Solo travel · Delhi · India
Solo travel in Delhi
How to enjoy Delhi at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Delhi is a common first stop for solo travellers in India: hostels are plentiful, the metro is easy, and food walks and heritage tours are good ways to meet people. It rewards caution with touts and at night. Many solo travellers base themselves in Paharganj.
Key facts
- Base
- Paharganj
- Getting around
- Metro
- Emergency number
- 112 (national emergency number)
- Language
- Hindi, English, Punjabi and Urdu
Solo travel tips
- Stay in a well-reviewed hostel in Paharganj, Hauz Khas or Majnu-ka-Tilla to meet other travellers.
- Join guided food walks or heritage walks in Old Delhi and Mehrauli.
- Use ride-hailing apps rather than street autos at night, and share your trip with a friend.
- Women travelling alone can use the women-only metro coach and should dress conservatively to reduce unwanted attention.
- Politely ignore anyone offering unsolicited help with tickets, hotels or 'tourist offices'.
Where to stay
$ · Best for budget and solo travellers
Paharganj
Paharganj's Main Bazaar is a long, narrow street of budget hotels, guesthouses, rooftop cafés and stalls selling clothes and souvenirs. It is chaotic and noisy, but extremely convenient for train journeys and only a short metro ride from Connaught Place and Old Delhi.
- Good
- Very low-cost rooms; Next to New Delhi station; Traveller cafés and rooftop restaurants
- Watch out
- Chaotic, noisy and dirty streets; Touts and scams around the station
- Nearby
- New Delhi Railway Station, Connaught Place, Old Delhi
Great on your own
Castle · Old Delhi
Red Fort
Buy entry tickets online to save time and money, and combine the fort with Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid on foot.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
Religious site · Old Delhi
Jama Masjid
Enter by Gate 1 or 3, dress modestly (robes are lent at the gate), and avoid prayer times, especially Friday midday.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Free
- Views
Street · Old Delhi
Chandni Chowk
Hire a cycle-rickshaw for the lanes, and go with a food-walk guide if you want to try street food safely.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- History
- Iconic
Historic site · Nizamuddin
Humayun's Tomb
Visit in the late afternoon for warm light on the sandstone, then walk next door to Sunder Nursery.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Historic site · Mehrauli
Qutb Minar
Arrive early to see the carvings without crowds, then walk into the neighbouring Mehrauli Archaeological Park.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
Landmark · Lutyens' Delhi
India Gate and Kartavya Path
Come after sunset when the arch is lit and the lawns fill with families; the area is free and open.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- After dark
- Kids
- History
Meeting people
- Old Delhi food walk — A guided morning or evening walk through Chandni Chowk's lanes tastes parathas, chaat, kebabs, jalebi and kulfi, with a guide who knows which stalls are reliable.
- Langar at Bangla Sahib — Sit on the floor with hundreds of others for a free vegetarian meal of dal, roti and kheer at the Sikh community kitchen, and see the volunteers making rotis by the thousand.
- Hauz Khas Village — Dense lanes of bars and clubs with a young crowd, busiest from Thursday to Saturday.
- Connaught Place — Bars, microbreweries and rooftop venues in the colonnaded blocks, convenient for the metro.
Sensible precautions
Touts and scams are common around New Delhi Railway Station and Connaught Place, including fake tourist offices and claims that hotels are closed. Pickpockets work crowded markets and metro trains. Air pollution can be severe from November to January, and summer heat is dangerous, so check forecasts and stay hydrated.
- Emergency number
- 112 (national emergency number)
- Staying connected
- Jio, Airtel and Vi sell SIM cards at the airport and in shops with a passport and photo; 4G and 5G coverage is good across the city.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Delhi good for solo travellers?
Delhi is a common first stop for solo travellers in India: hostels are plentiful, the metro is easy, and food walks and heritage tours are good ways to meet people. It rewards caution with touts and at night.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Delhi?
Paharganj: Backpacker bazaar opposite New Delhi Railway Station.