paharganj

Vagabond_

Pahar Ganj is a charicature of India, its happening. Eccentric westerners as I hadnt seen in India yet, whispers of hashish offers, rats in even the most trust worthy restaurants, buy buy buy, come in my shop such pressure, muddy all the time, dodging cows and rickshaws and a fortune teller guesses your favorite colour, 40 year baba or something. Pahar Ganj is happening, train station, any time in the night, 24 hr service, even a hotel guy runs after you to return you the money you forgot in your room when you leave.
Its all good.

jpvs

I think at Paharganj , foreign tourists feel 'at home' because there are so many of them wandering around. I have not seen too many tourists at Karol bagh. And Karol Bagh is not a place to find a small coffee shop where you can sit and read a paper etc.

Karol Bagh is too busy and too hectic for my liking

chapati

I experienced exactly the same thing!!!! Its true.....I even think that when you make it in Paharganj you will make it everywhere in the world

davyd

Dear Dolma
I know about Karol Bagh's several hotels but it is quite noisy, and prices hardly go down 400 Rs, usually 500-1000 Rs, quality of rooms much higher than in paharganj. i don't remember names and telephones, i just strode down the streets and visited several hotels which were looking smart. other areas in the west delhi like sarai rohilla railway station are looking terribly (for example hotels in front of this station are fronting public toilets with only low brick fences and when i used them i felt uncomfortable thinking about unintentioned stares from hotels across the street).

mostly i prefer to stay in tibetan village which is not so far from the centre and anyway transport expences (on tuk-tuks) are not lower than in other areas, even though i had to visit south delhi, like saket and vasant vihar every day tuk-tuk costed me usually around 100 Rs (for 24 km!).

you can find majnu-ka-tilla's wongden house (tel 011-23816689; 215-875 Rs) and lhasa house (tel 23939888; 300-500 Rs) in almost every guide book, i would stay in wongden house where it was really great, because of the very good quality rooms and service, but the restaurant was though good a bit expensive and did not serve breads only tingmos which i don't like.

the cheapest fare was in namgyal house (tel 23813661; 100-250 Rs) in the northern side of tibetan village, neighbouring rigon (tel 23813423; 250-300 Rs) and green house (tel 23812420; 300-650 Rs) were also very good bets, i stayed there in sometimes (rigon has restaurant, green has not though the staff can prepare very simple food).

the best and cheap place to eat in majnu-ka-tilla is the richen restaurant (tel 23816210) on the 2nd floor around the half way between rigon guest house and lhasa guest house on the main lane. here one can eat sausages (gyuma), the best momos in the block and so on.
for breakfast try dee bee restaurant above souvenirs shop near main entrance (between wongden and tibetan gompa). dee bee prepares great pancakes.

i hope this information will be of some use for you.
best regards, davyd

mr pastry

I reckon Paharganj is a pretty good place to start in India. It's where we started on our first trip - staying at the Star Palace. A few days there and we were prepared for what what was to follow in the next month or so. From there on things just got better and better for the rest of trip.

Diddles

I'm flying to Delhi on 14th September and have booked into the Hare Krishna guest house in Pharagani, does anyone know of this guest house and is it any good ?

ColinT

Yes I've stayed there many times. It's one of the better places on the Main Bazaar. It's OK, don't worry.

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Jupiter

Paharganj is the perfect initiation into India. As the dazed tourist gets hold of his nerves and gets accustomed to hordes of people, cows, sights, smells, shoves, pushes, cajoling, smiles etc., he is best prepared to enjoy India....anywhere...anytime!

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shashank.aggarwal

Paharganj is probably the worst places to stay in India..and gives a false illusion of 'real' India..

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Brisso

PG is fine short-term and proximity to ND Station a bonus.

Last couple of times there I stayed at a great guesthouse - clean with bathroom, doublebed and linen, Cable teev - all for 200 rups. Damn, wish I could remember the name - laneway off the Bazaar, popular with Korean visitors.

That was 2 years ago, tariffs may have increased.

PeakXV

Jupiter: How does a born&bred(?) Moscovite get so over overzealous for a slightly-less-than mediocre joint like PaharGanj?


<walks away thinking it either really has got something to offer accommodation-wise or it's a super great pick-up spot for wayward western chicks.>

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Jupiter

lol...you wrong on both counts mate.

I never said I am a Russian.............and I never said I have a guest house here...haha!

But yes...Paharganj is a great place to stay. Cheap budget....metro station right next door, great eating points, people of all nationalities to mingle with and whenever you get too tired with all hustle and bustle.....feel free to meditate at the RamaKrishn Ashram that they have in Paharganj. very serene and nice place.

PeakXV

That explains it all! Yet another 'Moscow on the Ganges' IM'er.

the opoponax

You know, I didn't hate Paharganj either.

I'm almost positive, though, that it's because it wasn't my first exposure to India. After 7 weeks backpacking, I had acclimated pretty well, and all the bad stuff it's notorious for was old hat for me. I knew how to ignore touts and beggars, avoid the hard sell (I actually got some of my best deals on souvenirs in P-ganj), step around cows and their business, test out the plumbing and look at the sheets before you pay for the room, etc. etc.

Which is why I've decided not to spend too much time posting in "Advice for a Delhi newbie" threads. My experience of Delhi and especially Paharganj was vastly different than it is for someone fresh off the plane.

I will say, though, that next time I probably won't stay in P-ganj. More because I felt it wasn't that central than anything else. I blew a lot of money on rickshaws to the places I really wanted to see -- places with plenty of cheap accommodation right in their backyards. I was especially miffed at the Lonely Planet for suggesting that Old Delhi isn't safe for women traveling alone, which in my experience was hogwash.

Indizen

Its time people looked beyond Paharganj, as Delhi has a lot more to offer.
Commuting is a breeze on the Delhi Metro, so the hotels in Karol Bagh spring to mind. The place does have a bazaar feel that some visitors seem to crave and it sure has a fair share of cows, stray dogs and beggars.
For those seeking atmosphere, Majnu ka Tila offers a unique ghetto within the city, accessible from Kashmere Gate Metro station.
There are many decent guest houses in central and south Delhi.
The tourism department's homestay scheme is slowly taking off.
Connaught Place has mid-range accomodation in the very heart of Delhi.