2 days Delhi itinerary: day-by-day plans for 2 and 3 days

Delhi is easier to plan when you group the sights by area. Old Delhi holds the walled city that Shah Jahan began in 1639, with the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk and Raj Ghat.¹² New Delhi holds the avenues of the capital and the tombs, temples and gardens to the south and east. Treat the areas as chapters, and the trip reads in the right order.

That split gives you two natural days. The first is a day of crowds, bazaars and mosques, the second a day of avenues, gardens and monuments. A third day collects what is left: the tower and its ruins, the museum and a stroll through the old gardens, with a long lunch at a market. Each day then has a theme, which makes it easier to decide what to keep.

Spread the days across the week with care, because Mondays close the Red Fort, Akshardham and the National Museum.^3,13,9 If you arrive on a Sunday or Monday, begin with the open sites and keep the closed ones for a later day. Keep a spare half day in the middle, so a closed gate never ruins the plan. Check the weekday of each stop before you fix the order.

Start with Humayun's Tomb, which opens from sunrise and holds the first garden-tomb on the subcontinent, commissioned in 1558.^4,27 Walk the charbagh garden slowly.²⁸ From the tomb it is a short drive to the Lotus Temple, which opens 09:30 AM, closes at 07:00 PM in summer or 05:30 PM in winter and is closed on Mondays on our tour.⁶ Go early, while the tour groups are few and the sandstone is cool to the touch.

The afternoon belongs to the central avenue: India Gate, a 42-meter-high archway dedicated in 1931, and next to it the National War Memorial, which has no entry fee.^29,30,5 Time your arrival for the evening, since the daily Retreat Drill and the floodlights both come after the day-time visits.^15,14 The wide lawns make a good place to rest your feet between the two.

Agrasen ki Baoli, a stepwell with 108 steps, fits between the tomb and the avenue if you want a shorter stop.³¹ A private car links the stops on our listing, with 60 minutes for Humayun's Tomb, 30 for the baoli and 45 for the Lotus Temple. It is a short stop, but a memorable one, with a view down the long flight of steps.

Season matters more than most itinerary choices. The Ministry of Tourism says Delhi is at its best in the cooler months from October to March.¹¹ The Safdarjung station records an average high of 20.3 °C in January and 40 °C in May, with 236 mm of rain in July and 262 mm in August.^26,26,26,26 Pick the dates first, and fit the stops around them.

In the hot weeks, start at sunrise and rest at midday, using the time to eat, drink and sit in the shade of a garden. In the monsoon months, keep a flexible plan and an umbrella, since an outdoor day can change at short notice. Drink often and take a cold drink with you when you travel between stops.

The chart below shows the pattern by month. Use it to choose your dates, and then check the closed days on your list before you book. A flexible plan survives a hot afternoon or a wet morning far better than a tight one. Weather is the main variable you cannot control, so build some slack into every day.