Walking tour in Delhi: Old Delhi on foot, by bike and by plate

Street food is the reason many people book Old Delhi at all. The national tourism board names chaats, tikkis, parathas, butter chicken, kebabs, gol gappe and chole bhature among the treats of the city.² Delhi Tourism lists dozens of stalls and small restaurants under Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid, including Natraj Dahi Bhalla, Old Famous Jalebi Wala and Pt. Babu Ram Devi Dayal Parathe Wale.⁵

Around the mosque the same list turns to meat: Aslam Butter Chicken Corner, Haji Mohd. Hussain Fried Chicken and Karim Hotels appear in the Jama Masjid group.⁶ A guided Old Delhi food tour strings several of these stops into one route, so you taste a little at each place and do not have to choose a single stall in a street with many.

The Viator food and heritage walk booked through this kind of tour is a good picture of the pace. The listing gives it as a 4-hour walk with an English-speaking guide, with stops at a spice market with tea, traditional markets, a lane that ends at a Jain temple and the best-known square of Old Delhi. Morning departures start with a traditional breakfast and evening ones start later, so pick the time that matches your appetite.

Khari Baoli is the market the walks almost all end at. The national tourism board calls it Asia's largest spice market, and it is the place to see sacks of chillies, cardamom and dried fruit stacked up in the open.⁸ Even if you do not buy, standing at the edge of the lane for a few minutes tells you more about Old Delhi trade than a museum would.

Buying here has its own rules. Bargaining is a Delhi shopping tradition, except where prices are fixed, so a friendly offer below the first price is normal.⁹ Ask your guide which stalls sell to visitors and which sell only in bulk, and carry small notes so you can pay without waiting for change. Spices travel well, but check that the bags are sealed if you fly home.

The wider city offers markets for every taste. The national tourism board names Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk, Lajpat Nagar, Khan Market and Sarojini Nagar among its vibrant markets, and Dilli Haat for handicrafts and regional specialities.^10,11 If the walk leaves you wanting a calmer place to shop, those names give you the next stops.

Delhi Tourism says the best time to visit Delhi is from October to March.³ The national tourism board agrees that Delhi unfolds in the cooler months, from October to March.¹⁵ On a walk the difference matters: in the hottest months a morning start is the only comfortable choice, and in the cooler ones an evening walk is a pleasure.

The night food tour listed here lasts 3.5 hours and ends at the Jama Masjid metro gate, which makes the return simple. Evening walks show the lanes lit and the food stalls at their busiest, but the crowd is thicker too. A morning walk gives clearer light for photographs and quieter lanes, and the traditional breakfast option fits it well.

Delhi Tourism has also run paid walks of its own. Its 2024 calendar listed an Old Delhi food walk that reported at Digambar Jain Lal Mandir at 08:45 AM.¹⁶ An evening Mughlai food walk reported at the same place at 06:45 PM.¹⁷ The tariff of the walks in that calendar was Rs. 500 per person, Rs 476 plus 5% GST.¹⁸ Treat these as past figures and check the current programme and fee on the Delhi Tourism site