Delhi · The City of Seven Cities
Five Unhurried Days in Delhi: Forts, Gardens, and Food for the Whole Family
This plan moves gently between Mughal forts, colonial-era avenues, and a modern temple, with plenty of shaded garden breaks for grandparents and open courtyards for children to run in. Mornings are used for the sites that need cooler weather and thinner crowds, afternoons for museums and markets with air conditioning or shade, and evenings for lawns, lights, and food.
Day 1 · Old Delhi: Forts, Mosques, and Street Food
Mughal Delhi at street level
Red Fort (Lal Qila)
Walk the palace halls and museums Shah Jahan built as his seat of power; budget the full two and a half hours since the complex is large and mostly outdoors. Wear closed shoes, the stone paths are uneven.
Chandni Chowk food walk
Walk the 10 minutes from Red Fort into Chandni Chowk and graze through Paranthe Wali Gali and nearby stalls for stuffed parathas, chaat, and jalebi. Keep a firm hand on small children, the lanes are narrow and genuinely crowded.
Jama Masjid
India's largest mosque, free to enter, with a vast courtyard that comfortably absorbs crowds. Cover shoulders and knees, shoes come off at the entrance; skip the minaret climb with elderly parents or very young children, the staircase is a tight, dim spiral.
Where to eat
Breakfast: Simple hotel breakfast or nearby South Indian chain before heading out — Connaught Place area ₹150
Lunch: Stuffed parathas and chaat as part of the food walk, or a sit-down thali at Karim's near Jama Masjid — Chandni Chowk / Karim's ₹300
Dinner: North Indian sit-down dinner back near the hotel — Connaught Place restaurant ₹350
Where to stay
Lemon Tree Hotel, Connaught Place, Connaught Place — ₹3,000 a night. Central, reliable mid-range chain with family rooms; figure is per person assuming double occupancy on a room around 6000 INR total, which cuts commute time to both Old and New Delhi sites.
Day total, per person: ₹3,935
Day 2 · Gardens and New Delhi
From Mughal tombs to British-built avenues
Humayun's Tomb
This 1558 garden tomb is where the charbagh-and-dome layout that later produced the Taj Mahal was worked out. Grassy walkways and uneven stone paths mean comfortable shoes matter; there is limited shade so carry water.
Lodhi Garden
A gentler, pre-Mughal counterpoint, with 15th-century Lodhi and Sayyid tombs set among shaded lawns. Good spot for elderly members of the group to sit on a bench rather than climb more stairs.
India Gate and Rajpath, evening
Wide lawns around the 42-metre war memorial arch are a popular family evening spot, with ice cream vendors and open space for children to run. Midday sun is harsh here, so the evening slot works far better.
Where to eat
Breakfast: Hotel breakfast — Connaught Place ₹150
Lunch: Cafe lunch near Khan Market or Lodhi Colony — Khan Market ₹350
Dinner: Sit-down North Indian dinner, or ice cream and light snacks at India Gate followed by dinner back at the hotel — Connaught Place restaurant ₹400
Where to stay
Lemon Tree Hotel, Connaught Place, Connaught Place — ₹3,000 a night. Same central base, avoids packing and moving mid-trip.
Day total, per person: ₹4,090
Day 3 · Ancient Delhi and Indoor Culture
Sultanate ruins to museum halls
Qutub Minar
Go early for cooler weather and thinner crowds around this 72.5-metre brick minaret begun in 1199. Visitors cannot climb the tower, but the garden and ruined mosque complex, including the Iron Pillar, are worth the walk; paths are partially wheelchair accessible.
Purana Qila
A quieter fort believed to sit on the site of the legendary Indraprastha, with fewer crowds than the Red Fort and a small lake where boating is sometimes on offer, a nice change of pace for children.
National Museum
Indoor and air-conditioned, spanning Harappan artefacts through Mughal miniatures, a good escape from the afternoon sun and useful context for everything seen so far.
Where to eat
Breakfast: Early light breakfast before the early Qutub Minar start — Hotel ₹150
Lunch: Food court or sit-down lunch near Purana Qila or Pragati Maidan — Near Purana Qila ₹300
Dinner: Relaxed dinner back at Connaught Place — Connaught Place restaurant ₹400
Where to stay
Lemon Tree Hotel, Connaught Place, Connaught Place — ₹3,000 a night. Central location keeps the day's back-and-forth manageable.
