A city so rich in history and with a lively and bright present attracts a large number of people from across the globe. Delhi, the capital of India has been a tourist hub since ages and continues to be so. Delhi has attracted rulers and tourists since ages. Places to Visit in Delhi includes a number of UNESCO World Heritage site and other important attractions. Form historical to modern, every century is very well defined in this city. This city has something or the other in store for everyone and is one of the best tourist destinations. There are a number of places of interest but here is a list of some of the most important tourist places in Delhi that you must visit.
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India Gate was constructed to commemorate the death of the Indian soldiers who died during the Afghan wars and World War I. The names of the soldiers who died in these wars are inscribed on the walls. The cenotaph in the middle is constructed with black marble and depicts a rifle placed on its barrel, crested by a soldier’s helmet. The words ‘Amar Jawan’ has been inscribed on each face of the cenotaph.
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Rashtrapati Bhawan is the official home of the President of India. The building is spread over four floors and has 340 rooms. The floor area of Rashtrapati Bhawan is 200,000 square feet and the structure was built by using 700 million bricks and three million cubic feet of stone. There has hardly been any use of steel in the construction of this majestic structure. The building shows impressive use of heavy classical motifs to emphasize power and imperial authority.
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The Red Fort was the residence of the Mughal emperor of India for nearly 200 years. At present it houses a number of museums. Constructed in 1648 by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, Red Fort gets its name from the red stone that has been used in the construction of this royal fortification. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 as is one of the most important tourist places in Delhi.
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Qutub Minar is the second tallest minar in India. It stands 74 meters tall and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate started construction of the Qutub Minar in 1200 CE. The Minar is made of red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Qur’an. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone.
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Humayun’s Tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun’s first wife Bega Begum in 1569-70. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built with Mughal architecture in mind, the tomb has graves of Emperor Humayun, his wife, his great grandson and many of their other successors. The Charbagh garden is also an important part of this area.
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Also coined as Ugrasen ki Baoli, it is a protected monument under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It is a steep well about 60 meter in length and 15-meter wide. It is believed that it was built by the legendary king Agrasen of Mahabharata times.
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National Museum in Delhi is one of the largest museums in India. It was established in 1949 and is home to a number of objects from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It has over 200,000 works of art, of both Indian and foreign origin, covering more than 5,000 years of the rich cultural heritage of different parts of the world. It also houses the National Museum Institute of History of Arts,Conservation and Museology on the first floor .
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The National Gallery of Modern Art is the premier art gallery. It has a collection of more than 14,000 works of art. The museum displays works of famous artists like Thomas Daniel, Raja Ravi Verma,Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil as well as foreign artists, apart from sculptures by various artists. Some of the oldest works preserved here date back to 1857.
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The National Gandhi Museum has a large number of paintings and personal items of Mahatma Gandhi. The most prominent items in the collection are a Satyagraha woodcut by Willemia Muller Ogterop, one of his walking sticks, the shawl and dhoti worn by him when he was assassinated, one of the bullets that were used to kill him, and his urn. The Museum also displays some of Gandhi’s teeth and his ivory toothpick.
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National Museum of Natural History was created in 1972 as part of the celebration of the 25th year of India’s independence. The focus of the museum is on India’s plants, animals and mineral wealth, and are divided into four main exhibit galleries: "Cell: The Basic Unit of Life", "Conservation", "Introduction to Natural History", and "Nature’s Network: Ecology".
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It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656. The mosque features three great gates, four towers and two 40 m high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. The courtyard has the capacity to accommodate more than 25,000 people. The floor is covered with white and black ornamented marble to look like a Muslim prayer mat.
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The main attraction of the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex is the Akshardham Mandir. It is 141-foot high, 316-foot wide, and 356-foot long. It is constructed with Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble. The mandir has 234 ornately carved pillars, nine domes, and 20,000 murtis of sadhus, devotees, and acharyas. It also displays 148 life sized elephants in total weighing a total of 3000 tons.
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Lotus Temple is a Bahá’í House of Worship. Its construction was completed in 1986. The temple is well known for its lotus like structure. The temple is made of 27 free-standing marble-clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The nine doors of the Lotus Temple take you to the central hall that is slightly more than 40 meters tall and has a capacity of holding up to 2,500 people. The surface of the House of Worship is made of white marble from Penteli Mountain in Greece.
