Delhi City Day Tour
Delhi is such a big city and a state itself as well. Therefore, to cover all its touristic sights in a day during Delhi city tour, you need to have at least two complete days at disposal. Here we try to stretch a little bit more by visiting all significant tourist attractions of New Delhi & Old Delhi in just one day trip. A Delhi city tour is an exciting way to explore the culture, heritage, architecture and people of National capital. Delhi is a capital city of India that offers countless man-made wonders dating back to the Mughal & British Era. Delhi sightseeing tour is being enjoyed by many travelers on daily basis. Please go through some of the best tourist sights of New & Old Delhi in a day trip around Delhi.
DELHI CITY TOUR
You will be picked up from your hotel and sightseeing tour of New & Old Delhi start. Before going for a day trip through Delhi. we can start either from New Delhi or an Old Delhi in accordance with the locality of your hotel in the city. Lets start a city day tour in New Delhi.
Qutab Minar is a tall conical 73 mt high (240 feet) tower built by Qutab-ud-din-Aibak in 1192 as a victory tower after the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu Kingdom. With a diameter of 14.32 mt at the base and about 2.75 mt on top, it was later completed by his successor Iltutmish and Firoz Shah Tughlak. The towering minaret is a perfect example of Indo-Islamic Afgan architecture. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and listed amongst the tallest stone towers in the world. Mughals used to build such towers to proclaim and commemorate victories.
The soaring tower is surrounded by many significant monuments which are forming a complex called Qutab Complex. This complex has several historical monuments such as the Iron Pillar of Delhi, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza, the Tomb of Iltutmish, Alai Minar, Ala-ud-din’s Madrasa and Tomb, and the Tomb of Imam Zamin.
Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi started the contruction of Qutab Minar in 1192 could only finish the basement. The first three storeys added by his successor Iltutmish made of red sandstone and in 1368, the fourth and fifth storeys added by Firoz Shah Tughlak made of marble and sandstone. It is important to know the timings and entrance fees to the Qutab Minar before heading to Delhi city day tour.
Timings: Opens all days(6:30 AM – 6:30 PM)
Enntrance Fees: Indian : INR 30 Per Person & Foreigner : INR 500 Per Person
It was the first garden-tomb in India. The tomb of Humayun commissioned by his eldest wife widow Biga Begam (Haiji Begum) in 1569, 14 years after his death, located in New Delhi. A Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyath was employed by Haiji Begam to design this architectural wonder. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. The Humayuns tomb declared the UNESCO world heritage site in 1993. The Humayuns tomb was built at the cost of 1.5 million rupees. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. It was later used for burial of various members of ruling family. The tomb is situated at the center of the garden which is expended in Char Baah (four fold style with the pools joined by channels. It is also featuring centrally located mausoleum placed on a high terraced platform topped by double dome with arched cells along the sides. It is important to know the timings and entrance fees to the Humayun’s tomb before heading to one day city tour in Delhi.
Timings: Opens all days(7:00 AM – 7:00 PM)
Enntrance Fees: Indian : INR 30 Per Person & Foreigner : INR 500 Per Person
The India Gate is a war memorial located at the center of New Delhi across the Rajpath at the eastern end. An imposing India Gate is 42 mt high made of red stone, laid out a huge Arc-de-Triomphe like archway in the middle of the cross road of Rajpath, formerly known as Kingsway. It is originally called as an All India War Memorial. The foundation stone of India Gate was laid by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and it was designed by Edwin Lutyens. It commemorates to 82,000 soldiers of British Indian Army who lost their lives in First World War in the period of 1914-21 and the Third Anglo-Afgan War. More than 13500 names of Indian and British soldiers are inscribed on the wall of India Gate. There is another memorial located close to the Gate called Amar Jawan Jyoti (The flame of immortal soldier), raised after India got its independence, where eternal flame burns 24 hours under the arch for the soldiers who were killed in the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971. Present, India Gate is a picnic spot for locals due to being surrounded by lush green lawns. The India Gate is illuminated every evening that makes a lovely display with colored light fountains. Republic day Pared on 26th January every year starts from President House and passes around India Gate. It is important to know the timings and entrance fees to the India Gate before heading to Delhi city tour.
