Hotels in New Delhi

Enjoyed RajGhat monuments. Akshardham temple was overwhelming. Spent about 5 hours here. This is a place where we could spend the whole day with the family. Taj Mahal at Agra was good. Visited Mathura (Krishna's birth place) on the way from Agra to Delhi and the temple is very beautiful and the art works inside the temple caves were great. We mostly ate at the Crowne Plaza hotel and the food was great. It was shocking to see the traffic on the roads. It took extremely long time to get from A to B. It was very stressful being in the vehicle and the driver was very stressed too. The air was polluted and we could see the smog and fog at all times. Could not see the Sun because of this, It was pretty depressing being in New Delhi. People were generally trying to cheat. For example, we paid the entrance fee for 3 adults at the Taj Mahal counter and when we gave them 2500 rupees the man gave us only 50 rupees change instead of 250 rupees change. I tried to buy somethings at the Delhi Duty free and the man charged me too much but gave me a receipt which indicated a very small amount. I will avoid visiting Delhi in the future. If at all we go again, we will avoid buying things at the duty free and be more careful with Delhi. purchases.

New Delhi feels very different to other towns/cities such as Mumbai or Jaipur. It has wide boulevard style roads/dual carriageways and the 'real world' seems tucked away from prying eyes until you wander off the beaten track a bit whereas elsewhere the old/new rich/poor seem to bump along side by side. Although enjoying the city, we came away with the feeling that Delhi is almost masquerading as something it is not - maybe we're wrong. But we prefer the raw honesty of other places we've visited. We felt safe in Delhi and found locals very helpful and wanting to tell you about their city. Tuk tuk and taxi drivers are good sources, though of course they always have an eye on where their next rupees are coming from. Like everywhere in India, every one has a 'wonderful shop' they know where everything is excellent/cheap. We now just say 'no' - it's embarrassing sitting watching them parade a host of goods before you when you know you aren't going to buy anything.

No matter how prepared you feel you might be or however many places you may have visited in the world, nothing compares to the filth and squalor of Delhi. Guide book contributors should be ashamed of themselves for suggesting areas such as Connaught Circus and Chandni Chowk are worth a visit. CP is so run down with nothing but scammers and touts and packs of roaming wild dogs. The architecture is of interest but difficult to focus on when constantly keeping guard for pick pockets. The Central Park at CP described in guide books as well kept etc is just a big dog toilet with a scattering of rubble. CC is of course the epicentre of old Delhi and one does expect it to be run down. However it is the squalor and filth that pervades old sights such as the spice market that makes it difficult to appreciate its magnificent origins. Another and serious issue are the pollution levels, these of course can vary during the course of the year but there is no sign if it improving and currently they are the highest levels of city pollution in the world.

Delhi is polluted. The thick fog doesn't mean it's cold out there, it means you're inhaling smokes of dirty air. It's horrible and people drive as if they're about to kill pedestrians. The cars are everywhere, and you can't escape them. The funny thing is that the city is so divided. One part is dirty and the other is clean. There are so many differences between one area to another. It's like there are many cities in a one big city. Shopping isn't as fun as it is in Mumbai, but they do have great stuff. Be ready to be an attraction since people will definitely be after you the moment they see you're a foreigner. Foods are good, and I love the foods in Delhi. The street foods are also awesome. I like Delhi, and I wouldn't mind returning. But there are more beautiful cities in India, those that are less polluted too. So you might want to check them out instead. And don't trust the trains. Trains are famous for being late. Volvo couch buses are better.

All the standard places are as good as their reputation. India gate and Red fort are majestic and beautiful during delhi early winter, zoo is good but huge crowds during weekends and holidays, sad to see the animals in small environments and insensitive public. Zoo has taken a great step of banning all outside food and strictly enforcing that, and there is no food sales except milk and soda inside, so it prevents people spending too much time and dirtying the place. Delhi food is great, street food is the tastiest, expensive places have lousy food. Chandni chowk parathe wali gali is famous but I did not like the parathas - they are deep fried and nothing exceptional in taste. Rajma rice and chole rice (chick peas rice), choley bhature, paneer tikka, ram laddus (lentil paste fried in oil) are the best bet and are available all over Delhi. Ambience mall vasant kunj has good food, especially Punjabi by Nature. National Gallery of Modern Art was excellent - impressive works of Amrita Sher-Gill and MF Hussain.

Zostel accommodation was perfect for our one night stay...short walk from Railway station. Connaught Place was a short cab ride ..200 rupee...could have taken a tuk tuk for 50 rupee or could have walked in 15 minutes. India Gate was a further short trip from the shops in Connaught Place. Loved the hum drum of the area we saw and the generally happy vibe of tha locals. Touts however were a constant pain in the bum which made life a little unpleasant at times..we found almost everyone we spoke for general info or directions to sights we wished to see, would try to direct us to their friend's shop..sadly this goes with the territory when in India. We ate at a local cafe and found the food tasty and cheap. Getting around was trouble free and the traffic was surprisingly fluid in the areas we travelled...this was direct opposite to Bangalore where we had spent 5 days...walking was many times faster than either tuk tuk or cab!! Next time ignore the touts if possible however it is difficult to pick who is and who isn't...