India Gate, Delhi: Timings, Best Time and the War Memorial

India Gate, Delhi: open hours, free entry, best time for the lights, the National War Memorial next door, history and how to fit it into a Delhi day.

By the Lux India Tours Team·Oct 19, 2026

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India Gate war memorial arch in New Delhi seen from the west

India Gate is the one Delhi landmark nobody has to be persuaded to see. It stands at the end of a long ceremonial avenue and is lit up each night, and most visitors will pass it within hours of arriving.

This guide covers the practical parts: when it is open, when to go and what else is within a few minutes' walk, including the National War Memorial.

India Gate from the west.

At a glance
Where	Central Delhi, at the east end of Kartavya Path
Height	About 42 m
Entry	Free; the lawns and surroundings are open to all
Hours	The lawns are open from morning to late evening; the arch itself is a monument you view from outside
Best time	Late afternoon into the evening
Time to allow	30 to 45 minutes

What it is

India Gate is a war memorial. It was designed by Edwin Lutyens, who also planned much of New Delhi, and it commemorates the soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in the First World War and in the Afghan wars. Their names, more than 13,000 of them, are carved into the stone. The foundation was laid in 1921 and the arch was inaugurated in 1931.

It is a 42 m triumphal arch in red and buff sandstone, set on a low base. The scale is impressive without being ornate, and the surrounding lawns, ponds and avenue give it room.

Beneath the arch, an eternal flame burned for decades as the Amar Jawan Jyoti, set up after the 1971 war. It was merged with the flame at the nearby National War Memorial in 2022. The canopy behind the arch now holds a statue of Subhas Chandra Bose.

Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial beneath the arch of India Gate, New Delhi

The Amar Jawan Jyoti stood beneath the arch until 2022.

When to go

India Gate is an open public space, so the practical question is the hour.

Late afternoon to dusk is best. The sandstone warms in the last light, the heat has eased and the lamps come on.
After dark, the arch is floodlit and the lawns are full of families with ice cream and balloons.
Early morning is quiet and the air is calm, and it is the best time for photographs without crowds.
Midday is hot and bright, and offers little reason to stay long.

The cooler months, from October to March, are the comfortable season. Summer afternoons are hard, and the monsoon brings short heavy showers.

The National War Memorial

Just beyond the arch, behind the canopy, is the National War Memorial, opened in 2019. It lists the names of soldiers of independent India who died in service, and it is laid out as a series of concentric circles of walls and sculpture.

It is a more recent and more sober place than the arch.
It has its own hours, usually in the daytime until early evening, and a few security checks.
Allow 30 to 45 minutes.

Check the day's timings with your hotel or driver, because both sites have changed access rules a few times.

Access, traffic and the surroundings

Getting there: by car from most central hotels, 15 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. Metro stops are a walk away.
Parking and traffic: access to the area around the arch has changed over the years, and some roads are closed at certain times. Your driver will know the current arrangement.
Security: bags may be checked. Large bags are discouraged.
Boating: there has been a boat area nearby at times. Do not count on it.

The avenue leads west to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the secretariat buildings, which are visible but not open to casual visitors.

Fitting it into a Delhi day

India Gate works well as the evening closer to a day of sights.

Spend the morning at Humayun's Tomb, which is a short drive away.
Have lunch in Lodhi or Khan Market.
See the Qutub Minar or the Red Fort in the afternoon, depending on your order.
End at India Gate and the War Memorial by dusk.

Our Delhi in two days guide puts the whole sequence together, and the Delhi destination page shows where the city sits in the circuit.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, as a short evening stop. It does not take long, it costs nothing, and the setting is one of the most characteristic in the city. It is not a place for a long visit, and the real value is the atmosphere at dusk.