Timings: Opens all days (05 Am to 12 AM)
Enntrance Fees: No entrance
Rashtrapati Bhawan is the official residence of President of India, located in central Delhi. The palatial Presidential Palace is one of the main attractions of New Delhi. It was formerly known as Viceroys house until 1950, designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It consists of 340 rooms and spread over an area of 320 acres including the Presidents official residence, halls, Guest rooms, offices and the beautiful Mughal Garden, open to the public in the month of February. It is the largest official residence any head of the state in the world.
There are many courtyards and open inner areas within its premises and the Jaipur Column is erected in front of the Presidents house, topped by the star of India. A soaring dome structure is seen at the centre of the main part of the Palace, which is more than twice the height of the rest of the building. The crafting on the dome is a perfect example of a mixture of Indian and British architecture styles and hardly any steel was used in building this palatial Presidents Palace.
Timings: Friday, Saturday, Sunday(09 Am to 04 PM)
Enntrance Fees: No entrance
The Lotus Temple is a Bahai House of Worship located in New Delhi completed in 1986. The building is famous for its lotus flowerlike shape that is one of the prime attractions of New Delhi. The Lotus Temple is open to all, regardless of religion. The visitors marvel at its universal design in the form of a lotus and delight by the Teachings of the Bahai Faith, especially its belief of the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religions, and the Oneness of Mankind.
The Lotus temple is made up of pure white marble and designed by an architect Furiburz Sabha. People of every walk of life irrespective of their religions are free to visit the temple and pray or meditate. Any kind of musical instruments are not allowed inside the hall. There are nice water pools around the petals of lotus giving the symmetry to the structure making it more beautiful, especially when it is flood lit. Let us check out the timings and entrance fees details before going to visit the Lotus temple on a full day Delhi city tour.
Timings: All days of the week except Monday(9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Summer)
9:00 AM – 5:30 PM (Winter)
Enntrance Fees: No entrance
Akshardham is dedicated to Swaminarayan and also referred as Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex in New Delhi. It was inaugurated on 6th November 2005, featuring the blend of technical modernity with traditional architectural style. The temple complex displays the grandeur, wisdom, millennia of traditional Indian culture, spirituality and architecture, spread over an area of 8,000 square meters. Inspired and developed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual head of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha with the help of 3,000 volunteers and 7,000 artisans. The monument also features the Gajendra Pith at its base, a plinth paying tribute to the elephant for its importance in Hindu culture and India’s history. It is important to know the facts about Akshardham temple complex while going to visit this huge monument during full day Delhi city tou.
Facts about Akshardham Temple Complex
a. The temple has the statue of main shrine of Swaminarayan under the central dome, which is 11 foot high and surrounded by similar statues of grurus of the sect.
b. Opened on 6th November 2005.
c. Inspired by HH Yogiji Maharaj (1892-1971 CE) & Developed by Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS)
d. Created by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj
e.More than 300,000,000 volunteer hours went into making the complex
f. Over 8,000 volunteers from across the world participated in building it.
g. Temple built from intricately carved Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble. It has no support from steel or concrete.
h. Exhibitions on Hinduism, including Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life and teachings such as prayer, compassion, and non-violence.
i.Open gardens, water bodies and step-well styled courtyard
j. The main monument at the center of the complex is 141 foot high, 316 foot wide and 356 foot long and features the carved details of flora, fauna, dancers, musicians and deities.
k. It has 234 ornately carved pillars, nine domes and 20,000 murtis and statues of Saints and devotees.
l. It also features 148 scale sized elephants in total and weighs a total of 3000 tons.
Highlights of Akshardham Temple
Abhishek Mandap: One can participate or be a part of spiritual ritual and offer holy water to Neelkanth,the teenage Yogi form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Prayer is offered to Neelkanth for peace and fulfillment of wishes.
