Bus Tours

Delhi Tourism Development Corporation

Tel: (011) 2336 5358; website: http://delhitourism.nic.in) operates sightseeing tours in coaches, covering New and Old Delhi. Between October and April, the tours are in non air-conditioned coaches, between May and September in air-conditioned ones. The New Delhi tour takes in Jantar Mantar, Birla Mandir, Qutb Minar, the Baha’i Temple and Safdarjung’s Tomb. The Old Delhi tour stops at Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat and Humayun’s Tomb. The four-hour ‘ Delhi by Evening Tour’ includes Birla Mandir, the son et lumiere show at Purana Qila and a drive past the Parliament House and India Gate. All tickets must be purchased in advance at the booking office at N-36,
Connaught Place

You can book an air-conditioned bus tour of New Delhi (daily 8am-1pm) and/or Old Delhi (daily 2-5:30pm) at the tourist office at 88 Janpath. Expect to pay about Rs 200 ($4.55) for one tour, Rs 300 ($6.85) for both. Slightly cheaper tours are offered by the DTTDC. Both also offer long-distance tours that include trips to Agra, Jaipur, and Rishikesh, but we definitely recommend you opt for a private operator like TCI

C-35 Connaught Place
Tel. 011/2341-5367 or 011/2341-6167)

Their tours are more personal, cost Rs 750 ($17) per person (monument entry not included), cover all the main sights and lunch at Chor Bizarre, and require a minimum of only two people. If you want to create your own half- or full-day tour from the attractions listed below, contact Rinku (tel. 011/2535-6278 or 98111-94983; rinku_dhall@yahoo.co.in or sanjeevjoney@rediffmail.com). Rinku is not, strictly speaking, a guide (he cannot, for instance, give you a detailed history of an attraction), but he knows his city forwards and backwards and can advise you on when you should hire a guide (usually available at every entrance) and how much it should cost, or when you need to remove your shoes or cover your shoulders, and whether you can include that last sight before the rush hour takes over. Rinku drives around with a friend in a non-air-conditioned van (Rs 800-Rs 1,000/$18-$23 for a full day), but if you’d like him to arrange more salubrious transportation, give him advance warning (Note that like all taxi drivers/guides in India, Rinku will try to take you to a travel agent or shop from whom he will make a commission, but unlike most, he won’t press you further if you decline.) For an excellent introduction to Hinduism, as well as visits to some of the lesser-known sights in Old Delhi, book into Master Paying Guest House — the erudite proprietor gives one of the best tours we’ve had in India, and runs one of the best-value guesthouses, too. For very comfortable customized tours of the city and farther afield, contact Navigator Holidays or Banyan Tours and Travel, or that U.K.-based stalwart in Indian travel, Cox & Kings.