My first visit to Delhi was in the year 2003, just 2 years before I actually started residing in Delhi. On the one hand I was awed by the architectural marvels, cleanliness and wide roads, while on the other, a bit irked by the harshness of the language the people in Delhi used. However, felt that its worth visiting again. The city is huge and a newcomer (espcially a foreigner) may get totally lost and mislead. So I feel that I put down some important tips on a smooth journey and stay in the capital city. Quick Tips:
Mode: Railways
There are 3 major Railway Stations through which you gain entry:
New Delhi Railway Station (Station Code: NDLS)
Old Delhi Railway Station (Station Code: DLI)
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station (Station Code: HNZM)
Please make sure which Railway station you are landing at by checking the station code on the Railway ticket.
Once you come out of the platform, depending on your budget you can either take a prepaid cab/ auto or go out of the station and take one of the DTC buses to your destination. The highest denominated ticket is of Rs. 10 in a DTC bus.
There are prepaid booths for cabs and auto rickshaws separately within the station premises. However if you have the guts to negotiate, then you may go out of the station and catch any of the running auto rickshaws. Delhi doesn't have taxi or cabs as a public conveyance. However, none of the locations in Delhi from any of the stations would cost you more than Rs120 during day time. After 22: 00 hrs. 50% extra night charges would be there.
If you are taking an auto rickshaw, make sure that the meter is working properly. The charges are Rs. 10 for the 1st Km and Rs. 4.50 /km for successive distance.
You can also call a private cab, the charges are Rs 15/ km with AC on. Without AC it varies from Rs. 10 - Rs.12/ km.
Mode: Airways
Delhi International Airways has 3 terminals. Terminal 1A and 1B are domestic while Terminal 2 is the international terminal. However Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are separated by a distance of 10 km. Arrival is common for both Terminal 1A and Terminal 1B. After landing it is best to take the prepaid ticket from one of the booths before exit.
However, for the domestic Indian traveller it is still a pain as the cabs/ taxis would resent taking you even though you have a prepaid coupon. So, either you have to be harsh and forcefully enter any of the cabs lined up near the arrival, after collecting your prepaid ticket, or simply pay higher than the prepaid amount to the cabbies. Or, you have the option of auto rickshaws, who would charge a bit lesser, as I had said Rs. 120 should be the maximum for any corner of Delhi.
For the foreigner, travelling to India, and landing at Terminal 2, take the prepaid route or negotiate well with the cabbies. Anything between Rs. 400 - 600 in an AC Cab is a good deal. If you take the autorickshaws, anything between Rs. 120- Rs. 180 is a fair deal during the day. Night charges are 50 % extra.
Luggage charges are extra for all modes, the standard rate being Rs. 5 / kg for anything additional to 2 normal sized travel bags.
Important Locations in the city:
Central Delhi: Connought Place, Central Secratariat, Mandi House, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi Railway Station, Old Delhi Railway Station, Kashmere Gate- Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT)
North Delhi: Delhi University (North Campus), GTB Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Model Town, Ashok Vihar
West Delhi: Pitampura, Karol Bagh, Jhandelwalan, Rajendra Nagar, Pira Garhi, Rohini, Rithala, Rajouri Garden, Kirti Nagar, Moti Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Vikas Puri, Janak Puri, Uttam Nagar, Palam, Dwarka, Tagore Garden, Paschim Vihar, Delhi Cantt., Punjabi Bagh
East Delhi: Mayur Vihar, Anand Vihar (ISBT), Preet Vihar, Lakshmi Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Seelampur, Gagan Vihar, Kaushambi, Rajendra Nagar, Vaishali, Dilshad Garden, Sahibabad
South Delhi: Dhaula Kuan, Chanakyapuri, Sarojini Nagar, New Friends Colony, Defense Colony, South Extn, Lajpat Nagar, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, Sarai Kale Khan (ISBT), Common Wealth Games 2010 Village, Jamia University, Delhi University (South Campus), Tughlakabad Extn, Okhla Industrial Estate, Ashram, Kalkaji, Nehru Place, Chittaranjan Park (C.R. Park), Bhikaji Cama Place, R.K. Puram, Safdarjung Enclave, Hauz Khas, IIT- Delhi, Munirka, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) also known as Medical; Moolchand, Siri Fort Auditorium, Vasant Vihar, Basant Lok Complex (PVR Priya, also known as PRIYA), Vasant Kunj, Mehrauli, Mehrauli Farms, Saket, Malviya Nagar, Jawaharlal Nehru University (also known as JNU), Panchsheel, Greater Kailash-I (GK-I), Greater Kailash-II(GK-II), East of Kailash, Sarita Vihar, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate, Rajokri, Qutab Institutional Area.
