When I landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, inbound from the coastal state of Goa, it was with the express intent of taking a taxi to the city’s railway station and boarding the next train to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Unfortunately, a street hustler posing as a railway employee convinced my friend Dora and I that our train had been cancelled, scammed us into taking a private car to and from Agra — and in the process, effectively deleted an entire day from our already-cramped itinerary.
Although we were stressed out at the prospect of having only a single day to do all our sightseeing, I’m happy to report that even a time constraint this severe won’t impede you from enjoying yourself in the Indian capital. If you’re efficient and move quickly, one day is all you need to enjoy Delhi’s best-known tourist attractions — and even a few more obscure ones.
The Taxi Factor
Don’t want to take a taxi? Prepare to navigate these mean streets on your lonesome.
If you read this blog with any frequency, you know that I am a strong advocate of not taking taxis in the vast majority of cases. Although the recently-opened Delhi Metro offers visitors a rapid transportation option that wasn’t available when I visited, hiring a knowledgeable driver for the entire day saves you the complicated logistical handiwork that would make such quick sightseeing too stressful to properly enjoy otherwise.
Dora and I were lucky enough to return from Agra the night before the single day we’d dedicated for sightseeing in Delhi, so we woke up with the sun the next morning to get an early start. We arranged our taxi through the front desk of our hotel — and I highly recommend you do the same.
In addition to providing the surest prospect of having a reliable driver — and providing an option for recourse in the event that you don’t — your hotel will negotiate a fair rate for you and won’t put up with scamming. Ours (the Hotel Grand Godwin, located in the popular Asoka Road tourist area) got us an all day rate of just Rs. 800, or about $16 at the time.
Where to Go
India Gate
If he’s at all worth his salt, your driver will plan out a suitable itinerary for you. It’s your responsibility, however, to tell him where you want to go. In order to make sure he’s able to fit everything in — and in a sequence that won’t subject you to unnecessary traffic delays — tell him all the places you want to go in advance of leaving the hotel.
In no particular order, here are some of Delhi’s most-popular tourist attractions:
Lotus Temple
India Gate: India’s answer to the Washington Monument or Tian’anmen Square, this grand archway was erected in 1947 to commemorate the new country’s independence from Britain. Constructed so as to provide a view of the (extremely distant) Indian parliament in the background, the gate is the anchor of what is perhaps the grandest national capital complex I’ve seen thus far.
Lotus Temple: When you pull up to the Lotus Temple, any ambiguities you have as to how it got its nickname should melt away. Located in South Delhi, the flower-looking house of worship serves members of the Bahá’í faith. Although the temple is open to the public — indeed, it’s one of the city’s best known tourist attractions — use common courtesy (don’t take pictures or talk, for example) while inside, as services are likely taking place.
Qutb Minar, with the destroyed Jain temple in the foreground.
Qutb Minar: Historically, Delhi lies in the domain of the Muslim Mughal Emperors of yesteryear, many of whom conquered people of existing faiths to ensure the spread of Islam. The construction of the Qutb Minar took this concept one step further. In 1193 Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, ordered the destruction of a Jain temple — and built the Qutb Minar, still the world’s tallest brick minaret, out of its remains.
The Diwan-i-Aam Arches at the Red Fort
Red Fort: Built as a home for the Mughal Emperors — and later, for the British occupiers that overthrew them — the Red Fort surrounds a massive complex of architecture that combines 17th-century Indian architecture with Persian and Muslim influences. Your drive will probably schedule you to visit the Red Fort first, as mid-to-late-day smog can obscure its grandeur — and its trademark rusty color.
Birla House: Prior to India’s having declared independence from the British Empire, Mohandas Gandhi went on hunger strike in his home in New Delhi to stand in solidarity with ordinary citizens who were doing the same. As you might already know, a lone gunmen who supported the opposition shot Gandhi when he was walking out to his garden one day. The site of the assassination is now a museum known as the Birla House. It’s arguably less popular than Gandhi’s Tomb, which you’ll also probably visit on your tour, but definitely worth a visit.
Birla House is solemn and minimalistic.
Meals, Shopping and Tipping
After you see the first couple attractions of the day, your driver will take you to lunch, likely at a restaurant whose owners he knows. Try not to get too bent out of shape about this. Although this unsurprisingly earns him some commission, he’s also doing it for the sake of simplicity — and unless you have a particular place in mind, you should take his suggestion.
If your taxi driver is successful in helping you circumvent Delhi’s chaos, he deserves a good tip.
Shopping, on the other hand, is an unnecessary distraction for travelers with time constraints. Most of the places even the most reputable driver take you to shop sell complete crap. Additionally, the vast majority of tourist attractions have at least semi-legitimate gift shops attached to them, so it’s best to simply purchase souvenirs there if you need them — I didn’t, except for at the Gandhi bookstore in the Birla House.
If your driver fulfills your itinerary in a timely manner and heeds all requests you make with regard to dining, shopping and the overall pace of your trip through Delhi, give him a tip at the end of the day.
How much you leave is up to you, but a minimum of Rs. 100 per person — an average day’s wage in India — will send the message that he’s doing good work and should keep it up.
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
