Delhi – Gateway to India, Not the Highlight

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
0
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
4
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
0
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
7
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
5
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
45 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
399th/454
Bottom 20%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$60 (typically $40 - $80)
Time of year visited
December
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Big city Castles / Fortresses Old town
All Tags
Islamic site Restaurant recommendations Slum / Shanty Town UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
Gash

Summary

I’d suggest avoiding Delhi.  Whilst it has a few interesting spots such as the Red Fort and the Old Town, it has the negatives so typical with most of the giant Indian cities:

❌ Vast population struggling with rapid development – bear in mind Delhi is the 2nd most populated city in the world.

❌ Terrible traffic – no where does traffic quite like India.

❌ Overly commercialised – get ready to be nagged.

❌ And some of the worst air pollution in the world – it makes China seem like the Antarctic.

 

With a few exceptions, you don’t come to India for the big cities – you come for the forts, palaces, deserts, mountains and history.  Delhi is mainly the place you fly into before heading to the good stuff – Golden Triangle and Rajasthan, which hold India’s highlights such as The Lakeside and Palaces of Udaipur, The Taj Mahal and Jodphur’s Blue City and the spectacular Mehrangarh Fort.   Focus on them, not Delhi.

 

 

If staying, what to prioritise

 

That being said, if you do end up spending some time here, I would suggest the following in priority order:

 

#1 A tour of Old Delhi – I took my family on a 4 hour trip with Street Connections (Sanju was our guide).  This was brilliant as it showed some of the nice things like the spice market and gorgeous Jane temples, but also the grimey narrow streets with mini factory side.  Run by former street children who have been helped by the Salaam Baalak Trust.  I would really recommend.

 

Visiting one of the small textile factories as part of a tour of Old Delhi

Visiting one of the small textile factories as part of a tour of Old Delhi

 

Old Delhi electricity wiring

Little things you notice when wandering through Old Delhi . . . like. how does this work?

 

#2 A walk round the Red Fort – whilst Rajasthan has several more impressive forts, Delhi’s has a pleasant walk in particular through the interior and is also UNESCO World Heritage listed.

 

Outside walls of Delhi's Red Fort, India

Outside walls of Delhi’s Red Fort

 

#3 Dinner in one of the nice Haveli’s – A must if you do stay overnight in Delhi.  Typically the food is great and the atmopshere with the multiple levels a real Indian culture snap.  Haveli Dharampura in the middle of Old Delhi Haveli Dharampura – google) was fab and I’d really recommend.

 

Haveli Dharampura in the middle of Old Delhi, India

The view down through the levels of Haveli Dharampura in the middle of Old Delhi

 

#4 Trip to the Jama Masjid – centred right in the middle of Delhi Old Town, this is Delhi’s largest mosque and capable of holding 25,000 people 🤯.  Shoes off and ladies will need to wear giant bedsheets.

 

Jama Masjid in late afternoon before prayers, Delhi Old Town

Jama Masjid in late afternoon before prayers

 

#5 A drive / walk through Connaught Place and the Gate of India – less for it in itself being impressive, but more for it being the political centre of India and a fame spot.

 

Connaught Place in the centre of Delhi

Connaught Place in the centre of Delhi

 

For a Golden Triangle and Rajasthan visit, this is what to prioritise

 

Most people visiting Delhi for travel are focused on the Golden Triangle and Rajasthan.  As a long term Indian traveller, I see the Rajasthan + Taj Mahal combo as the clear highlight of India.  Exotic deserts, magnificent forts and a feeling of adventure.  Plus the highest concentration of wow highlights anywhere in India.

 

If first time visitor , I would prioritise this way:

#1 Jodhpur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The Blue City: a maze of indigo houses beneath one of India’s greatest forts.  Magnificent and the highlight of Rajasthan.  See the travel entry for tips – Jodphur’s Blue City.

#2 Taj Mahal (Agra) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The most beautiful building in the world, and surprisingly emotional to see in person.  Lives up to the hype. The Taj Mahal.

#3 Udaipur – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ India’s most romantic city, all lakes, palaces and sunset views. A boat trip along the lake is magical. The Lakeside and Palaces of Udaipur.

#4 The Chand Bawdi Step-well ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – the world’s deepest step-well at 30m / 100ft, 3500 steps across 13 stories and is magnificent.  Visit as part of the drive through to Jaipur.

#5 Jaisalmer ⭐️⭐️ – A golden desert fortress and camel safaris into the Thar Desert.  Jaisalmer and camel desert safari.

Delhi – give yourself half a day as you will fly into here, but don’t prioritise. Delhi.

Jaipur – GASH.  The Pink City is a big disappointment and not in the same league as the above. Don’t bother.  Jaipur and the Amber Fort .

 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Tokyo
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2 days for the classic highlights of Hong Kong
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Getting lost in Hanoi Old Town
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Colombo
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Day trip to Shenzhen from Hong Kong
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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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