Delhi - A tale of eight cities

If you have only a day to spend exploring Delhi, we recommend that you try this tour.

What this tour is about: Delhi is an ancient city. Relics of the Painted Grey Ware culture, which lasted from 1100 BC to 350 BC, have been found in the city. However, modern Delhi is thought to date from the 8th Century AD, when the Rajput Tomars founded a city that they called Lal Kot. Successive rulers – the Chauhans, the Sultans and the Mughals – fought over and claimed Delhi for their own, founding a series of seven great cities, all in the same geographical area. When Delhi became the capital of the Raj, the British created an eighth city of broad roads and impressive public buildings.

Some of these eight cities are popular tourist attractions, while others are lost cities, hidden in small villages.We have put together an insightful and fascinating tour of these cities, to give you a glimpse not just into history, but into the very essence of Delhi.

Places we will visit: We’ll start the tour with the Qutab Minar complex, which is built on the original site of Lal Kot. The Qutab is the largest freestanding red stone structure in the world and the site of North India’s first mosque. You’ll be fascinated by the stories and legends in this complex.

We’ll then drive to Khirki village to see the lost city of Jahanpanah, and the stunning, but completely hidden ‘Window Mosque’. We’ll visit the upscale Hauz Khas area to see the city of Siri, and have a 15-minute break for snacks and Coke by its beautiful water tank.

We will drive through New Delhi, the eighth city, to see the buildings that the Raj built. These buildings now symbolise democratic modern India – the President’s House, the Parliament House, and India Gate. We will also drive past the the ruins of the cities of Purana Quila and Firozshah Kotla.

After lunch, we will go to Shajahanabad (which the locals call Old Delhi), to experience the bustle of life in the Chandni Chowk area. We’ll visit the Jama Masjid, Delhi’s famous Friday mosque, and take a cycle-rickshaw ride through the adjoining streets to experience first hand, the heartbeat of a traditional bazaar. If you haven’t been to a Sikh temple, then you can ask the guide to take you inside the Gurudwara Sees Ganj Sahib (highly recommended!)

Total Time: 7-8 hours, including a break for lunch.

When:Starts 9:00 a.m. from your hotel. This is a personalised tour, so the itinerary can be modified to suit you.

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