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Day 3 of 13 · Saturday 31 Oct
Old Delhi, full tilt
The Mughal capital in one day: Jama Masjid at opening, breakfast in the paratha lane, the spice market, the Red Fort, and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in the evening.
where you sleep what you see · tap a marker for its deep dive
Yellow line from Rajiv Chowk two stops to Chawri Bazar — faster than any car up there. (Or a 25-min taxi.)
India’s greatest mosque (1656), before the tour buses. Climb the southern minaret for the rooftop view of everything you’ll walk next.
The paratha lane — stuffed flatbreads fried to order, some shops here since the 1870s.
Cycle-rickshaw through the lanes — silver street, wedding street — ending at Khari Baoli, Asia’s biggest spice market.
Shah Jahan’s palace-fort (1639) — the halls of public and private audience, where the Peacock Throne stood. ~2 h.
The story: The Seven Cities of Delhi →Mughlai institution in the lane by the mosque, run by the same family since 1913.
Gandhi’s memorial by the river — a calm 20-minute stop after the bazaar, on the way back.
The great Sikh temple near the hotel: golden dome, evening hymns over the tank, and a volunteer kitchen that serves ~10,000 meals a day — visitors can walk through it.
Or somewhere near the hotel.
On this day
What you are looking at, roughly in the order the day meets it.
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The metro ride in — Delhi’s metro is vast, cheap and rigorously ordered (the first carriage is women-only). Chawri Bazar station is one of the deepest on the network, about 25 m down; the contrast between the platform and the street you surface into is the whole point.
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Jama Masjid — Shah Jahan’s congregational mosque (1656), India’s grandest: a courtyard for 25,000, three marble domes, two 40-metre minarets. The climb up the southern minaret gives a rooftop map of everything the day covers.
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Paranthe Wali Gali — the paratha lane: a dozen shops frying stuffed flatbreads to order, several run by the same families since the 1870s. The menu boards list fillings from potato to banana; everything is fried in ghee, served with the same set of chutneys.
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Dariba Kalan and Kinari Bazaar — the specialised lanes of Chandni Chowk, best seen from a cycle rickshaw: one street selling silver and jewels since the 17th century, the next selling nothing but wedding trim — tinsel, turbans, garlands of fake banknotes.
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Khari Baoli — Asia’s largest wholesale spice market, running west from Fatehpuri Masjid. Porters with sacks of dried chillies push through the crowd, and the chilli dust in the air has everyone — traders included — sneezing. It has operated on this spot since the 17th century.
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Red Fort — Shah Jahan’s palace-fort (1639): the halls of public and private audience, where the Peacock Throne stood until Nadir Shah carried it off to Persia in 1739. The prime minister addresses the nation from its ramparts every Independence Day.
The story: The Seven Cities of Delhi → -
Karim’s — the Mughlai institution in the lane facing Jama Masjid, run by one family since 1913; the founders claimed descent from cooks of the Mughal court. Burra kebab and mutton korma are the orders.
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Raj Ghat — the black marble platform marking where Gandhi was cremated in January 1948, with an eternal flame, set in quiet lawns by the Yamuna. Visiting heads of state are brought here as a matter of protocol.
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Gurudwara Bangla Sahib — the great Sikh temple near the hotel: golden dome, a holy tank that reflects it, hymns broadcast over the water in the evening. Its volunteer kitchen (langar) feeds around 10,000 people a day, free, whoever they are — and visitors can walk through the kitchen and watch the chapati line at work.
Where to eat
Breakfast is at the hotel. Researched picks, not a directory — the small print names who recommends each. Names link to Google Maps.
Lunch
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Karim’s ₹₹ · Gali Kababian, Jama Masjid — Mughlai canteen in the lane facing gate 1 of the mosque — mutton korma, seekh kebab, khameeri roti. Same family since 1913, founded by a cook from the last Mughal court’s kitchens.
Shared tables, crowds, cash. The original Gali Kababian branch, not a franchise.
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Al Jawahar ₹₹ · Jama Masjid — Karim’s next-door rival since the 1940s, named after Nehru — mutton korma, nihari. Several Delhi food writers prefer its korma to Karim’s.
Calmer seating, no table-sharing — the fallback if Karim’s queue is long.
Snacks & sweets
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Pt. Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan Paranthe Wale ₹ · Paranthe Wali Gali, Chandni Chowk — Oldest shop in the paratha lane, frying stuffed parathas in ghee since 1872 — with banana-tamarind chutney, about ₹150 for two. Sixth generation of the same family; Nehru and Indira Gandhi ate here.
This is the planned day-3 breakfast stop. Backup next door: Kanhaiyalal Durga Prasad Dixit, est. 1875.
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Khan Chacha ₹ · Khan Market — Kebab-roll counter that started as a 1972 market stall — chicken tikka or mutton seekh rolls in roomali roti. Khan Market institution since 1972.
Counter service — a light dinner or the snack before a proper one.
Dinner
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Khan Chacha ₹ · Khan Market — Kebab-roll counter that started as a 1972 market stall — chicken tikka or mutton seekh rolls in roomali roti. Khan Market institution since 1972.
Counter service — a light dinner or the snack before a proper one.
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SodaBottleOpenerWala ₹₹₹ · Khan Market — Bombay-Irani-café-styled Parsi restaurant with a full bar — berry pulao, kheema pav, eggs kejriwal. Regular on Condé Nast Traveller India and Esquire Khan Market lists.
Book a table for four in the evening.
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Indian Accent ₹₹₹₹ · The Lodhi, Lodhi Road — Contemporary Indian tasting menus — blue-cheese naan, dal moradabadi, meetha achar ribs. The fancy night out, at a Warsaw price. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, 13 consecutive years; India’s most-awarded restaurant.
Book several weeks ahead. Ten minutes by car from Khan Market.
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Bukhara ₹₹₹₹ · ITC Maurya, Chanakyapuri — Frontier tandoor room unchanged since 1977 — dal Bukhara simmered 18 hours, sikandari raan, eaten by hand. Has fed Clinton and Putin; ranked among Asia’s best since the 1980s.
Reservations limited — book via the hotel or expect a queue.
Drinks
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Sidecar ₹₹₹ · Greater Kailash II — Neighbourhood cocktail bar by veteran bartender Yangdup Lama — classics-driven list. Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025; long India’s most-decorated bar.
About 25 minutes by car from Khan Market; reserve on weekends.
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Lair ₹₹₹ · Vasant Vihar — Dim speakeasy-style cocktail bar with a tiered menu and Asian small plates. No. 8 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 — ranked best bar in India.
Small room, in demand — book ahead. ~25 minutes by car from the hotel.