Delhi Travel Guide : A Different Experience

Although the title of this article is Delhi travel guide, I do not like such limitations. For example, if you’re not interested, there’s no point in climbing a castle or seeing a church just because it’s popular and on all to-do lists. So I have done a deep research before my trip to India, and I spent my limited time to see places that I am interested in. Because Delhi has landmarks, especially from Mughal Empire. This article may not cover all of Delhi’s landmarks, but I guarantee that my Delhi will be enough to get to know the city. Here are the places I visited in Delhi!

Connaught Place

Connaught Place is a neighbourhood located in the center of the city in the form of nested apartments. It was the first place I saw in Delhi and is a nice choice for a smooth transition to India. Shops, cafes, graffiti, tuktuks and street markets… I did’t understand how time has passed. When we went out at night we came to CP again, you can find details here in my Delhi Food Guide.

India Gate

India Gate is an arch for the memory of Indian soldiers killed in World War I and it reminded me of Bucharest and Paris. This place is always crowded, you have to go through a long line and safe control to get close to the arch. We just had to look at it. After the weather gets dark, it is lighted up in the colors of the Indian flag.

Lodhi Gardens

We went for a walk at sunset to Lodhi Gardens. It’s a place where locals take their dogs for a walk, go jogging, or come with their kids and spend time with nature. The lives inside the luxurious houses next to the garden’s borders, and the deep poverty in a neighbourhood just away… The biggest dilemma in this city. As the sun set in the Lodhi Gardens, I thought I was in Istanbul at this time the previous day and remembered that nowhere was actually far away and how beautiful it is to travel 🙂

Akshardam Temple

It’s the place that impresses me the most in India! It’s a must in Delhi travel guide. Architectural details in this Hindu temple are fascinating. Since it is forbidden to enter with a phone and camera, you are completely alone with the temple. I’d still like to photograph those details. You must leave your bag in escrow when entering the temple. After entering the temple area, shoes are removed at the entrance to the main building.

Saket

Saket, Karaköy of Delhi. Previously untended, currently a popular place especially for young population with its creative graffiti and hipster cafes. I guarantee that you’ll have a different Delhi experience in Saket. We had breakfast in Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters. It was a very sweet place and coffee was fresh.

Qutub Minar

One of the most beautiful examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. The entrance fee is 600 rupees, and the most famous structure of the complex is the 73-meter-high minaret. The carving details outside the minaret were fascinating. Qutub Minar is always crowded. If the weather is hot you can have a hard time like me… The colors here reminded me of Bologna, what do you think?

Humayun’s Tomb

A tomb that greets you in a huge green park. The calm atmosphere in the park was one of the times that made me forget that I am in Delhi. I had the same feeling when I was in the Muslim area in Jerusalem and I loved it. The entrance is 600 rupees, I highly recommend you to visit.

Lotus Temple

By the time we arrived, Lotus Temple was closed. Our plan was to see it at sunset, but we just had to look from outside.

Hauz Khas

One of the neighborhoods I enjoyed much in Delhi. Famous for the night life, Hauz Khas is known as the place where young people spend their evenings. All the places are on the same street. We went to a Himalayan restaurant and a bar in Hauz Khas. We loved the vitality and atmosphere of the streets.

Chandni Chowk

Of course, not everything in Delhi was good. Chandni Chowk is a district in Old Delhi. It doesn’t really have a famous structure, but I wanted to go here to experience Old Delhi, without knowing that I was going to be shocked by culture. The chaos, the noise and the crowd here; the misery and filth underlying them hit me like a slap. Although I couldn’t comprehend what I saw at first, the feeling of sadness and desperation I experienced afterwards made me feel terrible. If you’re going to Chandni Chowk, make sure you’re ready, both physically and mentally. Before I could complete walk by the street, I jumped into a rickshaw and went back to the nearest subway stop.

This is my Delhi travel guide. After all, walking the streets of Delhi for miles and blending into the city has gave me experiences I’ll never forget. Although government buildings, Rajpath region with its English heritage and advanced transportation network make me feel like that I am in a capital city, I’d say that it’s an unusual capital city.

You can find my first impressions from Delhi here.