Exhibitions: Exhibitions are the major attractions of all in this temple complex. Artistically mesmerizing, scientifically stunning, culturally moving, and spiritually elevating, the exhibitions create amazing environments capable of transporting viewers to ancient India. The exhibitions are comprised of three parts.
Sahajanand Darshan : Hall of Values
Neelkanth Darshan : Large Format Film
Sanskruti Darshan : Cultural Boat Ride
Water Show: Sahaj Anand – A breathtaking spiritual multimedia water show. Multi-color lasers, video projects, underwater flames, water jets and surround sound in symphony with lights and live actors produce a captivating and inspiring presentation of an important story from the Kena Upanishad.
Thematic Gardens: A visit to Swaminarayan Akshardhams two thematic gardens is a conversation with nature, history and culture. Learn about inspiring children, men and women from Indian history at the Bharat Upvan. Imbibe the wisdom of great minds from around the world at the Yogihriday Kamal.
Helpful tips :
No electronic items are allowed inside the temple complex.
Do not carry mobile phones or cameras
Frisking of all the visitors is present at the entrance.
Temple is closed on Monday
Huge parking space is available at the premises
Food items are not allowed to carry along inside the monument
Timings: All days of the week except Monday(9:30 AM – 8:00 PM)
Enntrance Fees:
INR 170 per person for adults (Exhibition)
INR 100 per person for children (Exhibition)
INR 125 per person for senior citizens (Exhibition)
INR 80 per person for adults (Musical Fountain)
INR 50 per person for children (Musical Fountain)
INR 80 per person for senior citizens (Musical Fountain)
Gandhi Smriti literally means Gandhi Remembrance is a place, where father of nation the Mahatma Gandhi was shot on 30 January 1948. It was earlier known as Birla House owned by Birlas, the renowned businessmen family of India. The government of India later purchased this house from Birlas in 1971 and converted it into the Museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. This national memorial of Mahatma Gandhi was opened to the public on August 1973. It is situated on 30 January Marg formerly known as Albuquerque Road in New Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi had lived in this house from 9 September 1947 to 30 January 1948.
The museum houses number of articles, photographs, sculptures, painting, frescos, inscriptions on rock & relics associated with the countless memories of the last 144 days of the Mahatam Gandhis life and his death. It also preserved the room where Gandhi lived and place on the ground where he was assassinated.
Timings: All days of the week except Monday(10:00 AM – 05:30 PM
Enntrance Fees: No entrance
National Museum located in Janpath Road, New Delhi is one the largest and the most inimitable amongst all the museums here in Delhi. The national museum of New Delhi was established in 1949 and comes under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Two storeyed palatial building has more than 2,00,000 variety of articles, artifacts and antiquities from pre-historic era (Harappan Civilisation) to Buddhist Era 4th to 5th century BC to the modern civilization. It exhibits countless artifacts and antiquities from seals, silk route, exquisite miniature paintings, pottery, terracotta figurines, woodcarvings, textile, statues and impressive collections of jewellery of pre-historic era. The museum houses various galleries featuring musical instruments, an Arms & Armory of old times and many more artifacts covering nearly 5000 years of history. Please go through the offerings of some prominent galleries of National Museum.
Harappan Gallery: Exhibits several artifacts from Harappan Civilization or Indus Valley Civilization, featuring the advanced technology and sophisticated lifestyle of the Harappan people.
Maurya, Shunga and Satvahana Arts Gallery: Exhibits artifacts & objects from three prominent dynasties, The Mauryas, the Shungas and the Satvahanas dating back to 1st century BCE to 4th Century BCE.
Medieval Arts Gallery: The sculptures from the Medieval Period are divided into two categories: Early and Late. The artifacts from the respective periods are divided into two galleries.
Early Medieval Artifacts: Featuring artifacts & sculptures from 7th to 10th centuries after the fall of Gupta dynasty. Later Indian subcontinent was controlled and Influenced by Palas dynasty in the east, Vardhans & Pratiharas in the north, Pallavas, Cholas & Chlukyas in the South.
