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A few examples of beautiful carving, inlay, and gilding remain, particularly in Diwan-I-Khas, but after so many years of successive plunder it takes some contemplation (and a guide) to imagine just how plush and glorious the palaces and gardens must have been in their heyday; they were ruined when the British ripped up the gardens and built their ugly barracks (the fort is incidentally still a military stronghold, with much of it off-limits). Consider hiring a guide at the entrance, but negotiate the fee upfront and don’t expect much by way of dialogue (guides often speak English by rote and don’t understand queries); do expect to be hassled for more money. If you’re staying in an upmarket hotel, arrange a guide through the concierge.

Chandni Chowk. 011/2327-7705. Rs 250 entry; Rs 25 video; Rs 100–Rs 150 guide. Tues–Sun sunrise–sunset. Evening light show 7:30pm Nov–Jan, 8:30pm Feb–Apr, 9pm May–Aug; Rs 60; information 011/2327-4580.

New Delhi

Almost all of New Delhi’s attractions lie south of Connaught Place, which you will no doubt visit to make onward bookings, get cash, eat, or shop. Built on concentric circles surrounding a central park, the retail heart of New Delhi was designed by Robert Tor Russell in the late 1920s. With its deep colonnaded verandas, gleaming banks, and host of burger joints and pizzerias, it’s a far cry from Chandni Chowk but is still quite chaotic, crawling with touts and hucksters whose aim is to part you from your money as quickly and seductively as possible. From here, the closest attraction well worth visiting (unless you’re moving on to Jaipur) is Jantar Mantar (daily sunrise–sunset), which lies on Sansad Marg, on the way to Rashtrapati Bhavan. It’s one of five open-air observatories built in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the eccentric genius who built Jaipur. The sculptural qualities of the huge instruments he designed are worth a visit alone, but note that Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, built by the same king, is both bigger and better preserved (see chapter 11).

The easiest way to take in central New Delhi’s imperial architecture—for many the chief attraction—is to drive to India Gate, built to commemorate those who died in World War I. There an eternal flame burns in memory of those who gave their lives in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, their names inscribed on the memorial. Sadly it’s hardly worth pausing here—the last time we visited, the beautiful lawns were slushy, unkempt and littered courtesy the hundreds who come every day, and the boating facility disfigured with canvas advertisements—but set off on foot west along Rajpath (the 3.2km/2-mile boulevard once known as King’s Way) to the beautifully ornate gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan, flanked by the two almost identical Secretariat buildings (see “New Delhi’s Imperial Architecture,” below). Having covered the architectural attractions of New Delhi, you can double back to The National Museum (see below) or catch a ride to the National Gallery of Modern Art, which lies near India Gate (Jaipur House; 011/2338-2835; Rs 150; Tues–Sun 10am–5pm). Farther west lies The Crafts Museum (see below). Although the National Gallery is one of India’s largest museums of modern art, it’s pretty staid fare and unlikely to thrill those used to such Western shrines as London’s Tate or New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

Other museums you may consider in the area, particularly if you have an interest in the last 100 years of India’s history, are (all three are incidentally a short auto-rickshaw ride from each other, so easy to combine) as follow: Try the colonial bungalow where Gandhi stayed when he was in Delhi, and where he was assassinated; it’s in many ways more atmospheric than the museum near Raj Ghat in Old Delhi. You can visit it now in its present guise as the Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (5 Tees January Marg; 011/3095-7269; www.eternalgandhi.org; Tues–Sun 10am–5pm, closed second Sat of the month). Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (Teen Murti Marg; 011/2301-6734;