India · first visit
First Time in Delhi: What to See & Do — Trip Planner
Planning this trip in Delhi? Here’s how to decide what’s worth your time. The essential first-timer's hit list for Delhi — the tours, tickets and experiences worth your limited days, all bookable in one place.
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Top experiences in Delhi
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What first-timers get wrong in Delhi
Prepaid taxi counters at the airport and railway stations exist for a reason: touts outside will tell you your hotel has burned down or closed, then offer an alternative. It is a scam with a script. Buy a Delhi Metro tourist card, INR 200 for one day or INR 500 for three. Monument ticket counters shut an hour before the site itself does.
What's actually worth your time in Delhi
Humayun's Tomb is the one to prioritise: it prototyped the Taj, opens six to six daily, costs foreigners INR 600, and carries a fraction of the Red Fort's crowds. The Red Fort at INR 550, closed Mondays, is more history than spectacle now that most pavilions stand stripped. Qutub Minar's INR 550 buys a startling twelfth-century minaret and the uncorroded iron pillar beside it.
What things cost in Delhi
Metro fares run INR 10 to 60 by distance and less again on a smart card. A thali in Karol Bagh costs INR 150 to 250, while Karim's mutton dishes sit around INR 300 to 450. Humayun's Tomb charges foreigners INR 600 against INR 40 for Indians. An autorickshaw across central Delhi is INR 80 to 150 on the meter.
Delhi's museums, and which one to pick
The National Museum on Janpath shuts Mondays and gazetted holidays and charges foreigners INR 650; its Harappan rooms hold the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro and a relic casket attributed to the Buddha. For twentieth-century painting, the National Gallery of Modern Art at Jaipur House has the Amrita Sher-Gil holdings. The Crafts Museum beside Purana Qila is quieter, cheaper and more tactile.
What to eat in Delhi
Old Delhi settles arguments: Karim's behind Jama Masjid for mutton burra and nihari, Paranthe Wali Gali for stuffed fried parathas, Natraj on Chandni Chowk for dahi bhalla, Kuremal for kulfi frozen inside whole fruit. South Delhi runs the other register, with butter chicken at Moti Mahal Daryaganj, chaat at Bengali Market, and momos traceable to the Tibetan colony at Majnu ka Tila.
When to go to Delhi
| Best months for first-timer guide | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| February | 24°C / 75°F | 2 days |
| November | 27°C / 81°F | 2 days |
| December | 21°C / 70°F | 2 days |
The month to avoid is July — around 34°C (93°F) with roughly 22 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: February is the sweet spot, July the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.