Delhi
Delhi layers seven historic cities into one — Mughal forts and tombs standing a few streets from colonial-era avenues and Old Delhi's working bazaars.
Plan My Delhi TripWhere To Go
Delhi
Delhi doesn't sit still long enough to be summed up in one word. Mughal emperors built forts and tomb-gardens here for over three centuries. The British later laid out wide colonial avenues around them. Old Delhi's lanes still run the way they did under Shah Jahan. Spice traders and street food stalls still work the same spots, generation after generation. A private Delhi itinerary usually opens a longer India journey. It's the natural entry point for a Golden Triangle route on to Agra and Jaipur. The city's own landmarks reward a full day first. Start early at Red Fort's ramparts. Walk the quiet, garden-set grounds of Humayun's Tomb. Then spend an afternoon in Old Delhi — most first-time visitors rush straight past it.
What To See
What A Private Guide Actually Shows You
Delhi's real highlights are what a private guide builds each day around.
Red Fort
Shah Jahan's walled Mughal citadel in Old Delhi, red sandstone, the seat of empire for two centuries.
Qutub Minar
A 73-metre victory tower begun in 1193 — the tallest brick minaret in the world.
Humayun's Tomb
The first great Mughal garden-tomb, built in the 1560s — the design that led to the Taj Mahal.
Jama Masjid
Shah Jahan's great mosque in Old Delhi, finished in 1656 — the largest in India.
India Gate
A 42-metre war memorial arch on the central axis of New Delhi, inscribed with the names of 13,000 Indian soldiers.
Lotus Temple
A Bahá'í house of worship shaped like a half-open lotus in white marble, open to people of every faith.
Akshardham
A vast pink-sandstone Hindu temple complex on the Yamuna's banks, hand-carved and opened in 2005.
Lodhi Garden
A landscaped park in central Delhi built around the domed tombs of the 15th-century Lodhi and Sayyid sultans.
Old Delhi Heritage Walk
A guided walk through Shahjahanabad — the spice market, the havelis, the lanes behind the Jama Masjid.
Cycle-Rickshaw Ride, Chandni Chowk
A rickshaw threading the Chandni Chowk bazaar, with stops for jalebi and a parathe-wala lane.
Old Delhi Food Walk
A guided eating walk through the lanes of Old Delhi — chaat, kachori, jalebi, kebabs and the fried-bread lane.
Lodhi Art District Walk
A walk through Lodhi Colony, India's first open-air public art district, where artists have painted the government housing blocks.
Old Delhi Cycle Tour
A dawn cycle through the empty lanes of Old Delhi, before the traffic and the crowds take over.
How To Travel
Journeys Through Delhi
Every journey here comes with a private guide and driver for each day on the road — full pricing lives on each journey's own page.
Luxury Delhi — Luxury
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Old Delhi in Depth — Shahjahanabad on Foot
Old Delhi Immersion — Premium
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Old Delhi in Depth — Shahjahanabad on Foot
Delhi & Agra — Luxury
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Delhi in a Day — Old City & New Capital
Delhi & Agra — Premium
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Delhi in a Day — Old City & New Capital
Delhi City Break — Luxury
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Old Delhi in Depth — Shahjahanabad on Foot
Delhi City Break — Premium
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Old Delhi in Depth — Shahjahanabad on Foot
Delhi Stopover — Luxury
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Delhi in a Day — Old City & New Capital
Delhi Stopover — Premium
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Delhi in a Day — Old City & New Capital
Delhi for First-Timers — Luxury
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Old Delhi in Depth — Shahjahanabad on Foot
Delhi for First-Timers — Premium
Arrival in Delhi — Mughal Landmarks — Old Delhi in Depth — Shahjahanabad on Foot
Where To Stay
Real Stays, Chosen City By City
A private itinerary through Delhi is anchored by real, handpicked stays — heritage palaces and boutique properties chosen city by city, not a single hotel chain repeated everywhere.
The Imperial New Delhi
The Imperial has stood on Janpath since 1936. It opened just before India's independence, in the final years of British rule in Delhi. The architecture blends Victorian charm, colonial grace, and Art Deco style. Few Delhi hotels carry this much genuine history within their walls. Step inside and you enter something like a private museum. The Imperial holds one of India's largest collections of 19th-century art. Paintings, prints, and antiques line every corridor and public room. Guests often spend an hour walking the halls before they even check in. The hotel sits in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi, moments from Connaught Place. India Gate and Rajpath are a short drive away. This location suits travellers who want to explore central Delhi on foot, then return to calm within minutes. Rooms and suites number over 200 in total, split across Deco, Imperial, and Heritage categories. Each has high ceilings and abundant natural light, a hallmark of the building's original 1930s design. Marble bathrooms and modern comforts sit alongside period furniture and art. The result feels neither dated nor generic. Dining here spans several distinct restaurants. 1911 serves all-day multi-cuisine fare on a colonnaded terrace. San Gimignano offers Italian cooking under an open-air pergola. Spice Route, one of Delhi's most celebrated restaurants, draws on Southeast Asian traditions. Its carved wooden panels alone took years to complete, made by artisans from Kerala. The Patiala Peg bar pours whisky in a room styled after old Punjab. An outdoor pool and full-service spa round out the leisure offering. The Imperial Spa uses natural products and traditional techniques for facials, massages, and body treatments. Guests can also browse the hotel's boutiques, or take afternoon tea in the Atrium beneath its glass dome. The Imperial belongs to The Leading Hotels of the World, a mark reserved for genuinely exceptional independent properties. It has hosted heads of state, diplomats, and celebrities across nine decades. Even so, the service style stays personal rather than stiff. For travellers who want Old World Delhi with five-star comfort, few addresses compare. The Imperial offers history you can see and touch, not just read about in a brochure. That makes it a natural base for exploring Delhi's monuments, markets, and museums, all while returning each evening to a hotel that is itself a landmark. Connaught Place's shops and cafes sit within walking distance, and the metro station at Rajiv Chowk connects easily to the rest of the city. Guests arriving from Delhi airport typically reach the hotel within 45 minutes outside peak traffic. Doormen in period uniform still greet arrivals at the porte-cochere, a small detail that sets the tone before guests even step inside. It is the kind of touch that repeat visitors notice and mention long after their stay.
