Heritage Walk of Old Delhi: An Insider’s DIY Tour
Even though Old Delhi has a reputation for being chaotic, it’s still easy to do a self-guided heritage walk.
This do it yourself tour will take you to the most important sites, some excellent spots for street food, and let you explore a few lesser known gems in Old Delhi.
I have visited Old Delhi many, many times! This itinerary is designed so that even a Delhi first time visitor can manage it.
Originally built in the 1600s, many of Old Delhi’s markets, lanes and buildings haven’t changed much. The general layout of Old Delhi is more or less the same, although very congested and built up now.
Here’s what you’ll do on your heritage walk of Old Delhi:
- Tour a world heritage UNESCO site
- See two of Delhi’s most historic and iconic religious buildings
- Walk up the most famous street in Delhi
- Browse the oldest specialty markets in Delhi
- Visit off the beaten path gems, including traditional havelis
- Sample incredible street food
Heritage Walk of Old Delhi
Old Delhi is a historic treasure, and you’re about to see why it’s on the UNESCO tentative list as a world heritage city. It’s actually the 7th historic city of Delhi, called Shahjahanabad, after emperor Shah Jahan.
1. Starting Point at Jama Masjid Metro Station
A good meeting point or place to start from is Gate 2 of the Jama Masjid metro station. It’s well marked, everyone can find it, and it’s less than a 5 minute walk from your first stop.
Using the Delhi metro is easy and cheap. I highly recommend it for getting around the city. Walk toward Jama Masjid.
2. Jama Masjid: Delhi’s Largest Mosque
Jama Masjid is Delhi’s largest mosque – it can hold up to 25,000 worshippers at a time. It was built by the emperor Shah Jahan in the 1650s as a mosque for the royal family.
Shah Jahan is the ruler who built the Taj Mahal for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
This is a beautiful mosque, built of red sandstone and marble. For a small fee you can climb one of the towers. You’ll get spectacular views of Old Delhi from this vantage point.
Please keep in mind this is a working mosque, and you may not be allowed in during prayer times. Also be respectful with photos.
There are 3 entrances to the Jama Masjid. Enter at Gate 1 or 2. Shoes must be removed. You can leave them with the shoe minder at the entrance for a small tip (INR 50), or discretely put them in your bag.
Women must cover their heads, as well as shoulders and knees (this goes for men too). There are cover ups you can borrow if needed.
Hours and Cost: 7:00 am – 12:00 pm & 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm, daily; free, but there is a INR 300 fee for bringing in a camera.
3. Matia Mahal Bazaar and Haji Nadeem Shahi Sheermal
It’s time for a snack and some famous Old Delhi street food. Exit Gate 1 of Jama Masjid, cross the road and walk down Matia Mahal Road.
This is Matia Mahal Bazaar, and it has been here since the 1600s. In fact, while the Red Fort was under construction, Shah Jahan lived in a palace in Matia Mahal. The palace is long gone, but several original arches are still in the lanes of the busy market.
There are many famous Old Delhi eateries here, some are on their 5th or 6th generation, going back to Mughal times. I’m going to start you off with something easy and delicious – sheermal.
Head to Haji Nadeem Shahi Sheermal for the sweet flatbread topped with dried fruit and nuts. It will be on the left side of the street, at the first corner. You’ll see sheermal all over Old Delhi, but this is one of the best places for it.
Hours and Cost: hours for shops and restaurants vary, but everything is open during the day and into the evening, except on Sunday when the markets are closed; free.
4. Red Fort (UNESCO)
The Red Fort is one of Delhi’s most visited sites, and I recommend you buy your ticket in advance on the Archeological Survey of India website.
From Matia Mahal Road, walk back toward the Jama Masjid. If you already purchased your online ticket go to the main entrance at Lahori Gate. Otherwise, head to the main ticket booth near Delhi Gate.
This is the royal palace built in 1639 by Shah Jahan, the ruler who built the Jama Masjid you just visited. It remained the residence of all successive Mughal rulers until the British expelled the last emperor in 1857.
When it was a royal palace, the fort was a complete a world with beautiful fountains, gardens, marble audience halls, baths and a covered bazaar. Hundreds worked and lived within the fort.
