NEW DELHI
Considering that we were not looking forward to visiting New Delhi, it definitely surprised us. We recommend one day for New Delhi. You can see all the major places, and then be on your merry way to the next city. We stayed at The Park New Delhi Hotel. It is right across from Jantar Mantar, so we decided to visit that on the morning that we were leaving for Agra.
If you only have time to visit one place in New Delhi, we highly recommend Humayan’s Tomb. The entrance fee is 500 rs ($6.8 USD) for foreigners and 30 rs for Indians. We visited in the afternoon, which we thought would be a mistake, but even though so many visitors come by, the grounds are so large that you hardly feel the crowds. When we first entered the grounds, we visited the Tomb and mosque of Isa Khan. The tomb is octagonal surrounded by a octagonal garden. It’s very small, and we went around it quickly, but it was nice to learn more about Mughal history. The main tomb is located in Char Bagh (Four Gardens) . There are two bisecting water channels that lead up to the tomb, and it allows a perfect picture opportunity to get a reflection. The main tomb is accessible to tourists, and you can climb up to the terrace and get a nice view of the whole place. After, we entered the garden complex, known as Bu Halima's Garden, it was peaceful and a perfect place to rest after walking around a lot. I think we spent a good 30 minutes sitting in the shade and watching people walk by.
When we first arrived to New Delhi, we visited the Jama Masjid in the morning. Even then., the Jama Masjid was very crowded, since the main people there were coming to pray. yet you can climb to the top of one of the towers for a small fee, and you get a really interesting view of New Delhi. If you are claustrophobic, the climb up can be a bit uncomfortable since it’s very tight, and people are also coming down. Once you get to the top, there isn’t much room to stand, so you kind of have to push through to get a glimpse of the city.
Next, we visited The Raj Ghat. Lea was feeling a bit overwhelmed from the crowds after visiting the large mosque, so the Raj Ghat was a perfect place for her to relax a bit. It’s very spacious and green, and it doesn’t really feel like you are in New Delhi, it’s so secluded from the city and the chaos. The Raj Ghat is a beautiful memorial for Ghandi, and an excellent learning experience for Lea, since she was able to learn more about Gandhi and his impacts on not only India, but the world.
The India Gate was very crowded, since it’s in the middle of the street, and since it’s such an iconic landmark of New Delhi we recommend visiting at least for 10 minutes. Since the parliament building is nearby, we decided to get out and see what it looks like. Although we didn’t actually go inside, the outside was nice, but there isn’t much to do or see, so if you don’t have much time, we recommend simply skip it.
We visited Jantar Mantar on the morning that we were leaving. It opens pretty early (6:00 AM), so no one was there. The entrance fee is 200 Rs ($2.70 USD) for foreign tourists and 15 Rs for Indian visitors. It was pretty cool, since it was early morning, and the sun was hitting the astronomical instruments perfectly. Five of these observatories were built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in the 16th century. We saw another Jantar Mantar in Jaipur later, but we though this one was better.