Things to do in New Delhi

New Delhi is the planned centre of the capital, laid out by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker and inaugurated in 1931. It is part of Delhi, not a separate city. The avenues are wide and the buildings stand far apart.

The Lutyens capital and beyond

• India Gate. The war memorial finished in 1931, for Indian soldiers who died in the First World War. Kartavya Path, called Rajpath until 2022, runs from it toward the government buildings.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President's residence closes the avenue at its far end.
• Connaught Place. The circular colonnaded market at the centre, with cafés and shops around it.
• Humayun's Tomb. A Mughal garden tomb from the 1560s and 1570s.
• Lotus Temple. The Bahá'í House of Worship, opened in 1986 and shaped like a lotus flower.
• Qutub Minar. South of the centre, a brick minaret about 73 metres tall, begun in the late twelfth century.

Multi-day circuits from New Delhi

Most people arrive here to start a longer tour. The routes are built in steps of a few days.

• Three and four days. Delhi and Agra, or the Golden Triangle with Jaipur.
• Five to seven days. The same triangle plus Ranthambore's tiger reserve.
• Eight to ten days. The route runs on through Rajasthan to Jodhpur and Udaipur.
• Nine days beyond Agra. Delhi, Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho and Varanasi.
• Six days north. Haridwar and Rishikesh, five to six hours by road to Haridwar and one more hour on to Rishikesh.
• One day. A Taj Mahal and Agra Fort tour meets you at Delhi airport, with almost four hours of driving to reach Agra.

Practical

• Weather. November to February is the comfortable stretch, with days of 20 to 28C and cold nights near 7C in December and January. May and June often pass 40C. The July and August rains are humid, not cool.
• Airport. The Airport Express metro line runs between Indira Gandhi International and New Delhi station.
• Trains. Book seats through the official railway booking site, not with street agents.
• Dress. Cover shoulders and knees at temples and tombs.