Boutique hotels
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Aman New Delhi
- Style
- 21st-century Mughal
- Setting
- Leafy Lutyens' Delhi
Delhi Overview
India
- Cityscape
- Ancient-meets-modern metropolis
- City life
- Colour, culture and crowds
India's capital can be bamboozling, but once you look beyond the chaos and colour, you'll find an ancient city that’s rapidly modernising, with one foot in the past and the other careening towards the future.
Jaw-dropping ancient monuments rub shoulders with sparkling shopping malls; bicycle rickshaws give way to ultra-luxe cars; and million-dollar homes sit cheek-by-jowl with ever-expanding 'unauthorised' colonies. These two vastly different worlds are best exemplified by Old and New Delhi. Built by the British as the imperial capital of India, the elegant new city is home to tree-lined avenues, grand architecture and wide, open spaces. By contrast, Old Delhi is an unruly warren of narrow alleyways, crumbling buildings and vibrant crowds of people.
Definitively Delhi
Every February, the Rashtrapati Bahwan (Presidential Palace) throws open the gates to its magnificent Mughal Gardens, a 320-acre expanse designed by Sir Edward Lutyens. These darling gardens are open to the public for just one month of the year. Wind your way past the thousands of rainbow-hued blooms, bubbling fountains and peaceful waterways, stopping every once in a while to smell the roses – there are more than 250 varieties, however, so it may take some time.Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- Black Ambassador cabs are inexpensive and plentiful, auto rickshaws even more so. If you want to travel in relative comfort, hail a cab from a hotel, otherwise flag down one of the three-wheelers that roam Delhi's roads.
- Tipping culture
- Many hotels and restaurants add a 10 per cent service charge to the bill; additional tipping for staff who go above and beyond is optional. Elsewhere, a tip is appreciated.
- Siesta and fiesta
- Dilliwallahs lunch between noon and 3pm but enjoy dinner much later; restaurants generally don't get busy until after 9pm, and bars and clubs keep going until late. Delhi's shops open between 10-11am, and trade until around 7pm. Banks shut at 5.30pm, if not earlier.
- Packing tips
- Linen suits and kurtas for Mr Smith, along with shades and sandals for the warmer months. A salwaar kameez (a loose-fitting, lavishly decorated pants-and-dress ensemble) will help Mrs Smith blend in, but anything bright and colourful will look at home.
- Recommended reads
- William Dalrymple's travelogue/novel, The City of Djinns, is an excellent introduction to the enigma that is Delhi. The city's darker side is explored in the Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning novel White Tiger. For something a little more lighthearted, The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall is a wonderful caper through the capital with India's Most Private Investigator.
- Cuisine
- Mughal and Punjabi cuisines vie for the title of Delhi's most delicious fare. Kebabs and mutton-based dishes are the mainstay of Mughal cooking; Punjabi dishes pack a spicy punch and are often cooked in a tandoor. If you tire of curries, kebab and naan, never fear, as Delhi has its fair share of French, Italian and pan-Asian eateries, too. The only thing you won't find on the menu is beef. When it comes to sipping, India's wine scene is nascent, so stick to the G&T's if you want to avoid a heavy head.
- Currency
- Indian Rupees (INR)
- Time zone
- GMT +5.30
- Dialling codes
- Country code for India is +91; local code for Delhi is (0)11.
- Do go/don't go
- Delhi shines between October and March, with sunny days, cool evenings and some of the capital’s most colourful festivals. The only blip in the climatic calendar during this stretch is January, when soup-thick fog is not uncommon. From April onwards, the mercury soars, and May and June see temperatures rocket above a scorching 40°C. During July and August, the monsoons arrive and things get sticky.
Don't go home without...
braving a ride in an auto-rickshaw. More than 55,000 of these green-and-yellow three-wheelers chug along Delhi's streets, making them part of daily life in the capital.
