Delhi 3-Day Itinerary: The Perfect Long Weekend in India's Capital

Delhi is a city of layered civilisations — Mughal, British colonial, and modern Indian all coexist within a single metropolis — and three days allows you to move through its most extraordinary layers. Begin day one in Old Delhi, the Mughal capital established by Shah Jahan in the 17th century. The Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most powerful symbol of Mughal imperial power in India; arrive at opening to beat the crowds and explore the palace complex before the day heats up. Walk south to Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, for the midday call to prayer, then plunge into Chandni Chowk — one of the oldest and busiest markets in Asia, a labyrinth of spice merchants, silver jewellers, and street food vendors whose families have traded here for three centuries. End the day at Karim's restaurant near the mosque's south gate, serving Mughal-style dishes to Delhiites and travellers since 1913.

Day two moves through New Delhi, the imperial capital designed by Edwin Lutyens for the British Raj and inaugurated in 1931. Rajpath (now Kartavya Path) leads from India Gate to the Presidential Palace through a ceremonial axis that rivals Washington or Paris for grandeur. The National Museum of India opposite holds one of the finest collections of Indian art, archaeology, and decorative arts in the world — its Indus Valley Civilisation gallery and Mughal miniature painting collection are extraordinary. In the afternoon, visit Humayun's Tomb — the architectural predecessor of the Taj Mahal, built in 1570 and arguably the more perfectly proportioned of the two — then walk through the Lodi Gardens, where Mughal-era tombs are scattered through a park used by Delhi joggers and yoga practitioners every morning and evening.

On day three, explore the Qutab Minar complex in South Delhi — a 73-metre minaret built in 1193 that remains the world's tallest brick minaret — and the surrounding ruins of Delhi's very first city, Lal Kot. Return north for a final afternoon in Hauz Khas Village, a medieval reservoir and madrasa complex that has been surrounded by an organic growth of boutique restaurants, design studios, and rooftop bars that represent contemporary Delhi's creative confidence. End the trip with dinner in Khan Market or Lodhi Colony's restaurant row — whichever captures the particular Delhi mood you want to carry home: traditional, trendy, or both simultaneously, because in Delhi, both are always available on the same street.