Where to stay in Delhi: the areas compared

Hauz Khas & South Delhi

Greener, quieter streets around a fourteenth-century reservoir and deer park; boutique guesthouses in the Enclave and Green Park, cafés in the village. Best all-round for families; 30–45 minutes to Old Delhi.

Connaught Place

The colonial circle at the Metro's heart — the best transport in the city, most of its restaurants, and the scam epicentre. Paharganj next door is for adults on a budget, not for young children.

Nizamuddin & Daryaganj

Nizamuddin East is the calmest base in the city, ten minutes' walk from Humayun's Tomb at opening and the Thursday qawwali; Daryaganj gives dawn access to Jama Masjid on foot, at the cost of noise.

The one that's part of the story

One hotel is part of the story: The Imperial on Janpath, built in 1931 and opened in 1936, where — the hotel says — Nehru, Jinnah and Mountbatten met over Partition; worth walking through for tea even if you sleep elsewhere.

What a day costs

Backpacker: ≈ ₹1,500 – 3,000 / day — hostel bed, Metro card, street food, one big-ticket monument.

Mid-range: ≈ ₹5,000 – 9,000 / day — a guesthouse in the south, app cabs, Karim's and a good thali, two monuments.

Comfort: ≈ ₹15,000+ / day — heritage hotels; the Imperial and the Lutyens-zone hotels run far past this.

Getting there

By air: Indira Gandhi International (DEL) — the Airport Express Metro runs T3 to New Delhi station in about 20 minutes (≈ ₹60–65, 05:00–23:00); police prepaid taxi booths are in arrivals, ≈ ₹500–900 to the centre.

By rail: Agra in 100 minutes on the Gatimaan Express (08:10 from Hazrat Nizamuddin, not Fridays) or the 06:00 Vande Bharat (also from Nizamuddin, not Mondays); Jaipur in about 4½ hours on the Ajmer Shatabdi (around 06:10 from New Delhi — check the timetable).

By road: The Yamuna Expressway makes Agra 3–4 hours; Jaipur 4–5 hours by the expressway. Inside the city, take the Metro — it reaches nearly every monument.

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