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Best Places to Visit in Delhi in One Day

Located in the Nizamuddin East of Delhi, this tomb dedicated to the second Mughal Emperor Humayun is one of the most famous attractions of Delhi, alongside being a city’s favourite place to hang out.

This is owed to the fact that the mausoleum is surrounded by sprawling verdant gardens that are maintained pristine to this date. Declared to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1993, the main area of the tomb follows a Mughal Architecture and was the first garden tomb in the Indian Subcontinent.

The site of the Tomb was specifically chosen because it was near Yamuna River, and near to the shrine of the celebrated Sufi saint of Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya, who was revered deeply by all the Mughal Rulers. To this date, the tomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the city of Delhi and is highly visited by many.

Distance: 13.4 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday 6 AM to 6 PM

Entry Fee/charges: INR 35 for Indian visitors, and INR 550 for foreign visitors.

Safdarjung's Tomb or the Tomb of Safdar Jang is a mausoleum dedicated to the Nawab Safdarjung. Built in the year 1754, the mausoleum follows a Mughal Style of Architecture and is made with red sandstone and marble.

The Nawab, who was a prime minister in the court of Mughal Emperor Ahmed Shah Bahadur was known to be a rich and powerful person in the North. The tomb itself is an imposing feature of Delhi, truly telling the story of power and reach that the Nawab once held over the declining empire of the Mughals.

The four main features of the Tomb are the Char Bagh (Four Gardens) with the tomb in the centre, a ninefold floor plan, a five-sided facade, and a large platform with a hidden stairway. The tomb also has fountains on all four sides of the Polygonal Tomb, and the Government plans on restoring these.

Distance: 21.0 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 7 AM to 5 PM

Entry Fee/charges: INR 15 for Indian, and INR 200 for foreigners.

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As the name suggests, the Lotus Temple is a flower like a shrine in Delhi dedicated to Baha’i belief and is indeed, a Baha’i House of Worship. A prominent attraction of the city of Delhi, the Lotus temple is open to all for visit irrespective of their religion or any other mandate, as it is preached by the Baha’i religion.

Made with marble “petals” arranged in clusters of 3 to make nine sides, the temple has nine doors that open up to a central hall. Opened to the public in the year 1986, the temple had attracted more than 70 million visitors by late 2001, making it one of the most visited attractions in the world.

By April of the year 2014, the temple has already seen more than a million visitors.

Distance: 19.9 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 9am–6pm

Entry Fee/charges: Free.

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Dedicated to the fierce Hindu Goddess, Kali, the Kalkaji temple is located in Southern Delhi in a locality that actually has given the temple its name, Kalkaji.

The locals follow a belief that the image of Kali in the temple manifested on its own, and that it actually belongs to Sat Yuga, or the age of truth, which was actually the time when Goddess Kali slew many demons.

Despite this belief, the oldest parts of the temple itself only date back to the year 1764. Although visitors flock here all year round, the grandest celebration at the Kalkaji Temple happens on the bi-annually Hindu Festival of Navratri (Literally, Nine Nights), where the beauty and the festivities are a sight to behold.

Distance: 20.2 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 4:00 AM – 11:30 AM, 12:00 Noon – 3:00 PM 4:00 PM – 11:30 PM

Entry Fee/charges: Free.

One of the associated memorials in the vicinity of the famous Raj Ghat, the Shanti Van or the forest of peace is a national shrine dedicated to the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Located on the banks of River Yamuna, the site is home to the shrine of many great heroes and important personalities of the country, including Vijay Ghat (dedicated Lal Bahadur Shastri), Shakti Sthal (dedicated to Indira Gandhi), and Vir Bhumi (dedicated to Rajiv Gandhi).

Located right next to the memorial of Nehru is the tomb of his grandson Sanjay Gandhi, who died in the year 1980 in a plane crash. The place sees a celebration of sorts on the birthday of the late prime minister on the day of his birthday, which is also celebrated as the children’s day in the country.

Distance: 5.8 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 5:00 AM - 7:30 PM

Entry Fee/charges: Free.

Akshardham Mandir makes for the most famous and well-known attraction in the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex of Delhi. Rising to a height of 43 m, the temple is adorned with intricate carvings that depict various flora, fauna, dancers, musicians, and deities.

The temple which is built with sandstone from Rajasthan and marble from Italy has the most striking feature in its foundations, which uses no ferrous metal (steel or concrete). With its 234 carved pillars and 20,000 idols, the Akshardham temple is a must place in Delhi.

Right under the central dome of the temple is a 3.4 m tall idol of Swaminarayan, to whom the temple is dedicated, made with the launch dhaatu or five metals as per the Hindu Belief, alongside idols of Sita Ram, Radha Krishna, Shiv Parvati, and Lakshmi Narayan made with the same practice.

Distance: 10.8 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 9:30am–6:30pm

Entry Fee/charges,  Adults: INR170, Children: INR100, Senior Citizens: INR 125.

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Located about 2 km from the Delhi - Haryana border, the Azad Hind Gram is a tourist complex, developed by Delhi Tourism in the honour of the freedom fighter of India, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose.

He is credited with the creation of India’s first army, and hence the place is named Azad Hind Gram. Made in the architectural style prominent in North India, the place is primarily decorated with Art from across India.

Apart from this, the complex also contains elaborate plazas, one amphitheatre, a tourist information centre, shops for souvenirs and gardens, food stalls, restaurant, facilities for toilets, public drinking water setups, public telephone, and facilities for conventions and conferences.

Distance: 26.0 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 10 AM to 6 PM

Entry Fee/charges: Free.

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Another historically important attractions and one of the best places to visit in Delhi in one day, the Raj Ghat is a memorial dedicated to the late father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

The west bank of the Yamuna near the old walled city of Shahjahanabad, the spot was where the Mahatma was cremated a day after his assassination on 30th January 1948. The place comprises of a black marble slab (platform), the place is left open to the sky while a never-dying flame burns on one side of it.

Not just this, there are also many other famous Memorials nearby that are also a part of the Raj Ghat. This includes, but is not limited to Jawaharlal Nehru's samadhi (Shantivan), and K R Narayanan’s cremation site, called the Ekta Sthal (Unity Spot).

Distance: 5.6 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 6:30 AM to 6 PM

Entry Fee/charges: Free.

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Literally, the old fort, Purana Qila is one of the oldest features of the city of Delhi. The present facade visible of the fort is believed to have been constructed in the times of Emperors Humayun and Sher Shah Suri.

If the findings are to be believed, then archaeologists have found traces of the fort that belong to the 3rd Century BC and even old. Believed to be from the period of the Hindu Epic Mahabharata, the current fort has a wall of height 18 km surrounding it having three gates, with one of them still facing Humayun’s Tomb.

There is also a mosque inside the fort built by Sher Shah Suri (the Lion King), a Bath House, and a religious school, which are the prominent features of the fort.

Distance: 10.4 km from Delhi bus stand.

Timings: Everyday, 7 AM to 5 PM

Entry Fee/charges: INR 15 for Indians, INR 200 for foreign visitors.

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