India Travel

Amrit Book Co, 21 N-Block, Connaught Place in Delhi

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Janpath in Delhi

Janpath. Moderate hotel with large, clean carpeted rooms and some exceptionally good restaurants as well as foreign exchange, shops and a travel counter. Le Meridien, Windsor Place. Posh, glitzy hotel, with taxes on everything. Facilities include a swimming pool, a health club and a choice of restaurants and bars. Prices start at $240 per double; it's cheaper booked through the TCI. Master Paying Guest House, R-500 New Rajendra Nagar. Comfortable, secure and relaxing family guesthouse with secluded roof terrace, on the edge of the green belt only 10min by rickshaw from CP The cheaper rooms have shared bathrooms: those on

Bars in Delhi

Blues, N-17 Connaught Place A snazzy bar and restaurant, ottering an eclectic range of loud music but little in the way of blues and jazz. The bar staff are all pros at mixing extravagant cocktails Djinns, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Bhikaiji Cama Place A huge bar, pool table, darts, live bands from Europe and the Caribbean, innovative Indian snacks and pitchers of beer and cocktails Packed on Wednesday and the weekend with the Delhi jet-set, so get in early. No entrance after 11 pm, even though it stays open until 2am. Geoffries, Ansal Plaza, A very popular "English11 pub with bar

Arrival and information in Delhi

Delhi is India's main point of arrival for overseas visitors, and has two airports, one domestic and one international. State buses from all over the country pull into the Inter-state Bus Terminal in Old Delhi, while private buses stop in the more central location close to New Delhi railway station. Trains arrive at the railheads in Old or New Delhi, both well connected to Connaught Place, the commercial centre of the city, by rickshaw and taxi. For a summary of the kinds of accommodation available in different areas of the city, which may well determine where you head first, see p.

Connaught Place and Central Delhi

Within the curved colonial knes of Connaught Place you'll find moderately priced hotels of varying standards. Further south, grander hotels on and around Janpath and along Sansad Marg cater mainly for business travellers and tourist groups. Most of these have plush restaurants and bars and include meals, and some have pools - all add heavy taxes to their bills, which we have included in our price guide, and many require non-Indian residents to pay in foreign currency, although Visa cards and travellers'cheques will also be accepted. However, the inexpensive lodges, huddled around the north end of Janpath, near the Government

By train in Delhi

Delhi has two major railway stations. New Delhi Station is east of Paharganj (Main Bazaar), and within walking distance of many of the area's budget hotels, though courists burdened with luggage often prefer to hail a cycle rickshaw to reach their hotel, which shouldn't cost more than Rs20 -negotiate the fare in advance. If you're heading for hotels south of the station, however, bear in mind that cycle rickshaws cannot enter Connaught Place. The station has two exits, with the Paharganj exit the more popular, useful for Connaught Place and most points smith, and the Ajmeri Gate exir more convenient

Auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws in Delhi

Auto-rickshaws (or "autos") - scooters converted into three-wheeler taxis -can be extremely useful in Delhi's chaotic traffic, though they catch the worst of the polluting exhaust fumes since their open sides are level with larger vehicles' exhaust pipes. Autos are now, however, finding themselves in the forefront of the recent ecological drive, with most new vehicles being fitted with natural gas-powered engines instead of the old diesel ones. In theory autos should charge what's shown on the meter, but even on the rare occasions when their meters are working, the rates tend to be out of date, and liable to

Accommodation price codes in Delhi

All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details, see p.52. OuptoRs100 O Rs300-400 O Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 RS400-600 Rs1500-2500 Rs200-300 Rs600-900

Connaught Place and Central Delhi

Connaught Place has snack bars for quick stops, and plenty of upmarket restaurants, as well as budget sit-down joints that attract a largely Western clientele. Even if you can't afford a meal in an expensive restaurant, it's worth going into air-conditioned comfort and treating yourself to silver-service tea. filter coffee, or a cool milkshake. For patties, sandwiches and take-out meat and vegdishes, head behind the market at the top of Janpath, where you'll find great snacks at incredibly good value. Several familiar fast-food joints are represented in CP and elsewhere in Delhi and there is a new TCW. CP's larger

Old Delhi and north of Connaught Place in Delhi

If you find Paharganj too much of a travellers' hang-out, or Connaught Place too impersonal, head for Old Delhi, where foreign tourists seldom stay. Here you'll find yourself swamped by the noise and smells of the least modernized area of the capital. Prices are low and standards not very high, but the hotels are well sited for visits to the Red Fort and Jami Masjid, and you can guarantee constant activity on the crowded streets, excellent food at long-established restaurants and superb sweets from roadside stalls. If the noise of Chandni Chowk proves too much, you could opt for a

By air in Delhi

Indian Airlines, whose main office is in the Malhotra Building on F-Block, Connaught Place, near Wimpy, operate the largest network of internal flights, though private carriers serve more destinations; tickets can be bought through travel agents or the main offices. All flights leave from the domestic terminal, 15km southwest of town, easily reached by the convenient EATS bus service (Rs50 plus Rs5 for luggage; 30min) that departs from Pahka Bazaar, just opposite Wimpy. Rickshaws and taxis are more expensive, but slightly quicker. Passengers on domestic flights must check in two hours prior to departure. A simple food counter sells tea,

By bus in Delhi

State buses pull in at the Inter-state Bus Terminal (ISBT), north of the railway station in Old Delhi. Auto-rickshaws to New Delhi or Paharganj take about fifteen minutes {around Rs50), cycle rickshaws twice that (around Rs30). Private buses from all over India terminate outside New Delhi railway station; some will drop passengers in Connaught Place if they pass that way.

