What to See in 2 days in New Delhi

The capital of India is a bustling metropolis full of must-see landmarks and cultural attractions. New Delhi actually forms a small part of Delhi itself, setting the modern district apart from the traditional areas. This city was designed by a British architect and today, you can see the heavy influence of European style throughout the winding streets. Apart from the interesting architecture and modern buildings, New Delhi is also a vibrant and lively city full of fun family attractions, historical sites and fantastic shopping districts. If you’re in New Delhi on a whirlwind trip, here’s everything you need to see in two days.

The National Museum

Start your two-day trip with a visit to The National Museum. Here, you’ll learn all about New Delhi’s history and the fascinating heritage of India, starting from the pre-historic era all the way through to modern times. The museum holds around 200,000 pieces of artwork, spanning over 5,000 years. Established in 1949, this museum is one of the largest in India and can be found on the corner of Janoath and Maulana Azad Road. It’s open 10am to 5pm every day, except for Mondays, when it’s closed. It’s a great way to begin your trip and immerse yourself in New Delhi’s history.

The National Zoological Park

If you’ve got kids travelling along with you, or if you’re just an animal lover yourself, make sure you visit The National Zoological Park on one of your two days. The park spans over 176 acres and includes a massive range of India’s most beloved animals, from hippos to giraffes and jaguars. The National Zoological Park is more than just a zoo; it’s also making great strides in the field of conservation. The breeding programme is designed to keep wild cats and rare animals from becoming extinct, in particular the royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, Indian rhino and brow antlered deer. The park also features a 16th century citadel and a beautiful green island to explore.

Red Fort

A quick trip to New Delhi wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Red Fort, in the historic district. One of the top attractions in Delhi, the Red Fort is a great example of the power of the Munghal Emperor. The towering red sandstone structure was built in 1638, with massive walls and rooms, including the Drum House, Peal Mosque, Royal Baths, Palace of Colour and the Hall of Private Audiences. Today, you can walk through the rooms, taking in the stunning white marble and red sandstone surfaces. In the evening, the Red Fort comes alive with a dazzling sound and light show.

India Gate

Visiting the India Gate is definitely a must, when holidaying in New Delhi. You can see all of it in just one morning or afternoon, so it won’t take up a lot of your trip and it’s New Delhi’s largest memorial. The India Gate is dedicated to the 82,000 soldiers who lost their lives serving in the combined British and Indian army in the First World War. The gate itself looks similar to Paris’‘ Arc de Triomphe, with lights that illuminate it when the sun goes down. The memorial holds the names of 13,300 commonwealth servicemen, as well as a shrine built underneath, in 1971, to commemorate the Unknown Solider. It’s a sombre visit, but an essential one for paying your respects to those who died for our freedom.

Shopping district

For an authentic New Delhi shopping experience, head to Chandi Chowk. This vibrant market is always in full swing, with huge crowds and delicious street food on offer via the numerous stalls. If you’re looking for a more chilled out alternative, the Select Citywalk is a modern mall with luxury international brands selling clothing, shoes, electronics and more.

To learn more about what to do on a two-day trip to New Delhi, check out Expedia’s travel guide.

PS. This is a Sponsored Post, written in Collaboration with Expedia

The weekend protester that I am decided to go India gate today again. After all from tomorrow I will earn my daily bread! I was tweeting and knew that @db_DelAplha was also tweeting from there. Imagine my surprise that he turned out to be my friend from college and in all that crowd I met him as soon as I entered! We were together from the entire time.

As I walked in I saw these police men and like yesterday I could point my camera at them. They didn’t stop me. I started walking in to India Gate. Many metro stations were closed but Rajiv Chowk was open.

As soon as I walked a bit I saw this fire. There were three such fires going on and people chased away a fire brigade too. But these were small bonfires. And then a girl asked me for my mobile phone. While I gave to her my friend walked in and suddenly I realized the person I was exchanging tweets with I knew him too since a long time back. Imagine two tweeting people meeting in that crowd! What a coincidence.

As my friend had been there all day he said India Gate and its vicinity was an informal safe area and we stayed there for a while. I also saw a lot of people among the crowd telling others not to restore to violence otherwise the police will charge them. At times they were able to put some sense through.

Near this fire someone posted a notice later!

A little at a little distance towards Raisana Hill real action was. We went a little closer. And suddenly the water canons started and you can see that at a distance people were just standing. Water canons were at a distance. I was standing and without thinking too much I clicked a few pictures.

As soon as the water canons started people closer to the pitched scene started running in all directions. Within two minutes this was the scene, almost empty. Why lathi charge all the way then? My friend told me to say we were press if a policeman came near. We ran for a short distance and then we stood in a corner. Police came and an unknown gentleman in front of me showed his camera and said press. I said the same pointing to my camera. The police asked us to sit down.

Then the police came and asked the vendors to move and started cracking its lathi. So we went near this media van. By now tear gases were going all around. I don’t know how many shells I heard exploding. A father with his two year old was sitting with us. I had a duppata and a water bottle and it helps a lot in tear gas situation. Whoever had water passed it around to others. Soon others joined us and we must have been 10 strong all sitting down. In that chaos a little while later we realized that the father-kid had moved, there were a lot of ambulance I hope they got one. All this while I had no sense to use my camera. I did just one tweet. I was holding the duppata to my eye most of the time.

Then a group of policemen and policewomen came and asked us to move. We said where should we go as there is too much chaos. They said we will escort us out. One lady police also remaked, “aap bhi tou unhi logon ke sath baithte hain” (You also sit with them). I wonder who is this them?

The policeman below escorted us out. We shook hands with this policeman saying thank you.

I had seen someone picking up a stone and throw it back. We told him not to do that. But I wonder if I got a lathi myself would I not be tempted to throw a stone back? Not sure as I never got a lathi, just some tear gas.

I do not know what happened upfront when they started using water canon but I saw that the area was deserted within two minutes. I was close to the scene though not upfront. I am not that brave. The police continued to charge and use tear gas.

While walking out to get an auto, a little away from the scene, I told a policeman at the roundabout that I was a college teacher and you used tear gas at me! He lowered his eyes!

All my sympathies to people who got directly caught in the lathi charge and tear gas. I was luckier this time, I only got the tear gas.

But I am the weekend protester I go back to work tomorrow.