3 Days in Delhi: The First-Timer Itinerary
Three days is the first length where Delhi stops feeling rushed. One day each for Old Delhi, New Delhi, and the Qutub Minar/Hauz Khas side of the city, with actual breathing room between stops. Shorter on time? The 2-day version compresses this hard. Got a fourth day spare? The 4-day itinerary adds the Lotus Temple and Akshardham.
Book these before you go
- Hotel dates near Connaught Place or South Delhi, compare on Booking.com
- The Old Delhi walking tour with rickshaw and street food for day one
- ASI online tickets (Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar) at asi.payumoney.com , skips the gate queue
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Old Delhi: Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk |
| Day 2 | New Delhi: India Gate, Humayun’s Tomb, Lodhi Garden |
| Day 3 | Qutub Minar, Mehrauli, Hauz Khas Village |
Day 1: Old Delhi
Red Fort opens 9:30am (closed Mondays), foreigner ticket roughly ₹500-600; arrive at opening to beat the tour groups. Jama Masjid is next, free courtyard entry, ₹300 for a camera permit if you want photos. Give the rest of the day to Chandni Chowk: a cycle rickshaw through the lanes (agree the fare before you climb on), Paranthe Wali Gali for lunch, and Karim’s for Mughlai kebabs since 1913, about ₹350-500 a head.
Day 2: New Delhi and Humayun’s Tomb
Morning at India Gate and Kartavya Path, the ceremonial boulevard renamed from Rajpath in September 2022, reachable in one hop on the Delhi Metro , then on to Humayun’s Tomb, ₹550 foreigner rate, the mausoleum that directly inspired the Taj Mahal’s design 60 years later. Spend the afternoon at Lodhi Garden, free, scattered with 15th and 16th-century tombs and mostly full of locals jogging rather than tourists sightseeing. Dinner and an evening wander around Connaught Place.
Day 3: Qutub Minar, Mehrauli and Hauz Khas Village
Qutub Minar (₹550 foreigner) and the surrounding Mehrauli Archaeological Park fill the morning; remember the minaret’s interior has been closed since 1981, so it’s a ground-level visit only. In the afternoon, head to Hauz Khas Village, a 13th-14th-century madrasa and reservoir now surrounded by boutiques and rooftop cafes, a genuinely good spot to slow down before an early dinner there.
How many days do you actually need to see Delhi properly?
Three days covers the marquee sights without rushing, but four to five lets you add the Lotus Temple, Akshardham, and a proper market day at Dilli Haat or Khari Baoli. Treat three days as the minimum for a first visit, not the ideal, if your schedule allows any flex at all.
Is Hauz Khas Village worth a full afternoon?
Yes, especially after two days of monument-hopping. It pairs a genuine medieval site, a 13th-14th-century madrasa and tomb complex around a deer park and reservoir, with cafes and rooftop bars that give you a break from ticket queues and ASI opening hours.
Do Qutub Minar in the morning on day three, not the afternoon; the stone courtyard has almost no shade and gets brutal by midday even outside the summer months.