During the Rebellion of 1857 the British destroyed and looted much of it. Whole palace buildings were razed and replaced with ugly army barracks.
Hours and Cost: 8:00 am – 9:00 pm, daily; INR 600 foreigners (online tickets are INR 550), children under 15 free.
5. Temples and Havelis of Chandni Chowk
Exit the Red Fort and, cross the street and start walking up Chandni Chowk. Stay on the left side for now.
On your left, very close to the Red Fort, is Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir & Bird Hospital, a Jain temple built in the 1650s.
The Jains were quite prominent in this area at that time, and the land was gifted to the community by Shah Jahan. Behind the temple is a charitable bird hospital. Visitors are welcome, but shoes and leather items must be removed.
Just past the Jain temple you will pass a large Hindu temple with a prominent white dome called the Gauri Shankar Mandir. It was built in the 1950s, but the lingam (a representation of Lord Shiva) inside is 800 years old.
Make sure you look up towards the second and third floors of the buildings you pass. Some of these are traditional 17th century havelis. They’re in sad condition now, but in the 17th century they were lovely.
Hours and Cost: hours for shops and temples vary, but everything is open during the day and into the evening, except on Sunday when the markets are closed; free.
6. Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib
Next is Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, one of the most prominent Sikh temples in India.
The original shrine was built in 1783 at the site of the martyrdom of the ninth Sikh Guru. The Guru was beheaded by emperor Aurangzeb in 1675. The gurudwara takes its name from the Punjabi word for head, ‘sis.’
Aurangzeb was the ruthless son of Shah Jahan (he seized power by imprisoning his father and killing his brothers), and executed the Guru after he refused to convert to Islam.
Despite its past, this is a very peaceful and beautiful gurudwara. Everyone is welcome. You must remove your shoes and cover your head to enter the temple. Bandanas are available to borrow.
Hours and Cost: 24/7; free.
For a special and culturally authentic experience, join the free vegetarian community meal, langar after visiting the temple. It is in the dining hall. Everyone is welcome to have langar, regardless of religion or nationality.
7. Lunch at Kanwarji Raj Kumar Bhatura Junction
It’s time for one of the most authentic Delhi experiences you can have – eating lunch like a local in Delhi-6. Delhi-6 is what locals call this part of Old Delhi. It refers to the postal code.
When you exit Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, go left and walk along Chandni Chowk. In less than 5 minutes you’ll see the Kanwarji Raj Kumar bhatura stand.
Bhatura are puffy fried breads and are often served with chole, a rich chickpea curry. That is exactly what you should order: chole bhatura. It’s the best in the city.
Once your order is ready, grab a seat wherever you can find one. I usually eat on the benches in the median.
Everything is cooked and should be safe to eat. I’ve eaten her numerous times and never had a problem. If you are worried, you can see my tips on how to eat street food safely.
Hours and Cost: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm, daily.
8. Kinari Bazaar, Naughara Gali and Jain Dharamshala
Walk down the lane on the corner called Paranthe Gali. This is the beginning of Kinari Bazaar, the wedding market.
Chandni Chowk is full of these historic, specialty bazaars and Kinari Bazaar is one of the most famous. These lanes and bazaars were here in the 1600s, you are literally walking the streets of history.
Kinari Bazaar is where you’ll find all kinds of trinkets and adornments used in Indian weddings. The lanes are windy, narrow and full of interesting shops.
You will walk past Parantha Wali Gali, the lane full of parantha shops. If you enjoy the stuffed Indian flatbreads, you’ll be bowled over by the variety here. The first parantha shops opened in this lane in 1872.
To find Naughara Gali, take a left down another lane just a bit past the parantha area, and then a right. Naughara Gali and the Jain temple are marked on Google maps – I recommend you navigate using this.
Naughara Gali is a lane with 9 historic havelis from the 1700s. They are all on this small alley that ends with the Jain Svetambar temple. The havelis are subject to heritage restrictions and must maintain the exterior in the original style.
The doorways and elevations are typical Mughal design, with latticed balconies and arched doorways carved with flowers and vines. These homes were, and mostly still are, owned by wealthy jewelry families.
Continue to the end and take a look inside the Jain temple. Parts of the temple are believed to be 2500 years old.
Hours and Cost: 24/7; free.