Buses in Delhi

Despite running more than three hundred different routes, the Delhi Transport Corporation's vast centralized bus network can seem totally inadequate. The Latest Guide to Delhi, Old, and New (published by Lai Chand and Sons; Rs10) is in English and has the most comprehensive DTC bus route listings available. You can buy it from magazine vendors in Connaught Place or Paharganj. The first digit of each three-digit route number shows the direction of each bus — thus routes starting with "5" head south from the centre towards Mehrauli, and those starting with "4" travel southeast towards Kalkaji through Nizamuddin, while those

Books in Delhi

Delhi has a wide selection of places to buy books and magazines. Pavement vendors around Connaught Place will sell you anything from Sidney Sheldon to Vivekananda, as well as guidebooks. Bookshops - of which the best are in Khan Market. 4km south of Connaught Place - generally lack the Western trivia, but sell all kinds of publications in English, Hindi, and other European languages. The shops of South Extension, a short distance further south, are gradually superseding those of Khan Market.You'll find books on all aspects of Indian history and culture, and an ever-growing supply of short works by Indian

Paharganj in Delhi

The Paharganj area running west from New Delhi railway station, a popular hunting ground for inexpensive and midrange accommodation, has a lively scene - sec p. 119 - that you'll miss if you stay in Connaught Place, just ten minutes' walk south. It's also a place where you can buy from other travellers things they no longer need: Enfield motorbikes, rucksacks, camping gear, malaria tablets and so forth. However, some hotels, particularly those with all-night restaurants, are becoming more like 24hr parties, so if you want to sleep, choose carefully. Lodges at knock-down prices are invariably poky, stuffy and grubby, with

Information in Delhi

There are reasonably helpful tourist offices at the inCernational and domestic air por Cs, railway stations and bus tetminals, and the Government of India tourist office at 88 Janpath, just south of Connaught Place (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4.30pm), is a good place to pick up information on Delhi's sites, city tours, shopping, cultural events and accommodation. They also provide free maps of che city; you'll find the same ones sold in the streets at negotiable prices.The information counter at the less busy DTTDC (Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation) office, Bombay Life Building, Middle Circle (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-lpm; )

By train in Delhi

Delhi's main railhead. New Delhi Station at the eastern end of Paharganj. less than ikm north of Connaught Place, has regular departures to all corners of India, and a very efficient booking office (Mon-Sat 8am-5pm) for foreign tourists, on the first floor of the main departure building. They'll give you advice on the fastest trains, and you should have little difficulty finding a seat or berth: women travelling alone in second class may prefer to ask for a berth in the ladies' carriage. Foreigners must show passports, and pay in foreign currency or in rupees backed up by exchange certificates.

Shopping in Delhi

Although the traditional places to shop in I ) clhi are around Connaught Place and Chandni Chowk, ;i number of suburbs created by the rapid growth of the city are emerging as fashionable shopping districts. The shopping area of Haaz Khas Village. 12km southwest of Connaught Place, with numerous boutiques, jeweller}' shops and galleries, some pretentious and others well worth a browse, has, due :o over-popularity, lost some of its charm. Outrageous rents and uncontrolled building have ruined the ambience and forced boutiques out, some to the yet-to-be-developed village of Shahpur Jat, a short distance away. The garden setting of Santushi

By air in Delhi

International flights land at Indira Gandhi International Airport, also known as Terminal 2, 23km southwest of the centre (formerly Palam airport). The State Bank of India and Thomas Cook in the airport offer 24hr money changing facilities; be sure" to ge: some small change for taxis and rickshaws. If you need to book accommodation, 24hr desks, including ITDC m the departure hall and Delhi Tourism (DTTDC), have a list of approved hotels and will secure reservations by phone. Beware of bogus booking counters: there have been several cases of trickery and overcharging. Not all budget hotels accept telephone bookings; for

By air in Delhi

If you don't already have a ticket for a flight out of India, you'll have little trouble finding one, except between December and March when it may be difficult to get a flight at short notice. While you can buy tickets directly from the airlines, who ail have offices around Connaught Place, it saves time and leg-work co book through an agency (see p.151); reputable agents abound in Paharganj, and there are several on janpath. The cheapest deals are to be had from touts on the street; make sure they're genuine by ringing the airline (see p.148) to check you

Travel agents and tour operators in Delhi

NB; Booking flights and excursions through street-side touts, particularly along Janpath, is not recommended, even if they claim to be "government recognized". For the issue or renewal of ISIC cards, head to STIC, opposite Imperial Hotel. American Express, A-Block. Connaught Place: expensive, tailor-made tours of the capital, and sites further afield - card-holders only; Cox and Kings, Indira Palace, Connaught Place: international operators offering expensive and exclusive tailor-made tours; Don't Pass Me By Tours and Travels, 79 Scindia House, nr Janpath: reliable and inexpensive tour operator specializing in road trips to Agra and through Rajasthan: Hans Travel Service, 1600 Visha!