Delhi, India Tourist Info - Sightseeing and Moving Around
Traveling in City- Rental Cars, Tours, etc...
Sightseeing
Inland Travel
Traveling - Rental Cars, Tours, etc...
Various modes of transportation are available for travelling within the city. These include public buses, auto rickshaws (three wheelers are also commonly called autos) and private rental cars. Tourists are generally advised to avoid riding in the public buses as they are overcrowded and not convenient. They are also adviced not to drive on their own because of the extremely difficult and chaotic traffic conditions. The taxis and autos can be hired to go to a specific destination. However, the most convinient and recommended way to travel within Delhi (particularly if the day's plan involve traveling to a number of destinations) is to hire a private rental cars for 4, 8 or 12 hours durations. All of these rental cars include the services of a chauffeur and there cost may vary depending upon the duration of car rental and mileage. In general, they are quite affordable by Western standards (often between $15-25 per day). No driver licence or extra insurance is needed for these rental cars. You should contact the persons at the front desk of your hotel or other persons with whom you are staying to recommend and arrange a reliable private car rental. [Go to Top]
Sightseeing
The recommended ways to do sightseeing in Delhi is to either take a conducted tour or by hiring a private rental car (with driver). The former has the advantage that you do not have to know which places to visit and any conducted tour will also have a tour guide who can provide a brief history/background of the places that you are visiting. But, the conducted tours tend to be more expensive and they do not give you the freedom to visit and explore different places at your own pace and convenience. Hence, if you have a good city guide book and know which places you want to visit, you may opt for a private rental car. The cost of the rental cars could vary from about Rs.700-1200 for for 8 hours and 80 kms distance, depending upon whether the car is air-conditioned or not and also the rental source. If you are visiting Delhi in Summer months, it is strongly recommended that you rent only an AC car. For any rental car, extra charges are applicable for additional time and distance. Hence, it is important to note down the time and the odometer reading at the time a rental car is hired. It is also important to check the terms and conditions of car rental. This does not apply to the regular taxis. [Go to Top]
Inland Travel
Different places in India are connected via an extensive network of railway, buses and air-link. Information for various domestic airlines is provided separately on this page. The airfares on most airlines are discounted if booked in advanced. For travels to short distances, buses, railroad and rental cars are suggested. The highways in India are generally slow and the average speed is generally no more than 60-70 km per hour. Hence, travelling a distance of about 200 km can take as much as 3-6 hours, depending upon the traffic conditions. This should be kept in mind when planning your travel. For longer distances, the primary means of travel are via trains or planes. India has many fast and comfortable trains that connect all of the main cities in the country. However, all of these trains are heavily booked and it is important to make prior reservations, often several weeks in advance or even before arriving in India. There are different fare classes in trains; For longer distances involving overnight journey, travel in Air-conditioned 2-tier (suggested) or 3-tier is recommended. Air-conditioned first class is more spacious, but it is comparable in price to the cost of air travel. For information regarding trains, buses etc. please contact any local travel agent. Computerized Railway reservation offices are located at the following places. [Go to Top]
- IRCA Building, Chelmsford Road, Pahar Ganj, New Delhi. (0745-2100 hrs; Sunday 0745-1400 hrs)
- Delhi Main Railway Station. (0745-2100 hrs; Sunday 0745-1400 hrs)
- Delhi Shahdara Railway Station. (0745-2100 hrs; Sunday 0745-1400 hrs)
- Sarojini Nagar Railway Station. (0745-2100 hrs; Sunday 0745-1400 hrs)
- Near Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station. (0745-1300 hrs and 1400-2000 hrs; Sunday 0745-1400 hrs)
- Kirti Nagar Railway Station. (0745-1300 hrs and 1400-2000 hrs; Sunday 0745-1400 hrs)
- Karkardooma, Har Govind Enclave, Vikas Marg. (0745-1300 hrs and 1400-2000 hrs; Sunday 0745-1400 hrs)
- International Tourist Bureau, 1st Floor New Delhi Rly. Station, Tel.: 3734164; 0730-1700 hrs. Closed on Sunday. (0745-1300 hrs and 1400-2000 hrs)
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