Introduction
The crowded, colourful and unruly heart of India. Don't let your first impressions of Delhi stick like a sacred cow in a traffic jam: get behind the madcap fa รง ade and discover the inner peace of a city rich with culture, architecture and human diversity, deep with history and totally addictive to epicureans.
Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT +5.5
Area: 1483
Coordinates: 28.6666679382 latitude and 77.2166671753 longitude
Population: 13800000
Area codes: 11
Getting There
Summer in Delhi is no joke - from April the temperature climbs relentlessly to more than 45° C (113° F) in May and June and the heat doesn't really abate until October. Dust storms called loo sweep in from Rajasthan with considerable fury. The arrival of the monsoon, at the end of June, brings intense humidity - the murder rate usually peaks in this month.From November to March is the best time to visit, with cool but sunny weather. Also, Holi, one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals, takes place around this time, in February or March. October sees the end of the monsoon, but is reasonably pleasant, although the days can still be pretty hot. Nights can be quite chilly in December and January.
Getting there and away
Delhi is India's flight centre, with international and domestic flights readily available in a range of costs and comforts plus travel agents queuing up to negotiate a deal. Both domestic and international terminals for the Indira Gandhi International Airport are quite a way out of town - domestic 7km (4.5mi) from the city and international 11km (6mi) - so be prepared for the taxi driver ambush upon arrival. The Inter State Bus Terminal at Kashmiri Gate, north of the 'Old' Delhi Train Station, has long distance trips south to Rajasthan and north to Chandigarh, and to the hill stations of Himachal Pradesh. The New Delhi Train Station is as user friendly as such a place can be in India, if you ignore the touts who have all sorts of stories aimed at parting tourists with their money. From here you can organise long-distance trips east across the Ganges Plain to Kolkata, and south to Mumbai (Bombay) via Agra.
Getting around
Delhi's bus system is not for the faint hearted, or indeed for those who need to get somewhere on time. The network covers most of the city and is dirt cheap, but is also overcrowded and ramshackle - adventure travel you might say. There are plenty of metered yellow-and-black taxis, but don't expect the existence of a meter to mean they will be used. Learn to negotiate before you get going. Auto-rickshaws are generally speedy over short distances and less expensive - cycle rickshaws are somewhat romantic, but harder to find now they have been removed from the modern parts of the city. Motorcycle rickshaws are a better bet during busy hours. They have set courses and prices and can muscle their way through traffic as well. Trying to cycle through Delhi streets would be a foolish choice for a traveller. Try the metro instead - check out www.delhimetrorail.com for more details.
Weather
One of Delhi's drawbacks is that for more than half the year the climate is lousy. For about four months - from November until about March - it's fine, with daytime temperatures between 21 and 30 ° C (70-86 ° F). However, by the end of April it's hot, while May and June are really hot - temperatures can swoop up to more than 45 ° C (113 ° F). In July it gets cooler but the humidity really hits, often with all-day rain through August and September.
The crowded, colourful and unruly heart of India. Don't let your first impressions of Delhi stick like a sacred cow in a traffic jam: get behind the madcap fa รง ade and discover the inner peace of a city rich with culture, architecture and human diversity, deep with history and totally addictive to epicureans.
Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT +5.5
Area: 1483
Coordinates: 28.6666679382 latitude and 77.2166671753 longitude
Population: 13800000
Area codes: 11
Getting There
Summer in Delhi is no joke - from April the temperature climbs relentlessly to more than 45° C (113° F) in May and June and the heat doesn't really abate until October. Dust storms called loo sweep in from Rajasthan with considerable fury. The arrival of the monsoon, at the end of June, brings intense humidity - the murder rate usually peaks in this month.From November to March is the best time to visit, with cool but sunny weather. Also, Holi, one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals, takes place around this time, in February or March. October sees the end of the monsoon, but is reasonably pleasant, although the days can still be pretty hot. Nights can be quite chilly in December and January.
Getting there and away
Delhi is India's flight centre, with international and domestic flights readily available in a range of costs and comforts plus travel agents queuing up to negotiate a deal. Both domestic and international terminals for the Indira Gandhi International Airport are quite a way out of town - domestic 7km (4.5mi) from the city and international 11km (6mi) - so be prepared for the taxi driver ambush upon arrival. The Inter State Bus Terminal at Kashmiri Gate, north of the 'Old' Delhi Train Station, has long distance trips south to Rajasthan and north to Chandigarh, and to the hill stations of Himachal Pradesh. The New Delhi Train Station is as user friendly as such a place can be in India, if you ignore the touts who have all sorts of stories aimed at parting tourists with their money. From here you can organise long-distance trips east across the Ganges Plain to Kolkata, and south to Mumbai (Bombay) via Agra.
Getting around
Delhi's bus system is not for the faint hearted, or indeed for those who need to get somewhere on time. The network covers most of the city and is dirt cheap, but is also overcrowded and ramshackle - adventure travel you might say. There are plenty of metered yellow-and-black taxis, but don't expect the existence of a meter to mean they will be used. Learn to negotiate before you get going. Auto-rickshaws are generally speedy over short distances and less expensive - cycle rickshaws are somewhat romantic, but harder to find now they have been removed from the modern parts of the city. Motorcycle rickshaws are a better bet during busy hours. They have set courses and prices and can muscle their way through traffic as well. Trying to cycle through Delhi streets would be a foolish choice for a traveller. Try the metro instead - check out www.delhimetrorail.com for more details.
Weather
One of Delhi's drawbacks is that for more than half the year the climate is lousy. For about four months - from November until about March - it's fine, with daytime temperatures between 21 and 30 ° C (70-86 ° F). However, by the end of April it's hot, while May and June are really hot - temperatures can swoop up to more than 45 ° C (113 ° F). In July it gets cooler but the humidity really hits, often with all-day rain through August and September.
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