This week on Hack Your City, we got your tips on traveling to the Indian capital of Delhi. The best comments have tips on etiquette, safety, and places to visit. Here are some highlights.
“The standard tourist spots are the Qutab Minar, Red Fort, and Humayun’s Tomb. The amazing places to visit that aren’t on the usual tourist circuit: Agrasen ki Baoli, a medieval stepwell that’s surrounded by apartment buildings, Lodhi Garden (a park which has picnics, runners, and Sultanate era tombs all together), and the Hauz Khas District Park (tombs, lake, picnics, runners; and rabbit and deer enclosures to the side).”—delhiexile
“If you opt to wear Indian clothing (which is fun to wear—so colorful and sometimes even sparkly!—and way easier to tolerate in the heat), have an experienced sari wearer help you wrap yourself up so you don’t resemble a rainbow burrito. Also, the blouse and petticoat are the UNDERWEAR for the sari—they aren’t garments by themselves, so don’t treat them as separates.”—TheYellowLentil
“I would also recommend visiting the Hauz Khas Village for a fun afternoon—it has a great park with some ruins which you can explore, and right outside are a few streets with a very cool vibe as well as some great pubs/places to get a drink or a bite. Cars are not allowed into the area and you have to get out of your car/cab right outside the ‘village’ and walk 10 mins in.”—shubhangam
“Each state has a bhavan (literal meaning house) allocated to them. Some of these houses run a canteen which serves dinner for a cheap price. It’s a good option to explore a variety of authentic Indian cuisine without visiting different parts of the country. There is a big difference, cooking style and flavor wise, between restaurant food and what people eat at their home. The canteen food is closer to the latter.”—mmm
“This was weird, but if you give paper money that isn’t perfectly defect free, the person taking it might not accept it.”—Stephen
“I would try to go to Rajouri Garden and some of the other old school bazaars; these are way more fun than the malls that now seem to be everywhere.”—Rishi
“Everywhere you look, New Delhi is in a non-stop rush. The Gurudawara is a great spot to a take a step back and relax for a bit both mentally and physically. Sit inside the temple and listen to kirtan (devotional music) as well as take a walk around the temple, the pool, and the surrounding areas. Sit and enjoy langar which is a free meal given to any and all who are in the temple. You may receive karah parshad, which is a made of wheat, clarified butter, and sugar.”—JS1323
“I’ve found that all the brands that exist in North America, exist in India as well. If you’re looking for the same clothes you wear in the US, just a tad bit cheaper and better quality, go to Connaught Place. If you want to experience street vendor shopping for cheap but fancy stuff (what college students wear nowadays) go to Janpath which is a walkable distance.”—Nrv
Thanks to everyone who contributed! Leave your own Delhi tips below, and see more of them in the original comment thread. This is the last single-city edition of Hack Your City for now. Come back next week, when we talk about public transit hacks from around the world.