Must-see attractions in Delhi

  • Dilkhusha (Tomb of Muhammad Quli Khan)

    Mehrauli Archaeological Park

    Delhi

    There are extraordinary riches scattered around Mehrauli, with more than 440 monuments – from the 10th century to the British era – dotting a forest and…

  • Diwan-i-Am at Delhi's Red Fort.

    Red Fort

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    Founded by Emperor Shah Jahan and surrounded by a magnificent 18m-high wall, this fort took 10 years to construct (1638–48) and is rumoured to have had…

  • Humayun's Tomb complex. New Delhi, India

    Humayun’s Tomb

    Delhi

    Humayun’s tomb is sublimely well proportioned, seeming to float above its symmetrical gardens. It's thought to have inspired the Taj Mahal, which it…

  • Jama Masjid

    Jama Masjid

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    A beautiful pocket of calm at the heart of Old Delhi's mayhem, the capital's largest mosque is built on a 10m elevation. It can hold a mind-blowing 25,000…

  • Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah Tomb

    Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Dargah

    Delhi

    Visiting the marble shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Nizam-ud-din Auliya is Delhi's most mystical, magical experience. The dargah is hidden away in a tangle of…

  • This is a photo of Qutub Minar, showing the intricate engraving and carvings done. The photo instills a sense of strength and poise.

    Qutb Minar Complex

    Delhi

    If you only have time to visit one of Delhi's ancient ruins, make it this. The first monuments here were erected by the sultans of Mehrauli, and…

  • Purana Qila

    Delhi

    Shh, whisper it quietly: this place is better than the Red Fort. Delhi's 'Old Fort' isn't as magnificent in size and grandeur, but it's far more pleasant…

  • Tughlaqabad

    Delhi

    This magnificent 14th-century ruined fort, half reclaimed by jungle and gradually being encroached on by villages, was Delhi's third incarnation, built by…

  • Qutab Minar

    Delhi

    The Qutab Minar that gives the complex its name is an unmissable, soaring Afghan-style victory tower and minaret, erected by sultan Qutb-ud-din in 1193 to…

  • Akshardham temple

    Akshardham Temple

    Delhi

    Delhi's largest temple, the Gujarati Hindu Swaminarayan Group’s Akshardham Temple was built in 2005, and is breathtakingly lavish. Artisans used ancient…

  • Mohammed Shah's Tomb at Lodi Gardens, New Delhi

    Lodi Garden

    Delhi

    Delhi's loveliest escape was originally named after the wife of the British Resident, Lady Willingdon, who had two villages cleared in 1936 in order to…

  • Hauz Khas

    South Delhi

    Built by Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji in the 13th century, Hauz Khas means ‘noble tank', and its reservoir once covered 28 hectares. It collected enough water…

  • Gurdwara Bangla Sahib

    New Delhi

    This magnificent white-marble gurdwara (Sikh temple), topped by glinting golden onion domes, was constructed at the site where the eighth Sikh guru,…

  • A wide angle shot of the India Gate (formerly known as the All India War Memorial) at Rajpath, New Delhi.; Shutterstock ID 325788497; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    Rajpath

    New Delhi

    Rajpath (Kingsway) is a vast parade linking India Gate to the offices of the Indian government. Built on an imperial scale between 1914 and 1931, it was…

  • Monument marking place of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi Smriti, formerly known as Birla House, Gandhi Museum.

    Gandhi Smriti

    New Delhi

    This poignant memorial to Mahatma Gandhi is in Birla House. He was shot dead on the grounds by a Hindu zealot on 30 January 1948, after campaigning…

  • Shops and offices in the colonnaded buildings of Connaught Place.

    Connaught Place

    New Delhi

    This confusing circular shopping district was named after George V’s uncle, the Duke of Connaught, and fashioned after the Palladian colonnades of Bath…

  • A beautiful street in the Chandni Chowk area, one of the oldest ones in Delhi.

