Cultural Highlights of Delhi Latin America & Asia Holidays

India's capital city has incredible history, museums, monuments, temples and vibrant local life to explore with our expert guide.

Through most period of its history, Delhi has served as a capital of kingdoms and empires. It has been invaded, ransacked and rebuilt several times. Travellers to Delhi get two cities for the price of one. 'Old' Delhi, the capital of Muslim India between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries, is full of formidable mosques, monuments and forts. It's a lively area of colourful bazaars, narrow streets and barely controlled chaos. In contrast, New Delhi, the imperial city created by the British Raj, is composed of spacious, tree-lined avenues and imposing government buildings, and has a sense of order absent from other parts of the city.

In the company of our expert local guide you can explore many of the attractions below, depending on your interests.

The 17th century Red Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site, constructed in red sandstone by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, in the walled city of Old Delhi. It served as the residence of the Mughal Emperors. The Red Fort has been a symbol of power since the reign of Shah Jahan. It witnessed the change in Indian history from Mughal rule to British rule, and was the place where Indian independence was first celebrated, and is still celebrated today. 

Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 devotees. Built between 1644 and 1658, it is one of the last architectural works of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Jama Masjid has three gates, two minarets - 40 meters in height and four towers. The minarets are made up of red sand stone and white marbles bearing stripes of black colour.

The Presidential Palace or the President House, known as Rashtrapati Bhawan in Hindi, is the official residence of the President of India. It is one of the largest residential houses of any Head of the State in the world in terms of its size, vastness and its magnificence.

Delhi's most striking monument, The Qutub Minar, which looms majestically across the wide plains of Delhi. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was constructed in 1192 by Qutub-Ud-Din Aibak. Built in red sandstone and marble, it has a height of 72.5 meters and has 379 stairs. A Soaring conical tower, it is an exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Afghan architecture and is the tallest minaret in India.

Another World UNESCO Heritage Site is Humayun's Tomb, built in the mid-16th century, 9 years after his death. It was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years.

Parliament House was built in the 1920s and in the present day houses the Indian Parliament. It is a circular building of 173 meters in diameter, crowned with a dome rising to 27 meters high. The exterior walls of red sandstone are carved in geometric patterns that echo Mughal jaalis. It is a marvellous piece of architecture which can be admired only from outside due to security restrictions. 

India Gate (also known as Bharat Gate) is a 42-metre archway built in memory of Indian soldiers killed during the First World War. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is the national monument of India.

Akshardham Temple is covered top to bottom with carved details of flora, fauna, dancers, musicians, and deities. Designed in accordance with ancient Vedic text known, it features a blend of architectural styles from across India. It is constructed entirely from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble, and has no support from steel or concrete. 

Gandhi Smriti the location where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. He was assassinated on January 30, 1948. The museum in the building houses a number of articles associated with Gandhi's life and death. Visitors can tour the building and grounds, viewing the preserved room where Gandhi lived and the place on the grounds. 

The Lotus Temple named due to its flowerlike shape, was built in 1986 and is a prominent attraction in Delhi. Visitors have admired its universal design in the form of a lotus and have been fascinated by the Teachings of the Baha’i Faith, especially its tenets of the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religions, and the Oneness of Mankind. 

Bangla Sahib is the most prominent Sikh house of worship, in Delhi and is open to people of all faiths, castes or creeds. The premises house a sacred pond in which devotees bathe. Anyone and everyone can have meal in the temple irrespective of caste, colour or class.

The National Gallery of Modern Art was established in 1954 and has a collection of more than 14,000 works including works by artists such as Thomas Daniell, 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. The butterfly-shaped building with a central dome was built in 1936 after the construction of Lutyens' Delhi.

Chandni Chowk is the main street of 'Old' Delhi and a magnificent bazaar. In Shah Jahan's day, it was endowed with fine mansions, had a tree-lined canal flowing down its centre and was renowned throughout Asia; today it's jam-packed with artisans, traders and auto-rickshaws and comprises a fantastic cocktail of stench, movement, uproar and fumes.

The Transport Museum, Gurgaon has a collection howdahs, bullock carts, palanquins and a boat that used to ply in the Yamuna to motorised vehicles of different makes and kinds, including classics as a 1924 Ford, a 1932 Chevrolet, a 1935 Buick. Apart from them there are vintage scooters, and rural Indian contraptions such as chakda and phatphat. There is also a 1946 Piper aircraft, and transport toys from the 1920s to the 1970s displayed at the museum.