9. Haveli Mirza Ghalib
Use Google maps to help you navigate through the lanes of Old Delhi to Haveli Mirza Ghalib.
This is the historic home of the last Mughal poet, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. His poetry is part of the cultural fabric of Delhi and he is widely accepted as the greatest of the Mughal poets.
He lived through the decline of the empire and was a poetry tutor of the last Mughal ruler.
Ghalib wrote painful, beautiful poems about the destruction of Shahjahanabad (what is now Old Delhi) during the Rebellion of 1857. The old city was destroyed by British forces, and Ghalib witnessed it.
Hours and Cost: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday); free.
10. Fatehpuri Masjid
From Ghalib’s haveli, head up Ballimaran Road back to Chandni Chowk. Turn left onto Chandni Chowk and take it to the end, in front of Fatehpuri Masjid.
The mosque was built in 1650 for Fatehpuri Begum, who was one of the wives of ruler Shah Jahan. During the Rebellion of 1857 British troops occupied the mosque and destroyed the fountains and carvings, some even carved their own names into the red sandstone arches.
The mosque was later auctioned off to a wealthy Hindu merchant who sold it back to the British, and 20 years later it was finally returned to the Muslim community.
This is a working mosque, so shoes must be removed and women must cover their heads. Conservative dress is required.
Hours and Cost: 6:00 am – 8:00 pm, daily; free.
11. Khari Baoli – Old Delhi’s Spice Market
Exit Fatehpuri Masjid through the north gate and you will find yourself in Khari Baoli, the famous spice market of Old Delhi.
The market is named after an ancient saltwater stepwell that was at this location, but has long since dried up.
Khari Baoli has been here for many years, some of these shops have been in the same family for 10 generations.
This is the perfect place to pick up fresh spices, dried fruit, nuts and loose tea. Don’t buy from the first shop. Head further into the market to get better prices. Khari Baoli is on just about every Old Delhi walking tour and gets a lot of tourists, so prices are inflated.
Hours and Cost: 11:30 am – 6:00 pm, daily (closed Sunday); free.
12. Katra Neel Road
From Khari Baoli walk back across Chandni Chowk on the opposite side of the street this time. If you took the metro, you can walk to Chandni Chowk metro station by way of Katra Neel Road.
There are many examples of Mughal architecture and old havelis if you look carefully. You’ll also see a stone arched gate, Katra Neel Gateway, built in 1857 but now off limits as a portion recently collapsed.
Many of the old haveli courtyards have a Shivalay (shrine to Lord Shiva) – Katra Neel is known for this. If you have the chance, look into the courtyards to see the Shivalays.
This market is significant in the heritage of Old Delhi. It was here the rebels lived during the revolts of 1857, and many were hanged here by the British.
From Katra Neel, walk through Mahatma Gandhi Park (behind Town Hall – look for the clock tower) toward the Chandni Chowk metro station. This is where your DIY Old Delhi heritage walk ends.
There are many great places to eat in Old Delhi if you’re not ready to call it a day, or head into the air conditioned haven of beautiful Omaxe Chowk, one of Delhi’s nicest shopping malls.
Good to Know Before Doing the Old Delhi Heritage Walk
- Old Delhi is noisy and very congested
- Chandni Chowk markets and many shops are closed on Sunday
- Red Fort is closed on Monday
- Wear comfortable shoes that are easy to slip on and off
- You can take a bicycle rickshaw any time you don’t want to walk
- Keep small bills for shoe minders at temples, bicycle rickshaw drivers and to buy bottled water
- Dress conservatively and bring a dupatta/head scarf (men should bring a bandana if they have one)
- Only drink bottled water
- 100% ignore the touts
Guided Heritage Walks of Old Delhi
If you prefer to take a guided tour of Old Delhi, I recommend these companies:
Delhi Tourism also has a heritage walk of Old Delhi. It cost INR 1000 plus GST (per person). A minimum of 6 participants is required.
Last Words Heritage Walk of Old Delhi: an Insider’s DIY Tour
Doing a self-guided heritage walk of Old Delhi is absolutely manageable. Follow this itinerary as your guide, but don’t be afraid to veer off and explore. Just about every nook and cranny of Old Delhi is interesting and has a story to tell.