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St. James’ Church is an Anglican church built in by Colonel James Skinner. It is one of the oldest churches in the city. It features three porticoed porches, elaborate stained glass windows and a central octagonal dome, similar to that of the Florence Cathedral in Italy. The copper ball and cross on the top, are supposedly the replica of a church in Venice The church houses several tombs.
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Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is one of the most important Sikh gurdwara in Delhi. It was built in 1783. The stunning golden dome and tall flagpole are the most attractive features of this gurudwara. The vicinity of the gurudwara includes the Gurudwara, a kitchen, a large (holy) pond, a school and an art gallery. The complex also houses a higher secondary school, Baba Baghel Singh Museum, a library and a hospital.
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Nizamuddin Dargah is tha masoluem of the most famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. The tombs of poet Amir Khusro and Mughal princess Jehan Ara Begum are also located within the Nizamuddin Dargah complex. The Nizamuddin heritage area include Humayun’s Tomb, Chausath Khamba, Mirza Ghalib’s tomb, Barakhamba, Sabz Burj (Blue Gumbad) at the Nizamuddin Circle and Lal Mahal.
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One of the best shopping and entertainment mall in NCR region, Select Citywalk Mall is located in Saket area of Delhi and is spread over an area of 6 acres.With more than 180 stores , you can find every luxury Indian and international brands of clothes and apparels including Aldo, Nine West, Charles & Keith, Calvin Klein, Armani Jeans, French Connection, Gant, Guess, La Senza, Levi’s, Mango, Next, Pepe Jeans, Zara.
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Sarojini Nagar is one of the busiest and liveliest market place in South Delhi. The area is flooded with street shops and retail stores. You will find anything and everything under the sky in this market at cheap and negotiable rates.
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Dilli Haat is an open-air food plaza reflecting the variety of cultural traditions of India. It is located in the commercial centers of South Delhi, opposite INA market. Small thatched roof cottages and kiosks give the plaza gives a village like look to the market. It is spread over 6 acres of land. rosewood and sandalwood carvings, embellished hide footwear, sophisticated fabric and drapery, gems, beads, brasswar, metal crafts, and silk and wool fabrics are sold here.
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Connaught Place is one of the largest financial, commercial and business centres in New Delhi. This circular area has a number of retail shops and is also well known for the underground Palika Baraaz. Janpath Market is also present in the premises of Connaught Place. You will also find a number of restaurants and multiplexes in this area.
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Khan Market was set up in 1951. It has been ranked as the costliest retail location in India. This U-shaped, double-storey market complex originally had 154 shops and 74 flats on the first floor for shopkeepers. A 2011 Cushman & Wakefield survey ranked Khan Market as the world’s 21st most expensive shopping street.
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Chandani Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi. It was built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor of India Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter Jahan Ara. The market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight. Chandni Chowk runs through the middle of the walled city, from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid.
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Paranthe Wali Gali is a narrow street in the Chandni Chowk. It is famous for its series of shops selling paratha. Established in 1650, some shops in the area are being run by the sixth generation of the same family.
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Khan Chacaha is a very important food chain restaurant in Delhi and has its braches spread through all parts of the city. Serving delicious delicacies for decades, the restaurant offers a numb er of non vegetarian as well as vegetarians cuisines.
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Kamla Nagar is a busy area in North Delhi lined with a number of restaurants and cafes. Few of the restaurants served food till late night. It also has a number of street food stalls that offers good food at cheaper rates.
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The Jantar Mantar is an equinoctial sundial. It has an enormous triangular gnomon with the hypotenuse parallel to the Earth’s axis. On either side of the gnomon is a quadrant of a circle, parallel to the plane of the equator. It was constructed by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur in the 18th century. They were constructed to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets.
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Raj Ghat is the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. It is a black marble platform that marks the spot of Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation. An eternal flame burns perpetually at one end. The Raj Ghat is located on the banks of Yamuna River. A stone footpath flanked by lawns leads to the walled enclosure that houses the memorial
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The National Zoological Park or the Delhi Zoo houses a number of wild animals and exhibits a wide range of exotic flora and fauna. It is spread over 176 acres of land. It features a 16th-century citadel and a sprawling green island along with 130 species of animals and birds from around the world. It is among the most famous places to visit in Delhi.
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