a few morning hours in delhi?

tacita

i hadn't planned to see any more of delhi than i could from the plane window and the inside of an airport hotel, but...

on my way back to the states, i have a one-night layover in delhi from kolkata. my flight from kolkata arrives at 9:50PM and my flight for the states departs the following day at 1:10PM. i had planned just to stay near the airports; however, if i stayed in town and woke early, i could conceivably do at least a bit of people-watching in the morning before going to the airport - or does the traffic make this unrealistic? is this within the realm of complete fantasy?

i welcome either encouragement or being disabused of my foolishness.

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capt_mahajan

you will reach the hotel late at night and will have to leave the hotel quite early in the morning.. say 9.30/10ish if it is around the centre of the town. Check in for international flights is 3 hours before, though (don't quote me) you can shave of half an hour or so.

There is not much to do around the airport. There is a huge shiva statue in a small park, thats all. Some people may be seen there!

I would suggest a peaceful morning with smallish crowd at Lodhi Gardens; you could even wake up early and go there for a walk. This is far from the airport, though.

Overall, I would suggest decide what you want to do now and book a hotel near that location.

Another option would be hiring a car early morning, checking out and driving through interesting areas of the city before being dropped at the airport, but you may not want to do that before a long flight. You could even return to the hotel to pick up baggage if you did this.

A drive past connaught place/red fort/india gate upto the presidents palace/ring road to the airport will be interesting.

You will see enough people on the way, and everywhere else, whatever you do.

jyotirmoy

Janice I don't think it is worth. Your plane lands at 9:50 PM. Condidering the congestion at Delhi air space you will emerge out of the airport not earlier than 10:30 PM. If you go to the city centre by a cab you will reach there past 11 PM.
For your next day international flight you will have to start around 9:45 AM. So better relax in a near by hotel.

Zeppy

Are you actually managing to avoid staying in either Delhi or Kolkata for a night on your outbound? New York to Gangtok without an overnight break somewhere--how possible?

tacita

zeppy, i'll be in kolkata for three days after the sikkim/darjeeling/jaldhapara legs of my trip. from there, it's an overnight in delhi to fly onward the next day.

tacita

perhaps it would have been more accurate to have inquired whether a few hours were suifficient to get a small taste of or "feel" for the character of delhi. that being said, if i were looking to avoid people, i daresay i probably wouldn't be going to india! i'd walk across my street to central park!

tacita

thanks for your thoughts on this. i was recalling vinay's few morning hours in central park when he was recently in new york (of course, he had the evening before as well), and wondered, however idly, whether i might try something similar. i think i'm persuaded that it makes little sense and would more likely just make for a chaotic departure.

of course, were i to do this, your suggestion, cap'n, to stay near something i'd like to see and get up early would surely be the approach to take. on balance, however, inasmuch as the suggested airport arrival time is 3 hours before an international flight, it really makes no sense to pursue the idea further. yet another reason to return to india. (and one less thing to plan for this trip - i'mm exhausted!)

coincidentally, just this weekend, the idea came up to visit india again next december. my nephew's GF's family lives in mumbai and her grandmother in goa, so we may assemble a small family group to see a different part of the subcontinent from what i'll see this trip. (and we're hoping for their own wedding there one of these days too!)

thanks again for taking the time to reply.

cyberhippie

I say go for it, you've got hours cooped up in the big bird. Why not catch a bit of Delhi early in the morning before departure. I can only add it's a shame you've not got more time to spend in Delhi!!

Up at six head for Chandi Chowk, always alive, always kicking. if your stomach is upto it, Parothas at Parathi wali. A wander around, back to the hotel for 9.00 am!!

cyberhippie

Or splash out for an extensive rickshaw ride!

tacita

well, then there's THAT side of the coin...! now you've got me inclined to go for it, CBH! <sigh> well, i can mull this over some more. i quite agree, it's a shame not to have more time in delhi, but this trip about sikkim and visiting my sponsored child near kolkata. there's always next time.

Zeppy

My question must have sounded rather incoherent! The secret train of thought behind it was: Janice must have a night in either Delhi or Kolkata on the NY-Gangtok trip; Delhi=Kolkata, in the sense that they are both big, polluted cities; a night in either one of them will suffice to give a person an impression of both of them; why not just peer at one of them through the smog on the trip there and just rest up for the flight back! You're guessing that I'm not a big fan of Delhi. As for Kolkata, I made a point of taking a direct train from NJP to points south so as not to have to stop there, even though it was smack on the middle of my route, in fact almost inevitable. Feel free to ignore this opinionated p.o.v. and stick to the advice of people who tell you that there's lots to see in both places!!

Another thing about your itinerary--most international flights leave N.D. at more like 1:10 A.M.--not P.M. But I'm sure you read your ticket carefully!

tacita

not to worry - i like both ends of the spectrum, and everything in between. i live in the heart of NYC, but need the solitude of the mountains and the verdant, as well.

as for my ticket, you got a bit of adrenaline pumping there as i i hurredly pulled out my confirmation to check! it's 1:10PM, as i'd recalled. whew!

PeakXV

I'd stay near the airport and organize an early morning excursion to something more South-Side. Qutab Minar can be nice at sunrise, or you could do Humayan's Tomb or the Old Fort for a little taste of Delhi history. Back for brekkie at the hotel by 8:30 - 9:00 and then off to the airport.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

akt

Hi Janice. Seems a bit tight, and the timing is not the best, but if you have the spirit give it a try. For a 1:10 PM flight, you should arrive at the airport by 10:30 - 11 AM at the latest. So leave your hotel 9:30 AM.

Your best bet is to find a centrally located hotel which can arrange an interesting 3-hour taxi tour. It will save time if you skip the breakfast and if the same taxi takes you to the airport. (I can't think of a hotel whose immediate neighborhood would be interesting to walk around at 6AM.)

If you can get out by 6:30 the following authentic impression of Delhi should be doable:

* Parliament, India Gate, President's House, (no need to get out at any of these), the boulevards joining these. This should take no time.

* Gandhi memorial (15 min)

* Pick up luggage

* Qutub Minar (walk around 15-20 min depending on the time)

* To the airport.

I have not taken any traffic issues into consideration. You must let the local experts take that into account.

You have to do this reasearch in advance and even try to get the hotel manager to plan something for you, because there would be no time that morning and you don't want to be at the mercy of a randomly picked taxi driver, who is certainly equipped to take you to the airport, but not necessarily to give a guided tour in English. So think and arrange in advance. Good luck.

Which hotel in which area? I would let the Delhi people advise on that. I have always enjoyed the atmosphere and service at Imperial but it is a little pricey.

Of course, the best thing that can happen to you is that your US-bound flight gets cancelled and the airline puts you up in a nice 5-star hotel at their expense...just dreaming.

However, the following is more realistic: See if you can catch an earlier flight to Delhi and either get better sleep, or even arrive in the afternoon and get a headstart on sighseeing. Your domestic airline may accommodate you free of charge, but even if you have to buy an extra ticket, those are around $40-50.

cyberhippie

Stick your luggage in the trunk of the taxi and take the long way around to the Airport is another idea!!