Old & New Delhi Private City Tour with Pickup

5.00

(27 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the air — thick with spice and car horns, but also something sweet from a chai stall nearby. Our driver, Mr. Singh, waved from the curb outside my hotel in New Delhi. He had this easy smile that made me feel less nervous about plunging into Old Delhi’s chaos. We started at the Red Fort — those red sandstone walls look almost soft in the morning haze. Our guide, Priya, told us stories about Shah Jahan building it for his new capital. I tried to picture elephants parading through the gates, but honestly, it was hard to imagine anything over the sound of rickshaws and kids laughing somewhere behind us.

Jama Masjid was next — you have to climb these wide steps and suddenly you’re above everything: wires, shops, even the noise drops a little. The marble felt cool under my feet (shoes off inside), and Priya pointed out how many people could fit here for prayers. Twenty-five thousand? I can’t wrap my head around that number. There were families picnicking on the steps outside; one little boy offered me a piece of mango and giggled when I tried to thank him in Hindi (definitely got it wrong). After that we drove past Raj Ghat — Gandhi’s memorial is so simple compared to everything else, just black stone and flowers. It felt quiet there in a way nowhere else did.

I didn’t expect Qutub Minar to be so tall — 75 meters Priya said — or for the carvings to be so sharp after centuries of rain and sun. The gardens around it smelled like wet earth because it had rained earlier; my shoes got muddy but no one seemed to care. Lunch was at some place Priya picked near Humayun’s Tomb (I let her order for us). The dal was smoky and rich, and there was this bread I still think about sometimes — soft inside but crisp on the edges.

We finished at India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan as the light started turning gold on all those white government buildings. People were flying kites on the lawns; a group of teenagers asked for selfies with us (I guess we looked very touristy). By then I was tired in that good way where your head is full but your feet are sore. The city felt different by evening — softer maybe? Or maybe I’d just gotten used to its rhythm.