Delhi, India

Things to Do in Delhi: 24 Ideas by Area

Delhi at a glance

Things to do in this guide: 24
Areas and themes covered: 12
TRIPLR journeys including Delhi: 5
TRIPLR suggested stay: 3 days

Things to do in Delhi

Photo by Brijender Dua on Unsplash
Rashtrapati Bhavan Exterior
Rashtrapati Bhavan’s exterior dominates Raisina Hill with its vast sandstone mass, dome, forecourt and long ceremonial approach. Visitors view it from public vantage points rather than as an unrestricted palace visit, but even from outside the building conveys the scale and ambition of New Delhi’s capital plan.
- Lutyens Delhi / Imperial Capital
- About 1 hour
- Free
Photo by venuewala Wedding planner on Unsplash
Dhaba Claridges
Dhaba Claridges brings the flavours and visual language of North Indian roadside dining into a five-star hotel setting. Travellers come for tandoor-led Punjabi dishes, rich curries, breads, grills and a room that plays with truck-stop references without losing the comfort of formal hospitality.
- Luxury Delhi
- About 1.5 hours
- Splurge
Photo by Sergio Capuzzimati on Unsplash
Natraj Dahi Bhalla
Natraj Dahi Bhalla is a focused Chandni Chowk institution known for cooling, tangy dahi bhalla and related snack service rather than a broad menu. The visit is short and counter-driven, with quick turnover and little ceremony.
- Food Delhi
- About 0.5 hours
- Budget-friendly
Photo by Martijn Vonk on Unsplash
Lodhi Art District
Lodhi Art District turns the residential blocks of Lodhi Colony into an open-air gallery of large-scale murals, with works spread across façades, side streets and apartment walls.
- Contemporary Delhi
- About 1.5 hours
- Free
Photo by Sagar Dwivedi on Unsplash
Rajon Ki Baoli
Rajon Ki Baoli is one of Mehrauli Archaeological Park’s strongest architectural rewards: a stepped water structure descending through arched levels of stone. Travellers experience a shift from open parkland into a cooler, more enclosed geometry of stairs, landings and recessed arcades.
- South Delhi Icons / Mehrauli
- About 1 hour
- Free
Photo by Tarun Anand Giri on Unsplash
Teen Murti Bhavan
Teen Murti Bhavan is a substantial political-history stop set in landscaped grounds away from the main ceremonial axis.
- Lutyens Delhi / Imperial Capital
- About 1.5 hours
- Budget-friendly
Photo by Richard Khuptong on Unsplash
Hyderabad House Exterior
Hyderabad House is viewed from the outside as part of the Raisina diplomatic landscape, where its domed profile and formal setting signal its role in state hospitality and high-level meetings.
- Diplomatic Delhi
- About 0.5 hours
- Free
Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash
North Block
North Block is one of the monumental sandstone secretariat buildings framing Raisina Hill, viewed from designated public areas rather than entered.
- Lutyens Delhi / Imperial Capital
- About 0.5 hours
- Free
Chanakyapuri Diplomatic Drive
Chanakyapuri Diplomatic Drive is a car-based passage through Delhi’s embassy district, where broad roads, guarded compounds, flags, institutional architecture and mature trees create a capital-city atmosphere unlike the older bazaars or monument zones.
- Luxury Delhi
- About 1 hour
- Free
Photo by Jayanth Muppaneni on Unsplash
Akshardham Temple
Akshardham Temple is a vast modern Hindu complex combining carved stone architecture, devotional spaces, gardens, exhibitions and formal processional axes.
- Spiritual Delhi
- About 3 hours
- Free
Photo by Martijn Vonk on Unsplash
Bara Gumbad
Bara Gumbad gives Lodhi Gardens its most commanding architectural moment: a massive domed structure set on open lawns, paired with an adjoining mosque whose stonework rewards close looking. The visit is short but substantial, moving between scale, symmetry, carved detail and the everyday life of the gardens around it.
- Contemporary Delhi
- About 1 hour
- Free
Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash
Lodhi Era Heritage Context Walk
The Lodhi Era Heritage Context Walk is a thematic way to read the Nizamuddin heritage zone through the architectural and political transitions that preceded full Mughal dominance.