    Chandni Chowk

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    Old Delhi’s main drag is lined by Jain, Hindu and Sikh temples, plus a church, with the Fatehpuri Masjid at one end. Tree-lined and elegant in Mughal…

  • TO GO WITH STORY BY TRIPTI LAHIRI  An employee of the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets displays a Fancy Toilet used in the 1930s at the museum in New Delhi, 27 October 2007.   For India's low-cost toilet champion, each new loo means freedom not just from rampant disease, but one more chance to liberate someone from doing the awful job of disposing of someone else's waste. In the centuries-old caste system, with its ingrained fear of "pollution," the deepest revulsion has traditionally been reserved for those who do India's dirty work, such as taking away human waste from homes in buckets. AFP PHOTO/RAVEENDRAN (Photo credit should read RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images)

    Sulabh International Museum of Toilets

    Delhi

    More than half of India's 1.3 billion people still don't have a toilet in their homes, but since 1970 the Sulabh NGO has worked to address India's…

  • date: 2008/01/30 | release status: NR | date created: 2008:01:30

    Lahore Gate

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    The main entrance to the Red Fort is hidden by a defensive bastion built in front by Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb. During the struggle for independence,…

  • Raj Ghat

    New Delhi

    On the banks of the Yamuna River, this peaceful, very well maintained park contains a simple black-marble platform marking the spot where Mahatma Gandhi…

  • Sunder Nursery

    Delhi

    One of Delhi's newest tourist sights, this wonderful park was an overgrown wasteland until recent renovations brought the 16th-century Mughal gardens back…

  • National Museum

    New Delhi

    This glorious, if dusty, museum is full of treasures. Mind-bogglingly ancient, sophisticated figurines from the Harappan civilisation, almost 5000 years…

  • Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid

    Delhi

    At the foot of the Qutab Minar stands the first mosque to be built in India. An inscription over the east gate states that it was built with materials…

  • Khas Mahal

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    South of the public area of the Diwan-i-Khas in the Red Fort is the Khas Mahal, where the emperor lived and slept, shielded from prying eyes by lace-like…

  • Champa Gali

    Delhi

    The small arty enclave known as Champa Gali is hidden away in the lanes behind the fake Dilli Haat handicrafts market ('Delhi Haat') and is one of Greater…

  • Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum

    New Delhi

    In the residence of controversial former prime minister Indira Gandhi is this interesting museum devoted to her life and her political-heavyweight family…

  • Diwan-i-Khas

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    This Hall of Private Audiences in the Red Fort was used for bowing and scraping to the emperor. Above the corner arches to the north and south is…

  • National Rail Museum

    Delhi

    A contender for one of Delhi's most enjoyable museums, the National Rail Museum has steam locos and carriages spread across 11 acres. Among the venerable…

  • Crafts Museum

    New Delhi

    Much of this lovely museum is outside, including tree-shaded carvings and life-size examples of village huts from various regions of India. Displays…

  • Iron Pillar

    Delhi

    In the courtyard of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid is a 6.7m-high iron pillar that is much more ancient than any of the surrounding monuments. It hasn't…

  • Nehru Memorial Museum

    New Delhi

    Built for the British commander-in-chief and previously called 'Flagstaff House', the stately Teen Murti Bhavan was later the official residence of…

  • Rang Mahal

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    So-named because its exterior was once a riot of colour, Rang Mahal in the Red Fort was the home of the emperor's chief wife. Like the other Red Fort…

  • Mughal Gardens

    New Delhi

    The extravagance of these glorious gardens is such that Louis Mountbatten, India’s last British viceroy, was said to have employed 418 gardeners. There…

  • India Gate

    New Delhi

    This imposing 42m-high stone memorial arch was designed by Lutyens in 1921. It pays tribute to around 90,000 Indian Army soldiers who died in WWI, the…

  • Fatehpuri Masjid

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    Built by Fatehpuri Begum, one of Shah Jahan’s wives, this 17th-century mosque is a haven of tranquillity after the frantic streets outside. The central…

  • Hijron ka Khanqah

    Delhi

    At this seemingly long-forgotten yet immaculately maintained site, 49 hijras (eunuchs) are buried in simple white tombs. The more elaborate grave,…

  • Jantar Mantar

    New Delhi

    This is one of five observatories built by Maharaja Jai Singh II, ruler of Jaipur. Constructed in 1725, Jantar Mantar (derived from the Sanskrit word for …

  • Safdarjang’s Tomb

    Delhi

    Built by the Nawab of Avadh for his father, Safdarjang, this grandiose, highly decorative mid-18th-century tomb, set within palm-lined gardens, is an…

  • Agrasen ki Baoli

    New Delhi

    This atmospheric 14th-century step-well was once set in the countryside, till the city grew up around it; 103 steps descend to the bottom, flanked by…

  • Diwan-i-Am

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    In the Red Fort, this arcade of sandstone columns was the hall of public audience, where the emperor greeted guests and dignitaries from a throne on the…