Delhi Travel Guide

Delhi Information
Delhi is the capital of India, its third-largest city and North India's industrial hub. Old Delhi was the capital of Muslim India between the 17th and 19th centuries, and a legacy of mosques, monuments and forts testifies to this. New Delhi was built as the imperial capital of India by the British. It is a spacious, open city and contains embassies and government buildings. The newer, wealthy suburbs are mostly to the south of New Delhi, and an ever-growing belt of poorer suburbs and jhuggis (slums) stretches in all directions.

Getting Around Delhi
Delhi is large and congested, and the buses get hopelessly crowded. The alternative is a taxi, an autorickshaw or, for the truly brave, a bicycle. At the time of research, the first phase of construction of a metro system had commenced; the system is due for completion in 2005.

New Delhi
New Delhi, the latest and perhaps last imperial city ever, combines 20th-century architecture with a monumental 17th-century vision, and features one of the biggest palaces in the world, Rashtrapati Bhavan. The main architects of New Delhi were Sir Edward Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker, though assistants such as Robert Tor Russell were responsible for much of the detail, including the government bungalows, hospitals, police stations, lesser official buildings and Connaught Place.

Old Delhi
When Shah Jahan built his new capital of Shahjahanabad here in the 17th century, one of the key elements was a high red-brick wall, pierced by 14 gates. The British then strengthened and repaired it with stone, and added a number of bastions for increased protection. Only three of the original gates remain today - Ajmeri, Turkman and Delhi - all on the southern side.

Other Attractions
This is a sobering sight for people interested in the Raj. In a desolate field stands a lone obelisk, where, in 1877 and 1903, the great theatrical durbars featuring the Indian army and the full set of Indian rulers paid homage to the British monarch. This was also where, in 1911, King George V was declared emperor of India.

Places to Eat
Delhi has an excellent array of places in which to eat - from dhabas (snack bars), with dishes from Rs 15, to top-of-the-range restaurants where a meal for two can easily top Rs 3500.
Connaught Place There are many fast food places - Western and Indian - around Connaught Place. Here you will find McDonald's along with Wimpy, Kwality, Pizza Hut (t 3738626) and Dominoes Pizza (t 1600-111123). Nirula's (t 331 6694), a Delhi-based chain, is very good and has Indian, burgers, pizzas and ice cream....

Places to Stay
If Delhi is your first stop in India, it's probably a good idea to book a room in advance from home - reasonable places fill quickly, leaving new arrivals easy prey for the commission sharks. This is especially true if you're arriving in the middle of the night (see the boxed text 'Dodgy Delhi' near the beginning of this chapter). Fortunately many places, including budget hotels, have 24-hour receptions allowing for late arrivals.