The Lodhi
The Lodhi is a modernist luxury hotel on Lodhi Road, next to the Lodhi Gardens and Humayun's Tomb, in the greenest part of New Delhi. It was built as the Aman New Delhi and kept the same architects' scheme. The rooms are among the largest in the city, in stone, teak and leather, and many have their own balcony plunge pool. The grounds hold a fifty-metre pool, clay tennis courts, a large spa and a hammam. There are four restaurants, including one of Delhi's better Indian kitchens. Service is quiet and unhurried. It is the choice for a Delhi stay that is calm and private rather than grand and historic, and it is walking distance from the tombs and the gardens.
The Oberoi, New Delhi
The Oberoi, New Delhi sits across from Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to the 16th century. Many rooms look straight out at its dome and gardens. Others face the green fairways of the Delhi Golf Club instead. Either way, the view rarely feels like a typical city view. The building itself favours restraint over excess. Clean architectural lines and a hushed, art-filled lobby set the tone from arrival. A striking bronze sculpture, the Tree of Life, anchors the lobby space. Marble floors and considered lighting carry that same calm through the public areas. Every one of the hotel's 220 rooms and suites comes with a personal butler, a standard that goes beyond what most five-star properties offer. In-room dining, laundry, and daily requests all run through this one point of contact. Italian marble bathrooms, oak writing desks, and full-length bathtubs feature across the room categories, along with premium bedding and high-speed WiFi. Dining spans three distinct restaurants. Dhilli serves refined Indian cooking, drawing on recipes from across the country. Baoshuan focuses on Pan-Asian and Chinese dishes in a moody, elegant setting. 360°, the all-day dining restaurant, offers international cuisine with live counters. A bar and lounge round out the evening options for guests who prefer a quieter nightcap. Outdoors, a landscaped pool sits away from street noise, screened by trees and the building itself. The Oberoi Spa offers massages and treatments across several private suites, along with a steam room and a well-equipped fitness centre. A business centre supports guests travelling for work, with meeting rooms available for larger groups and corporate events. The location itself is a genuine asset. Humayun's Tomb and the Sunder Nursery gardens are a short walk away. Lodhi Garden and India Gate sit within easy reach by car. Guests exploring central Delhi's monuments can treat the hotel as a genuinely restful base, not just a place to sleep between sightseeing days. Service consistency is what The Oberoi Group is best known for across its properties, and the New Delhi flagship upholds that reputation closely. Staff-to-guest ratios run high, and the butler system means requests rarely need repeating twice. For travellers who want five-star comfort paired with one of Delhi's best views, this hotel remains a genuine standout among the capital's luxury addresses. The Diplomatic Enclave setting also means quieter streets than central Delhi, without losing easy access to the city. Lodhi Garden and Khan Market are both a short drive away, useful for an evening stroll or a lunch outside the hotel. Business travellers benefit from the same calm, with the airport roughly 30 minutes away depending on traffic. It is a location built for guests who want Delhi's culture close by, without the noise that usually comes with it.
Haveli Dharampura
Haveli Dharampura is a restored 19th-century mansion in the lanes off Chandni Chowk, in the heart of Old Delhi. The building was a ruin until a six-year restoration brought back its carved sandstone balconies, jharokha windows and courtyards. The work won a UNESCO Asia-Pacific award. There are about thirteen rooms around two courtyards, each different, furnished with period pieces. A rooftop restaurant looks over the Jama Masjid and the old city. Kathak dance is performed in the courtyard most evenings. Heritage walks leave straight from the door. It is the way to stay inside Old Delhi rather than drive in and out of it, and it is the premium choice for a Delhi trip built around the old city.
From the Journal
Delhi travel guides
Golden Triangle Highlights: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, Place by Place
Where to Stay on the Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur
Vrindavan and Mathura Day Trip from Delhi or Agra: Temples and Timings
Continue Your Journey
Golden Triangle
India's classic first route — Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur in one private circuit, covering the Red Fort, the Taj Mahal, and Amber Fort in a single journey.
Uttar Pradesh
Home to the Taj Mahal — Agra's Mughal monuments make Uttar Pradesh the essential third stop on a private Golden Triangle route from Delhi and Jaipur.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan pairs hilltop forts and mirror-work palaces with candlelit courtyards, making it the most cinematic route for a first luxury journey through India.
Punjab
Sikh heritage and fertile plains, covered by a private driver from temple courtyard to open countryside.
Uttarakhand
Yoga on the Ganges, old hill towns, and wide Himalayan views. We explore Uttarakhand's hills with a private guide.
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
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