Places of Stay:
Budget Stay:
You get plenty of options just opposite to New Delhi Railway Station. The area is known as Pahargunj. Apart from this you have plenty of budget hotels and guest houses in South Delhi in Safdarjung Enclave, Lajpat Nagar, New Friends Colony, GK - I and GK-II and Mahipalpur (midway on the route to Gurgaon)
For students there are specific areas where you can find accomodation on a monthly rental basis. The favourite hot spots for students in Delhi are:
North Delhi- Mukherjee Nagar
West Delhi- Dwarka,Janakpuri, Vikas Puri
East Delhi- Lakshmi Nagar
South Delhi - Ber Sarai, Jia Sarai, Katwaria Sarai ( All 3 are sanwitched between IIT-Delhi and JNU), Munirka, Yusuf Sarai, Malaviya Nagar- Khirki Extn, Safdarjung Enclave- Arjun Nagar, Saket.
Non-Budget Stay:
You would find all the major, renouned hotels in Central and South Delhi like Taj, Oberoi, Hyatt, Le Meridien, Claridges, Radisson, Maurya Sheraton, InterContinental.
Apart from this you can find accomodation at the following:
Crowne Plaza, New Friends Colony
Qutab Hotel, Qutab Enclave, Near IIT & JNU
Shangri La, Connought Place
Hotel Jaypee International, Besides PVR Priya, Vasant Vihar
Silver Ferns, Saket PVR Complex
Places of Interest:
Religion and Spirituality:
Birla Temple- Central Delhi
Delhi Kali Bari : Central Delhi
Jama Masjid: Besides Chandni Chowk, Central Delhi
Gurudwara Sheesh Ganj: Chandni Chowk, Central Delhi
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib: Central Delhi
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya's Dargah: South Delhi
Akshardham Temple, Near Commonwealth Games 2010 Village: South Delhi
Kalkaji Temple: Kalkaji: South Delhi
Lotus Temple (Bahai Temple): South Delhi
ISKCON Temple: South Delhi
Chhatarpur Temples: Mehrauli: South Delhi
Apart from these there is Ramakrishna Mission in Pahargunj, Aurobindo Society besides IIT, Jagannath Temple in Deer Park, Safdarjung Enclave, and a host of other places of religious interest throughout the city.
Historical:
The Red Fort or Lal Quila : Central Delhi
Old Fort or Purana Quila: Central Delhi
Lodhi Gardens: Central Delhi
Humayun's Tomb: Central Delhi
India Gate: Central Delhi
Parliament House: Central Delhi
President's House: Central Delhi
Tughlakabad Fort: South Delhi
The Qutab Minar: Mehrauli: South Delhi
Safdarjung's Tomb: Safdarjung: South Delhi
Md. Ghalib's Tomb: Hazrat Nizamuddin: South Delhi
Amir Khusrau's Tomb: Besides Hazrat Nizamuddin's Tomb: South Delhi
Shop and Hangout:
Central Delhi: Connought Place Market, Janpath Market, Khan Market
North Delhi: Kamla Nagar Market
West Delhi: Karol Bagh, Rohini
East Delhi: East Delhi Mall, Kaushambi, Vaishali
South Delhi: GK-I, GK-II, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Select CityWalk Mall- Saket, PVR Saket, PVR Priya, Sarojini Nagar Market, Dilli Haat, South Extn.
Eating Out:
Delhi offers a variety of cuisines to suit different taste buds. You can try out the following:
Dilli Haat: It has food stalls from different states of India serving authentic cuisines from that particular region. Starting from the mouth-watering Awadhi Dum Biriyani to the delicious Dal-Bhati-Churma of Rajasthan and Wazawan of Kashmir to Uttapam of Tamilnadu..you can have a peek at all the tastes of India at one single place.
New Friends Colony: This place boasts of the famous mouth-watering Schwarma or Shawarma, a Lebanese dish.
Karim's Dastarkhwan: The famous Karim's whose forefathers had been chefs to the Mughals, have outlets in Chandni Chowk, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Malaviya Nagar. The seekh-kababs and biriyani are must on your palate if you visit it- a taste which you would never forget.
Chittaranjan Park (C.R. Park): For Bangalees, C. R. Park is the absolute destination to rejuvenate their taste buds with bhapa ileesh and kosha mangsho. You have a couple of outlets like Baboo Moshai and Shonaar Bangla who would not disappoint you. And for the famous dessert roshogolla and mishti doi, nothing better than Kamala Sweets.
Well apart from these you get a plethora of various restaurants serving cuisines of all tastes- Chinese, Continental, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, and other regional Indian dishes. Chains of Mc Donalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's, TGIF, Ruby Tuesday can be easily spotted throughout Delhi. If you are a foodie, Delhi is just the place for you, specially in the winters.
For the nocturnal breed of our kind, well nothing better than Delhi's nightlife. You would find all sorts of pubs and discsotheques of all budgets throughout the city, however a concentration is there in Connought Place and South Delhi. Well, if you dont get to enter somewhere in Delhi then, you have an option to check out the pubs and discs in nearby Noida and Gurgaon too. In Delhi and Noida these places are open till 00:00 hrs, however in Gurgaon they are open 24 hrs.
So, just chill out and have a wonderful time when you visit Delhi next.
NB: Suggestions and corrections(if any), are welcome from all to improve the content.