Day total, per person: ₹4,125
Day 4 · Modern Delhi: Akshardham and the Lotus
Delhi's monument-building tradition continues
Akshardham Temple
A 2005-built complex constructed without structural steel, a striking counterpoint to the Mughal sites seen earlier in the trip. Temple darshan is free; exhibitions and the evening musical fountain are separately ticketed, and all electronics must be checked in at the free cloakroom before entering.
Lotus Temple
A lotus-shaped Bahá'í house of worship open to all faiths, valued for its architecture and quiet rather than any historical connection. Expect a queue, especially on weekends, and complete silence is expected inside the main hall.
Where to eat
Breakfast: Hotel breakfast — Connaught Place ₹150
Lunch: Pure-vegetarian food court inside the Akshardham complex — Akshardham premises ₹250
Dinner: Sit-down dinner back at Connaught Place — Connaught Place restaurant ₹400
Where to stay
Lemon Tree Hotel, Connaught Place, Connaught Place — ₹3,000 a night. Keeps the group in one base for the whole trip, avoiding repacking.
Day total, per person: ₹4,170
Day 5 · Markets, Crafts, and a Farewell to the Fort
Shopping, culture, and a last look at Mughal Delhi
Connaught Place heritage walk
A relaxed walk through the Georgian-colonnaded circles of Connaught Place, past Central Park and the Hanuman Mandir, easy on the legs after four days of monuments.
Dilli Haat crafts market
An open-air handicrafts and food market bringing together stalls from across India's states, a good spot for souvenirs and a relaxed lunch of regional dishes; not on the attractions list on file but a well-known and reliable half-day stop.
Red Fort Light and Sound Show
An evening return to the Red Fort for the sound-and-light retelling of Mughal Delhi's history, a good bookend to the trip; check locally for the current show timing and language slots.
Where to eat
Breakfast: Hotel breakfast — Connaught Place ₹150
Lunch: Regional food stalls inside Dilli Haat, a good chance to sample cuisines from beyond Delhi — Dilli Haat ₹350
Dinner: Farewell dinner near Old Delhi or back at Connaught Place after the light show — Near Red Fort / Connaught Place ₹450
Where to stay
Lemon Tree Hotel, Connaught Place, Connaught Place — ₹3,000 a night. Final night at the same base keeps the last day simple before departure.
Day total, per person: ₹4,230
Pack for this trip
- Closed, comfortable walking shoes; several sites involve uneven stone paths and steps with no lifts.
- A light scarf or shawl for covering shoulders at Jama Masjid and for cooler evenings.
- Reusable water bottle, sunscreen, and a cap; Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar, and Purana Qila have limited shade.
- A small padlock or zipped bag for valuables in crowded areas like Chandni Chowk and the metro.
- Check the season before travel: Oct-Feb is most comfortable for walking, Mar-Jun is very hot, and Jul-Sep brings humidity and occasional waterlogging.
Stay safe
- Red Fort, Akshardham, Lotus Temple, and National Museum are all closed on Mondays; check which day of the week your visit dates fall on and reorder this itinerary if any of these lands on a Monday.
- Traffic is the single biggest hazard for families in Delhi; hold children's hands firmly near any main road, especially around India Gate and Chandni Chowk.
- Old Delhi's lanes get crowded enough to lose sight of a small child; agree a meeting point in advance and consider matching outfits or a photo of the child's clothing for the day.
- The Jama Masjid minaret staircase is steep, dim, and unsuited to elderly parents, very young children, or anyone with knee issues; the free courtyard is a fine substitute.
- Politely decline unsolicited 'official guide' offers and unmetered auto fares near monuments; walk to the official ticket counter or insist on the meter.
Local courtesies
- Cover shoulders and knees at Jama Masjid and other religious sites, and remove shoes where asked.
- Complete silence is expected inside the Lotus Temple's main hall.
- Ask before photographing worshippers at Jama Masjid, Akshardham, or the Lotus Temple.
- Agree cycle-rickshaw and auto fares before the ride begins; this is standard practice, not rudeness.
- At Mughlai restaurants, it is fine to ask directly for a Jain-friendly version without onion or garlic; most places will accommodate this on request.
If it rains
- Swap an outdoor day, such as Qutub Minar or Humayun's Tomb, for the National Museum, which is fully indoor and air-conditioned.
- Akshardham's exhibition halls are indoors and work well as a wet-weather substitute for the more open-air Old Delhi walks.
- Dilli Haat has covered stalls in parts but can get slippery underfoot; a mall-based alternative like a Connaught Place food court is a safer fallback in heavy rain.
- Carry a compact umbrella or light raincoat rather than relying on found shelter, especially in the July-September window.
Other lengths: 2-day plan · 3-day plan · the full Delhi guide
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