- Humayun's Tomb / Nizamuddin
- About 1 hour
- Free
Photo by Akshat Jhingran on Unsplash
Iron Pillar
The Iron Pillar stands in the Qutub Complex as a slender ancient metal column surrounded by later Sultanate architecture. Travellers encounter it in the mosque courtyard, where its Sanskrit inscription, corrosion resistance and unusual setting invite close attention.
- South Delhi Icons / Mehrauli
- About 0.5 hours
- Free
Photo by shalender kumar on Unsplash
Mathura Vrindavan Spiritual Circuit
Mathura Vrindavan Spiritual Circuit links two of North India’s most important Krishna devotional centres through temples, ghats, lanes, prayer rituals and pilgrimage movement.
- Delhi Day Escapes
- About 5 hours
- Budget-friendly
Photo by Jayanth Muppaneni on Unsplash
South Block
South Block is the counterpart to North Block on Raisina Hill, forming part of the monumental government ensemble around Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Lutyens Delhi / Imperial Capital
- About 0.5 hours
- Free
Photo by Jayanth Muppaneni on Unsplash
India Gate
India Gate is the ceremonial and emotional centre of New Delhi’s imperial-capital plan: a broad sandstone war memorial set at the eastern end of Kartavya Path, surrounded by lawns, families, vendors and evening promenades.
- Lutyens Delhi / Imperial Capital
- About 1 hour
- Free
Kartavya Path
Kartavya Path is New Delhi’s great ceremonial spine, running between India Gate and Raisina Hill through lawns, water channels, processional roads and long formal sightlines.
- Lutyens Delhi / Imperial Capital
- About 1.5 hours
- Free
Photo by Akshat Jhingran on Unsplash
Sunder Nursery
Sunder Nursery is a restored heritage park beside the Humayun's Tomb zone, combining landscaped gardens, water bodies, biodiversity areas and a remarkable spread of historic monuments.
- Humayun's Tomb / Nizamuddin
- About 2 hours
- Budget-friendly
Photo by Mayur Sable on Unsplash
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid rises above Old Delhi on a broad plinth, with vast steps, a monumental courtyard, red sandstone and white marble, domes, minarets and sweeping views over the dense city around it. The experience begins before entry, as the mosque’s staircases and gateways lift visitors above the street.
- Old Delhi / Mughal Core
- About 1.5 hours
- Free
Photo by Aquib Akhter on Unsplash
Ghalib Haveli
Ghalib Haveli is a compact heritage site in Ballimaran associated with Mirza Ghalib, one of the defining voices of Urdu poetry. The visit usually centres on restored rooms, display panels, portraits, manuscripts or reproductions, and the atmosphere of a surviving haveli embedded in Old Delhi’s lanes.
- Shahjahanabad Hidden Delhi
- About 1 hour
- Free
Photo by abhijeet kumar on Unsplash
Full Circle Bookstore
Full Circle Bookstore is a compact but well-regarded independent bookshop in Khan Market, known for curated shelves, literary browsing and a quieter atmosphere than the market’s louder retail lanes.
- Contemporary Delhi
- About 0.5 hours
- Free
Diwan-i-Khas
Diwan-i-Khas is the Red Fort’s private audience chamber, a marble pavilion associated with the most refined ceremonial life of the Mughal court. Its scale is more intimate than the public hall, but the workmanship, proportions and decorative restraint make it one of the fort’s most evocative spaces.
- Old Delhi / Mughal Core
- About 1 hour
- Free
Photo by NITESH KUMAR on Unsplash
Curator-Led National Museum Tour
A curator-led visit turns the National Museum into a guided reading of India’s material history rather than a broad, self-directed browse.
- Premium Experiences Delhi
- About 2 hours
- Mid-range
Photo by Daniel Dara on Unsplash
Qutub Minar
Qutub Minar is Delhi’s defining South Delhi monument: a soaring UNESCO-listed brick minaret rising above the remains of early Sultanate architecture. Travellers experience not only the tower, but also the surrounding mosque, screens, gateways, inscriptions and lawns of the Qutub Complex.
- South Delhi Icons / Mehrauli
- About 2 hours
- Mid-range