,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives between 1914–1921 in the First World War. It is one of the most visited places in Delhi.
• Red Fort and Jama Masjid: Delhi's most well-known landmark, the Red Fort, stands not just as a ground-breaking token of India in the Mughal era, but also as a reflection of India's battle for opportunity. It was built by the fifth Mughal ruler Shah Jahan, when he chose to move his capital there from Agra in 1638. The fortress' tempestuous history includes being caught by the Sikhs and the British.
• Akshardham Temple: Akshardham Temple, or the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex, in Delhi is a quintessential Hindu holy place encapsulating Indian culture, architecture, and more. The spectacular temple is devoted to Swaminarayan, an Indian yogi and profound soul who lived in the eighteenth century. Crowned as the world's biggest exhaustive Hindu sanctuary by the Guinness World Record, Delhi's Akshardham is known for its grand architecture and is one of the most popular tourist spots of Delhi.

High-end shopping/luxury shopping/shopping malls in Delhi

• Emporiums: Being the capital city, all the various state emporiums, are located in one complex on Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place. Shop for sandalwood inlay work from Karnataka or marble inlay from Uttar Pradesh and handicrafts from Tripura to Rajasthan.
• Boutique stores: For boutiques, home décor, art galleries and alternative stuff head straight to Hauz Khas, Mehrauli, Khirkee Extension, Shapur Jat for designer wear and Meharchand Market behind India Habitat Centre. Old LPs, retro movie posters, kitschy knick-knacks, antique furniture - there's always a good deal to be found.
• Malls: Delhi is home to some of the most popular shopping malls. For high-end luxury shopping, head to Emporio Mall located in Vasant Kunj, or The Chanakya, near Chanakya Puri. Ultra-luxurious brands such as Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Tiffany & Co., etc. have their stores in these malls. For other brands, malls such as Select Citywalk in Saket, Promenade and Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj and many others can be explored for shopping.

Street shopping in Delhi

• Sarojini Nagar and Lajpat Nagar markets: These are excellent for roadside bargains for garments.
• Janpath, CP: While in Connaught Place, Janpath and the underground shopping centre Palika Bazaar, with its over-zealous salesmen, has to be experienced.
• Chandni Chowk: One of the oldest and busiest market places of Delhi, Chandni Chowk is a must-visit spot. This densely populated market is perfect to shop your hearts out as it has a variety of things to buy at very economical prices. The place is not just famous as a shopping hub but is also known as a food paradise. The street food that it offers are quite famous and attract many foreign visitors.
• GK-I, II and South Ex. – I, II: M block market in Greater Kailash (GK) is one of the most popular street markets of Delhi. This market is an upscale shopping spot which attracts many shoppers. South extension market is not just one of the oldest but the classiest too. The market is split on both sides of the road, constituting part 1 and part 2. Located just on the main busy road of South extension, this market is easy accessible by metro and is a paradise for shoppers.
• Dilli Haat: Another great place where you get different things under one roof is Dilli Haat, be it dokra sculptures from Chhattisgarh or Madhubani, bamboo handicrafts from the North East or Mithila paintings from Bihar.
• Chor Bazaar: Every Sunday, at 7 am, the area behind Red Fort transforms into Chor Bazaar or Thieves Market where second-hand clothes, hand-ne-down goods, export surplus, hardware and 'genuine fakes', are sold. Hang around long enough, and you can catch the Sunday book market at Daryaganj nearby that opens around 10 am!
• Khan Market: One of the most premium shopping places in Delhi is Khan Market. The market houses a range of dining options, boutique stores, expensive brands and more. It is a popular spot for expats and visitors.

Nightlife in Delhi

Some of the best places to party in Delhi are nightclubs/bars located in upscale hotels and standalone ones:

• Kitty Su: This high end club is at The Lalit in Connaught Place.
• Club Pangea: The purple and red themed Club Pangea at The Ashok Hotel in Chanakyapuri.
• Hype: This popular club is at Shangri-La's Eros Hotel.
• Jynxxx: This is one of the most popular clubs located at Eros Hotel in Nehru Place.
• The Blue Bar: The Blue Bar at Taj Palace, with its bold red and black interiors, is another excellent lounge.
• Bo Tai: This bar is in the Qutub complex which is a staggering space close to One Style Mile, Mehrauli. It has a one-of-a-kind turn on Thai food and does some pretty intense mixed drinks.
• Dear Donna: It is one of the newest addition to the city. It is a semi-formal, multi-cuisine cocktail bar. Dear Donna is an all-round crowd-pleaser with a great vibe, sumptuous food and unique cocktails. It has the perfect range of being a relaxed cafe in the day to a power-packed cocktail bar at night.  

Delhi may be the capital, but Gurgaon is the capital of craft beer. Make sure to wet your whistle at these whistle stops – Brewer Street, Vapor, Manhattan Craft Brewery, Striker, Hops n Brew, Howzatt.

Heritage walks and Cycle tours

Peel off layers of history with Delhi Heritage Walks and Delhi By Cycle tours as you trace the evolution of capital. From a sensory trip of Khari Baoli (Asia's largest wholesale spice market) to the smells of Parathewali Gali, Delhi is an all-out assault on your senses. Connaught Place and Raj Path, the city's commercial and administrative heart, were designed by Edwin Lutyens in the early 1900s. Couple it with a visit to the Maharaja Jai Singh II's astronomical observatory Jantar Mantar, the ancient stepwell Agrasen ki Baoli, the India Gate war memorial, the National Museum, Purana Qila and Delhi's popular exhibition space and cultural pavilion Pragati Maidan. Further north, take a tour of the Civil Lines, built by the British in 19th century, a spacious, colonial quarter with St James Church and Nicholson Cemetery, one of the oldest British cemeteries in the subcontinent. Delhi also has diverse places of worship that are architectural gems – Birla Mandir, Akshardham, Chhatarpur and Bahai temple, Nizamuddin Dargah, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Rakabganj and Sisganj Sahib.

Museums and archaeological parks

Settled amidst the bustling area of South Delhi, this unexplored archaeological park in Mehrauli is a must-visit for history buffs. This massive park includes more than 100 heritage monuments belonging to the era of different rulers, starting from Tomar, Rajputs to Mughal emperors. Some of the notable structures here are the mosque of Jamali Kamali, three baolis and Zafar Mahal, among few others. The best time to explore this place is early morning.

The capital city also has a treasure trove of museums – spot the famous dancing girl of Harappa at the National Museum, drop into the Crafts Museum or Doll Museum, and believe it or not, there's also Sulabh International's Museum of Toilets!

Explore the street art

India's first public open-air art gallery, the Lodhi Art District, is nestled between Khanna Market and Meharchand Market, Lodhi Colony. A number of popular international and local artists have painted more than 50 murals, facilitated by St+art India on the walls. This non-profit organisation aims to make art accessible to a broader audience in public spaces. This has also become one of the most popular photography spots.

Festivals such as Holi, Diwali and Navratri/Dussehra, are celebrated with great pomp and show, with Ramlila performances culminating in the effigies of Ravana, his son Meghnath and brother Kumbhakaran being set ablaze, best experienced at Ramlila Maidan.

International Mango Festival

The scorching summer is sweetened with the International Mango Festival at Dilli Haat Pitampura in June.

Phulwalon-ki-Sair

This is a local 3-day festival in October celebrated by Delhi's flower-sellers at Mehrauli since the 16th century, is marked by floral processions and offering of pankhas (fans) at a Hindu temple and a Sufi shrine. Delhi Tourism organises the 3-day Qutub Festival of Indian classical music and dance in November.