Delhi for an afternoon?

levick

Hello all, I will be travelling to Delhi from Himachal Pradesh on an overnight train this thursday, and will arive probably in the early afternoon of friday. My flight home is at 2am on saturday morning, so I will have one afternoon and evening to explore Delhi before I leave. I would love to see the Red Fort and Qutub Minar and get some last minute shopping done (cheap but nice silvery jewellery and maybe some local handicrafts and shawls?), and possibly have a last great Indian dinner! I would be grateful for any itinerary recommendations anyone can give me, although I'm not sure how possible it is to fit everything in in such a short space of time. Thank you in advance for any help! Alice

jyotirmoy

I presume you are taking the Kalaka Mail to reach Delhi. In that case you will arrive very early morning. You can take a city sight seeing bus during the day. In the evening go to Chandni Chowk for your shoppings and then go to Karim's near Jama Masjid for the best Mughlai food.
Good luck.

trvl_in

It's worth taking a ride on the Delhi Metro to get a glimpse of the future: for a quick trip you can hop from the train station to Old Delhi. From there it's ten minutes at most to the Red Fort. Next you could visit Connaught Circle for a cosmopolitan stroll and shopping. Nirula's Buffet at CP is worthwhile, complete with safe salad bar: not haute cuisine, but a great fill up in clubby surroundings at a good price. If you find yourself still with a few hours open you could consider a rickshaw ride to the Lodhi Gardens. The flocks of wild parrots and peaceful green space stand in sharp and memorable contrast to the general urban intensity of Delhi. Also your ride to/from the Lodhi Gardens will take you through the Diplomatic Quarter -- even at speed it makes for interesting viewing. You could wrap up with a stroll the length of the Pahar Gangh Bazaar (assuming that you've stashed your luggage at the train station), before departing for the airport. ...and speaking of Pahar Gangh, if anyone in your party wears glasses, they might like to order up new specs in the A.M. to collect in the P.M. at 90% cheaper than "back home".

New-South-Welshman

Only an afternoon! In total I've spent a month in Delhi from all my trips, and that is still nothing. But, I guess it only takes an afternoon to see the sites. I'd recommend just losing yourself around Connaught Place, watching people, window shopping, and just sucking it all in. Minus the pollution. Ahem.

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jyotirmoy

The pollution is a matter of past after Delhi became the only city in the world where all public transport runs on green fuel CNG... all buses, taxis and even all autorickshaws.

shashank.aggarwal

I second that !! and all new cars are supposed to be compliant of Euro 1 OR 2 standards...neverthless many carmakes are already following Euro 4...

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wonderwomanusa

Excuse me for noticing it, but pollution will not be in the past until private autos, too, must use CNG; a couple of years ago on the day before Diwali, it wasn't possible to see the sun through the thick smog!

phantom

Well.. actually.. every private auto runs on CNG today.. as well as no trucks/heavy vehicles allowed in the city in daytime.. plus 15+ yrs old heavy vehicles banned to run in the city, plus.. the green cover has increased by more than 40%. Delhi probably is the greenest & cleanest metro city in india right now, apart from the hilly areas, of course !!

shashank.aggarwal

oh...by Auto she might have meant private vehicles..!! not the way we interpret for an Auto-Rickshaw..

You should remove the 'probably' for there..as per the recent report published in the Times of India...Delhi is the Greenest Metro in India (counting 6)...and its green cover is increasing at the fastest rate...infact its higher than many cleaner cities of the world...

PortieOwner

In agree that air pollution is much improved in Delhi, the trees which were planted 10 years back have grown and look great, and there are more and nicer parks. So some things are getting better.

Traffic congestion on the other hand is exponentially worse.

shashank.aggarwal

I am not sure how you got that Idea...the situation might have got worse OR remains the same in very few sections...but if I talk about city as a whole..it has improved exponentially...

other people living in Delhi would confirm this...the traffic scene that was 5-10 years back and what is today is totally different..

kullukid

If you go to Red Fort try & allow enough time for Jama Masjid too.
If you go to Qutab Minar ask a rickshaw wallah or your taxi driver to take you to the Zafar Mahal, it's 5mins behind Qutab Minar & was the home/Palace of the Last Moghul. KK

phantom

In the last 2 months i am yet to see a traffic jam in delhi.. Apart from water clogging.. there isnt much to complain.

Amyth

Sounds like somebody is missing a traffic jam , 2 months is a long time !!! Come to Hyderabad...only yesterday it took me 30mins to cover 100mts....0.2kms per hr!! Oh what a speed to get carried away!!

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shashank.aggarwal

If you would simply stand on the road...then I am sure the more skinny ones would be moved by the wind at that speed...