Late Medieval Artifacts: Exhibits sculptures from 10th to 13th centuries. Indian subcontinent further divided and controlled by Hoysalas & Nayakas in South, Paramars & Chandelas in the North, Gajapatis and Senas in the East and Chauhans & Chahamanas in the West.
Miniature Paintings Gallery: Showcasing more than 17,000 miniature paintings, divided into three categories according to the places and time where this art was developed. Displaying various art styles such as the first category, the Mughal style where miniature painting flourished during Mughal era of Jahangir & Shahjahan. Second & third category of style belong to Central India and Rajasthani, Pahari miniature paintings from 1000 CE to 1900 CE including the painting on Palm leaf, cloth, wood, Leather etc.
Buddhist Artifacts Gallery: Buddhist art section features the sacred relics of Buddha and superb specimens of Buddhist art which is illustrated through exhibits in Stone, Bronze, Terracotta and Stucco from 4th to 5th Century BC.
Manuscripts Gallery: The rare outstanding collection of manuscripts from 7th to the 19th centuries is on display here, representing the various religions and sects of Indian subcontinent. They are of different types of material such as Parchment, Birch Bark, Palm Leaf, Cloth, Paper and Metals.
Coins Gallery: The entire history of Indian coinage from about 6th century BCE to the beginning of the 21st century is exhibited. It also features the display of Gupta Gold Coins, Mughal Coins and British Indian Coins.
Textiles Gallery: Showcasing Cotton, Silk and Woolen textiles which are woven, printed, dyed and embroidered are exhibited in the gallery from the Indian traditional textiles of Mughal period.
Wood Carving Gallery: Exhibits Indian wooden carving specimens from 17th to 19th centuries. One can find wooden carving styles from other states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Orisaa and South India.
Arms and Armour Gallery: This gallery exhibits arms from the Stone Age up to the Modern Age.
Timings: All days of the week except Monday(10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Enntrance Fees:
INR 10 per person for Adults (Indians)
INR 300 per person for Adults (foreigners)
INR 1 per person for Students
INR 100 per person Audio fee for Indians (Hindi Language)
INR 150 per person Audio fee for Indians (Other Languages)
INR 20 per person Camera fee for Indians
INR 300 per person Camera fee for Foreigners
The temple is also called as Birla Mandir, spread over an area of 7 acres, dedicated to Hindu deities Lord Vishnu & his consort Goddess Laxmi. It is one of the prime tourist attractions of New Delhi, which is centrally located. King Udaybhanu Singh is said to have laid the foundation for the temple later completed by the initiative of B.R. Birla and Jugal Kishor Birla, well renowned Indian industrialists and philanthropists. It took six years between 1933 to 1939 to complete the temple structure. This temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939, but he expressed one condition before that temple should not be restricted to the Hindus and people from every caste would be allowed to visit the temple. The three storeyed temples have other shrines as well dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna, Hanuman and Budha.
Timings: All days of the week (04:30 AM to 01:30 PM & 02:30 PM to 09:00 PM)
Enntrance Fees: No entrance
Priority is to preserve our rail heritage of India; the national rail museum is located in New Delhi, spread over an area of 10 acres including both indoor and outdoor exhibits. It has a wide collection of rare and antique old rail coaches, best preserved steam locomotives, carriages, Saloon of Prince of Wales and many other railway artifacts. One can also enjoy a toy train ride running through this site regularly.
The main exhibits featuring such as The Fairy Queen, which is the world’s oldest working steam locomotive, built in 1855, considered one of the best preserved locomotives.
Saloon of Prince of Wales: Especially built in 1875 for Prince of Wales for his visit to India.
Saloon of Maharaja of Mysore: A Personal saloon of Maharaja of Mysore was designed using teak, gold and ivory.
Saloon of Maharaja of Indore: Best preserved personal Saloon of Holkar Maharaja of Indore.
Electric Locomotive Sir Leslie Wilson: This WCG 1 is one of the India’s first generation electric locomotives belonged to the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (presently Central Railway).
