With just 24 hours in Delhi, trying to do everything the city offers is an impossible task, but with just 24 hour in the Delhi you gotta try your best to hit the big ones, And the big ones are many; The Lotus Temple, India Gate, The Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb…to name a few. I had my scribbled list of the ones I thought I could manage in a day but Delhi is, as I well knew before booking my time here, a huge and hectic city.
It is a beast, sprawling across 270 square urban miles and made up of around 18 and a half million people, give or take a few unaccounted thousand who make their homes amongst the roundabouts and spare corners that the city offers.
The city’s symphony is made up of beeping horns, welcome jeers and screeching sound systems that dip occasionally, giving you a rare moment to think and lulling you into a false sense of calm before it rages again. If Delhi is not your first stop in India you will likely be prepared for the noise and visual delights, but if it isn’t and your eyes happen to be heavy with jet lag and the bottle of wine you drank with your friend the night before, then it may well be a little intense.
I arrived in the evening with a taxi waiting for me who swiftly whisked me into the Delhi traffic, paying no attention to the lane markings and sneaking through the tiniest of gaps in his rush to get me to the hotel, only to stand still again a few meter on. The constant stop and start was frustrating, but it did give me the chance to get his expert opinion on my tourist plan for the following day. I soon realised that like my backpack I had an overstuffed list and Delhi in a day was never going to happen, especially as Sunday was the busiest day in the city for tourists.
Therefore my revised and streamlined plan went like this, Red Fort at opening (9.30am) , followed by India Gate and Parliament House, Lodi Gardens, Humayun’s Tomb and finally ending the day at Arkshama for the light display just after 7pm.
Just to note, Monday is the closing day for many of the big sights. So make sure you check the website information before planning your own trip.
Getting around Delhi
I am one for experiences and part of that is my method of travel, I like to do them all. Walking, cycling, taxi, rickshaw, train, I’d probably even have a little swim somewhere to tick that off the list too. In fact I had chosen to stay in the Karol Bagh area for its location and connection to the Delhi metro. They have recently launched a brand new range of lines, connecting even more parts of the city. I know, exciting stuff!!
While the new lines offered much more city and sight access, you still have to get a connecting Rickshaw or Tuk-tuk at some of the stops.
I took the metro from Karol Bagh to Mandi House and made my way up onto the street where a crowd of men waiting for my journey and my money. We haggled to 100 rupees and my tuk-tuk driver delivered me to the Red Fort and next crowd of touts in no time.
The Red Fort, as it should well be (once being the main residence of the Emperors of Mughal Dynasty for almost 200 years) is an impressive place to see. I remember when I visited Delhi many years ago being taken to a look out spot where you can see it in all its glory, and close up it still offers some of those impressive views.
A 600 rupees for a foreigner, entry it is pretty steep and I ignored the option of an audio tour for this reason. I kinda wished I hadn’t. Once inside although there are some impressive grounds and some beautiful buildings to explore, it soon lost the fort-likeness that had tempted me in.
I was expecting more of a castle feel and while the buildings were lovely and there were some stone placards displaying information, if I would have got the audio or not so easily dismissed the tour touts it may have been a more enjoyable visit.
After about an hour I headed back into the crowds and was quickly accosted by a English speaking guide who offered an hours tour of the spice market and small market streets. Eager to tick another one off the list I agreed for a 150 rupees, a pretty extortionate rate but he got me when my haggling guard was down.
Twenty minutes later and I’m on the back of a rickshaw with a non English speaking driver, who despite not speaking any Hindi made it very clear for even me to understand his great joy and amusement at having this mug in the back that had paid 150 rupees for this journeying debacle. Which as you might expect, kinda lessened my joy and amusement.
Pretty overjoyed myself for the ride to be over he dropped me back at the fort and I found myself a very chatty, smiley tuk-tuk driver to take me on to my next stop.
India Gate is a war memorial built to commemorate the death of almost 70,000 soldiers who died in the First World War and sits pretty central in the city. It is an impressive structure, that’s surrounded by fountains and parkland and home to a million ice-cream sellers and bangle girls offering you their bargains.
I tried to take a moment’s rest on the grass, already shattered from the morning but those pesky popcorn sellers and selfie hunters were having none of it.
Just down the road, and visible from India Gate is Parliament House. I wanted to walk down and take some me time, but my tuk-tuk driver had been eagerly awaiting me and was having none of it (there’s a theme here). But his 3km distance warning was actually a welcome (and almost correct) warning and I hopped back in to avoid the sweltering sun.
