Delhi itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 days

Delhi rewards a slower pace than most first-timers allow. The city is large, traffic eats 30–60 minutes between clusters, and the two best areas — Old Delhi and the Mughal south — sit at opposite ends of the metro map. One day is a taster, two days is a fair visit, three days lets you stop rushing and eat properly.

If Delhi is the start of a Golden Triangle trip, take three nights here, then one night in Agra and two in Jaipur. If you are only transiting, one day is workable but only if you pick one cluster and stay in it.

Start early. Old Delhi is at its best before 9am, when the lanes are still being swept and the paratha shops are firing up. Walk or take a cycle rickshaw through Chandni Chowk, see Jama Masjid, then Red Fort. Expect 3–4 hours for this block including breakfast.

After lunch, move south by metro to either Humayun's Tomb (JLN Stadium or Jangpura) or Qutub Minar (Qutub Minar station). Pick one, not both — each needs about 90 minutes with travel. Finish at India Gate and Kartavya Path around sunset, then eat in Connaught Place or Hauz Khas.

Book a car and driver only if you are short on time or travelling with luggage; the metro is faster than a taxi across the centre for most of the day.

Day one: Old Delhi as above, then Raj Ghat and the National Gandhi Museum if you have energy left. Day two: south Delhi. Start at Qutub Minar, then Humayun's Tomb, then the National Museum or the Crafts Museum depending on your interest. Late afternoon at Lodhi Garden, dinner in Hauz Khas Village or Defence Colony.

Two days is enough to see the headline monuments without sprinting, but not enough for both Old Delhi's food scene and the museums. If food matters more than museums, swap the National Museum for a Chandni Chowk food walk.

Add a third day for either a day trip or a slower city day. Day trips that work from Delhi: Agra by early train (about 2 hours each way on the fastest services), Neemrana Fort, or Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in winter. Agra as a day trip is tight — one night there is better.

A slower third day: Lodi Garden and Safdarjung's Tomb in the morning, then the National Gallery of Modern Art or the Rail Museum, then a market — Dilli Haat for crafts, Khan Market for books and coffee. This is also the day to fix anything you missed, including a second Old Delhi food pass.

Delhi is cheap by Western standards but monument tickets for foreign visitors are much higher than the local rate. Budget ₹500–₹600 per major ASI monument as a foreign visitor, and less for smaller sites. The metro is the cheapest way to move: single rides cost from about ₹10 to ₹60 depending on distance, and a day pass is a few hundred rupees.

Food ranges from ₹100 for a street meal to ₹1,500+ per person at a mid-range restaurant. A car with driver for a full day is roughly ₹2,500–₹4,000 depending on vehicle and hours. Hotels run from ₹1,000 for a basic guesthouse to ₹15,000+ for a five-star.

Book trains and flights before you arrive if your dates are fixed. Winter fog in December and January delays flights and trains across north India, so keep a buffer day before any onward international flight.

Carry small notes. Touts and unofficial guides cluster at New Delhi station, the airport and monument ticket queues. Buy tickets at the official counter or online, not from someone who approaches you.

Dress for the season: October to March needs a jacket in the morning, April to June is hot and dry, July to September is humid with heavy rain. Most monuments are outdoor and have little shade.