Timings: All days of the week except Monday (09:30 AM to 05:30 PM)
Enntrance Fees: INR 20 Per Person
Red Fort is a UNESCO world heritage site located in Delhi, built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan, who also built the Taj Mahal in Agra. After shifting his capital from Agra to Delhi, he laid the foundation of Red Fort in 1638 and completed in nine years. He formed the Shahjahanabad as a new capital city after his arrival in Delhi in 1638, the seventh city of Delhi, which is Old Delhi now days. It was the residence of Mughal emperor until 1857. The Red Fort got its name from the enclosing walls of red sandstone. It was designed under the supervision of an architect Ustad Ahmed Lahori, who also constructed Taj Mahal.
The walls, gates and other exteriors built out of red sandstone but white marble has been used in the palaces. Red fort is located at the northern end of Delhi on the right bank of river Yamuna and south of Salimgarh. Its important gates are the Mori, Lahori, Ajmeri, Turkman, Kahsmiri and Delhi gates.
The prime minister of India delivers a speech and hoists the national flag from its rampart every year at the occasion of Independence Day of India.
It houses various worth seeing attractions in side the citadel such as Diwan-i-Aam (Hall of Public Audience), behind there is painted palace Called Rang Mahal, named after its coloured interior consisting the main hall with an arched front. There is also a water channel called Nahr-i-Bihisht (Stream of Paradise). The Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) is a beautifully ornamented pillared hall along with Tasbih Khana (Chanber for counting beads for private prayers behind which is the Khwabgah. One more significant addition to ths fort is The Hammam (Bath) comprising three apartments divided by corridors built of marble and inlaid with coloured stones. Later addition was the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) commissioned by Aurangzeb.
Timings: All days of the week except Monday (07:00 AM to 05:30 PM)
Enntrance Fees: INR 30 Per Person for Indian & INR 500 Per Person for foreginer
Jama mosque is one of the largest of all in India, presently situated across the road in front of the Red Fort in Old Delhi. It was commissioned by Mughal emperor Shahjahan in 1644 and completed in 1658 with the help of 5000 artisans under the supervion of Saadullah Khan, the prime minister of Shahjahan. He also built Taj Mahal in Agra and Red Fort in Delhi. Jama mosque is considered as the last architectural works by the Munhall emperor Shahjahan. It was built in red sandstone & marble.
It is highly decorative mosque with a courtyard with a capacity of holding 25,000 faithful at one time. It has three gates, four towers and two 40 mt high minarets built in red sandstone and white marble. On the floor, a total of 899 black borders are marked for worshippers.
Timings: All days of the week (07:00 AM to 12:00 PM & 01:30 PM to 06:30 PM)
Enntrance Fees: No entrance
Raj Ghat is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi located on the banks of river Yamuna in Delhi on Mahatma Gandhi Ring Road. It is black marble platform marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated on 31 January 1948 fallowing his assassination on 30 January 1948. Hey Ram was the last words uttered by Mahatma Gandhi when he was shot, inscribed on the stone close to it and there is an eternal flame burns constantly at one end. It has become tradition for foreign celebrities to pay their homage to Gandhi at the Raj Ghat by offering flowers or wreaths on the platform. A prayer is held every Friday in remembrance of a day he died. A stone footpath flanked by lawns leads to the walled courtyard and two museums dedicated to Gandhiji are also here.
Timings: All days of the week(05:30 AM to 07:30 PM)
Enntrance Fees: No entrance
Chandini Chowk is one of the most popular markets of Delhi. It is located in Old Delhi near Old Delhi railway station. Red Fort and Jama mosque are also located in proximity. It was built in 17th century by Mughal emperor Shahjahan and designed by his beloved daughter Jaha Ara. Presently Chandini Chowk is famous for its markets offering pure Indian food, delicacies and profoundly Sarees with chikan & Zari work. The area is basically a hub of wholesalers for books, clothing, shoes and leather goods and electronic goods. It has narrow hives of lanes and by lanes through the whole market. It is absolutely worth to visit Chandini Chowk market when you are here in Delhi.
Chandini Chowk market is closed on Sunday.