To be honest I only went as it was just down the road from India Gate. I mean, it was a big building but that’s about that, for me anyway. As it was a Sunday the tourist access was closed off to the buildings but I’m not sure if it would be much more impressive if they would have been open. Personally I wouldn’t make it a must see if you don’t have long in Delhi.
Just down the road from India Gate is the Gandhi Museum and was a recommendation from my driver that I am pleased he made.
The museum is impressive, detailing the life and death of one of the ultimate peace warriors of our time. It is also home to his teeth, walking sticks and the bullet and shawl worn when he was assassinated. It’s free, it’s peaceful, it’s humbling and it is incredibly well curated. I would highly recommend it on your list of things to do.
Unfortunately my relationship with my driver had reached its short and frazzled end. His promise that he ‘liked me and didn’t want my money, just for me to enjoy Delhi’ had, as I suspected, been a farce all along. His refusal to stop at Lodi Gardens without extra payment caused me to call it quits. I handed him my 150 rupees along with a scowl and a loud tut (and a few other choice words muttered under my breath) and jumped out at the one of the cities ultimate gems, Lodi Gardens.
Named after its Lodi-era tombs, who sit rather majestically within the 90 acres of beautifully maintained grassland, it offers joggers, smoochy couples, families and playing children a welcome home in an otherwise manic city.
I wandered through the grounds, taking in the monuments, stumbling across what felt like secret gardens and reading my book in the lush grounds. It was heaven and I would highly recommend this as a mid-tour activity so you too can experience it wonder. Even if you only have a short time like 24 hours in Delhi then do make sure this is on your list.
The next tuk-tuk driver, whisked me off to Humayun’s tomb and the waiting Sunday crowds. By the mid-afternoon the full throng of tourist were out in force and had caught up with my plans. The single ticket booth was unprepared for the crowds (which is rather frustrating because surely this must happen every Sunday) and the queue went on for an age. I stood around and fluttered back and forth with what to do, but my guess was at least an hour queue, which my patience and my bladder were unprepared to make.
By now it was 3.30, and the light show I was aiming for at the temple would start after 7pm, so I thought I would be getting there well ahead of the crowds. The long journey there (motorways and tuk-tuks are a slightly terrifying experience) encouraged this belief and I felt a certain smugness as I allowed myself to relax (kinda, not really) on my journey.
Sadly this was not the case. The crowds were being penned in by large metal barriers and although you could see the end of a queue, it was in no-way the actual end. Undefeated I joined the queue as we waited with elbows sharpened for 10 minutes for our first step forward.
20 minutes later and I reached the overhead sign for baggage deposit (no bags/cameras/USB sticks etc etc are allowed in) only to find I should have joined another queue for this. I hopped the barrier, joined another queue, only to find out I should have completed a form beforehand.
My tiredness, like the queue I was once in, had grown heavier and unmanageable and I decided after much deliberation to call it quits. This made me very sad and I wish I had followed my gut and gone to Akshardham as my first port of call instead of the Red Fort, but at least I know for next time. Delhi had beat me for the day, but not forever.
I headed back to Karol Bagh, took a tour through the back streets market taking in the city for a final time before heading back for a beer and well needed sleep.
Delhi in a day, no chance, but it was a delight and a wonder to see the city in action for the time I had. Prepare yourself for the city and you’ll be rewarded with a vibrant and colourful gateway to your India travels.
The details
Accommodation
I stayed in Karol Bagh, for its fairly central location and easy reach the metro. My hotel the WoodCastle, had nice rooms and a pretty good location being about 5 minutes from the station. It was however incredibly noisy, not from out on the streets but the inside. My room was on the third floor and underneath the staff quarters so I had to listen to beds and chairs being scrapped until the early hours. You can find better options on somewhere like booking.com or Agoda.
Eating
I tried to eat at a local restaurant that the driver recommended but unfortunately was ignored by the staff, so had to admit defeat and order room service back at the hotel.
Travel
I decided to make my own way, instead of having a driver as I didn’t want to be cooped up in a car all day. This had its benefits, me getting to experience the various transport modes, but also meant a haggling battle at every sight which soon went from being fun and exciting to an exhausting exchange. Next time I’ll hire a driver.
Recommended sights
For me, the temples were the key things, and I should have offered this more thought when planning my day and followed my gut. I would recommend starting at the furthest point and hitting Akshardham for opening before coming back into the city, possible via the Lotus Temple (easier with a driver) and I’d put the Red Fort on a maybe list, for me it just wasn’t worth the time.
Let me know your thoughts and experiences of Delhi in the comments below! How have you spent 24 hours in Delhi?
