All the things you can do and see in Delhi in 4 Days.
In the summer of 2019 I went to India for 10 days. Before every trip that I go on I create an itinerary and of course I had one for India. I definitely do not always stick to it but it has saved me a lot of time when I am in a new place. I usually group things together that are close together or walking distance apart so that I am not wasting time by being in a car or train all day. I spent 4 days in Delhi and this is my guide to some of the old and new parts that Delhi has to offer.
Day 1
Day 1 was a bit of a struggle due to the lack of internet service but I did still manage to see a few sites in Delhi. Keep in mind that if you are going to buy a sim card at the airport that it takes a minimum of 24 hours before it is activated. I learnt this the hard way and felt a bit lost the first day due to the fact that I heavily rely on Google maps when I am in a new country. But nevertheless my first stop was the Lotus Temple.
The Temple grounds are free to enter but tourists were not allowed inside the temple. It is a very interesting building but if you are on a time crunch I would give this site a skip. Next up was Humayun’s Tomb. The entry fee was about Rs.500 Rupees and there is a separate fee of Rs.25 if you want to film inside. This tomb is absolutely beautiful. You are allowed to go into every nook and cranny and you are allowed to photograph it, which is always a bonus. This tomb was not as crowded as the Lotus Temple. The tomb was the inspiration behind the design of the Taj Mahal and one can most definitely see similarities in the design of both tombs. There are also other tombs on the same property as Humayun’s Tomb so leave yourself a bit of time to explore the others.
The last stop of the day was Swaminarayan Akshardham. This is a Hindu Temple and it is extremely busy. It is important to note that you are not allowed to take any bags inside and you are also not allowed to take a cellphone or a camera inside. There is a designated area where you can leave your belongings before you enter. The entry fee is Rs.170.
Day 2
We started off the day by going to the Red Fort. This was also about Rs.600 entry fee and do not be fooled by the tour guides outside. You can definitely manage to get around the fort on your own. The entryway into the fort is breathtaking and so are other parts of the fort but I was disappointed to find that you could not enter a few of the sites inside the fort and a big part of it has also not been restored. I do still think that it is worth a visit.
Next up we went to Jama Masjid, which is one of the largest mosques in India. The entry fee is about Rs.500 and you have to pay a separate fee if you want to take photos inside. The dress code is very strict at the mosque. Both males and females have to cover their knees and shoulders. Although I was wearing a long dress they still gave me a cover-up to put over my dress and men were given a sarong to put around their waste if they were wearing shorts. Although you pay an entrance fee to get into the mosque square, as a tourist you are not allowed inside the mosque.
After seeing the red fort and the mosque we headed to a 4 hour food tour that we had booked on Get Your Guide. I would highly recommend doing some sort of tour in India as it allows you to see and experience parts of the country that you most likely would not have been able to find on your own. Our food tour was also a heritage tour and it included tasting 10 dishes, going to a Siekh Temple, Chandni Chowk Market and the Spice Market. I think that the spice market and Chandni Chowk can be quite overwhelming if you visit alone but it is definitely doable. Our food tour was R350 per person which is roughly 1700 rupee.
Day 3
We decided to take it a bit easier after the incredibly busy day we had before. We started the day by going to Agrasen Ki Baoli. This used to be an ancient step well but it has since dried up. Entrance into the area is free. It has amazing stairs that go all the way down to the well where the water used to be. This makes for one amazing insta spot.
After getting the perfect photo at the step well we headed over to the Main Bazaar. The bazaar was walking distance from our hotel and there are also a lot of great little restaurants to sit at and observe the madness that is going on in the streets below. One of my favourites was Exotic rooftop and Krishna rooftop cafe. The main bazaar has a lot of different shops from leather shoes to spices. You will be able to pick up more than one souvenir at this bazaar.
Location: Agrasen Ki Baoli
Day 4
Our last day in Delhi. We started off the day at another Sikh temple, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. Although entry at this temple is free before entering the temple you have to go to the visitor’s center. There someone from the temple will explain the religion to you and they also give you a bandanna to cover your head. You are not allowed to film inside the temple. The Sikh religion does a lot for their community and we were told that most temples feed a lot of people for free every day. One can go and volunteer at the kitchen for as long as you want. The kitchen at this temple is open from 09:00-15:00 every day.
The second stop of the day was the Lodi Garden. I would describe this garden as something similar to a botanical garden with the exception of some historical sites scattered throughout the garden. One of these sites is the Tomb of Safdarjung. The garden and all of the sites on the property are free to enter.
If you have time, which we unfortunately did not have you can also visit the India Gate as it is not to far from the garden. The gate also has no entry fee.
Last up for day 4 was Qutub minar. Unfortunately for us the system was down when we arrived and the line was extremely long. The individuals working there had no idea when they would be able to let people enter again and we did not have that much time to spare so we only saw the tower from afar. Once again the entry fee for this site was also Rs.500. I hope that my itinerary can help you a bit when you are planning your next trip to Delhi...
Here’s a list of all of the places that I mentioned above without all of my rambling:
Day 1:
Lotus Temple (free entry)
Humayun’s Tomb (Rs.500)
Swaminarayan Akshardham (Rs.170)
Day 2:
Chandni Chowk (part of food tour but has no entry fee)
Jama Masjid (Rs.500)
Red Fort (Rs.500)
Spice Market (part of food tour but has no entry fee)
Day 3:
Agrasen ki Baoli (free entry)
Main Bazaar
Day 4:
Lodi Garden (free entry)
Tomb of Safdarjung (inside the garden)
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (free entry)
India Gate (free entry)
Qutub minar (Rs.500)
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