A practical Delhi bucket list can combine three very different experiences: a 2-hour free walking tour through Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, a private day trip to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort with hotel pickup, and a vegetarian cooking class followed by a meal in a Delhi family’s home. The Old Delhi walk and home cooking class take place in the capital; the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort require a separate trip to Agra. Allow two or three days for all three.
Each one works differently. The walking tour has no fixed price and ends with a voluntary contribution to the guide. The Taj Mahal trip is a private full day by road, about three hours each way, with entrance tickets paid separately. The cooking class lasts four hours and includes the meal you cook. The Taj Mahal is closed to visitors on Fridays, so that trip needs to go on another day of the week.
Three Experiences for Your Delhi Bucket List
Choose the Old Delhi walk for an introduction to the historic markets, the private Agra trip for a dedicated day at the Taj Mahal, or the cooking class for a hands-on cultural experience. Compare the routes, inclusions, additional expenses and time commitments below.
1. Free Walking Tour of Old Delhi
The Free Tour of Delhi is a 2-hour walk in English through Chandni Chowk, the main street of the walled city Shah Jahan built in the 17th century. It starts at the red facade of the Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir and ends outside the Jama Masjid. There’s no set price: booking holds your place, and at the end you give the guide whatever you think the tour was worth.
Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir: The meeting point is also the first stop. Built in 1656 and considered the oldest Jain temple in Delhi, it stands at the Red Fort end of Chandni Chowk, and its grounds include a charity hospital for birds.
Red Fort: Shah Jahan’s 17th-century red sandstone fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, faces the start of Chandni Chowk. The tour views it from outside; entry is not included.
Chandni Chowk Bazaars: The route moves through the market lanes off the main street, where shops sell spices, fabrics and jewelry. Buying anything is up to you.
Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib: This Sikh gurdwara marks the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru, was executed in 1675. The first shrine on the site was built in 1783.
Sunehri Masjid: The route then passes the Sunehri Masjid, the Golden Mosque, a small 18th-century mosque known for its three domes, which were originally gilded.
Town Hall: A statue of Queen Victoria once stood in front of Chandni Chowk’s colonial-era Town Hall. It was later replaced by the statue of Swami Shraddhanand, an Arya Samaj leader and independence activist, that stands there today.
Jama Masjid: The walk ends outside the Jama Masjid, the congregational mosque Shah Jahan completed in 1656 and one of the largest mosques in India. The guided walk ends at the exterior. Visiting independently afterward is separate and subject to the mosque’s visitor rules.
Important Information
- Duration: 2 hours
- Language: English-speaking guide
- Start and finish: Starts at the Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir and ends outside the Jama Masjid
- Price: No fixed price; the contribution to the guide at the end is voluntary
- Group size: Up to 6 people per booking
- Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible; pets are not allowed
Book the Experience here:
Tips for the Old Delhi Walk
Chandni Chowk’s side lanes are narrow and crowded, and cycle rickshaws and handcarts share them with pedestrians, so closed, comfortable shoes help. Lal Quila metro station on the Violet Line and Chandni Chowk station on the Yellow Line are both within walking distance of the meeting point. Clothing that covers shoulders and knees makes it easier to go inside the religious sites after the tour, and the gurdwara asks all visitors to cover their heads.
2. Private Taj Mahal and Agra Fort Day Trip From Delhi
This private day trip picks you up from your Delhi hotel or the airport, drives you to Agra in an air-conditioned vehicle and covers the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort with an English-speaking guide before bringing you back. The drive usually takes about three hours each way, although traffic can lengthen it. The two advertised departure times are: a 3:00 AM departure to reach the Taj Mahal around sunrise, or a 6:30 AM departure for a later start. Only your own group travels in the vehicle.
Sunrise Tour
3:00 AM: Pickup from your hotel in Delhi and the drive south to Agra, the Mughal capital before Shah Jahan moved his court to Delhi.
Taj Mahal: Arrival in the early light for a guided visit of the gardens and the marble mausoleum. Shah Jahan built it between 1632 and 1653 as the tomb of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and the guide covers that story as you walk the complex.
Agra Fort: The red sandstone fort begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Shah Jahan spent his final years confined here by his son Aurangzeb, within sight of the Taj Mahal.
Breakfast Stop: A break at a local restaurant for a typical breakfast, paid separately.
Yamuna River Viewpoint: A final look at the Taj Mahal from the banks of the Yamuna River.
Around 1:00 PM: Arrival back in Delhi, with the afternoon free.
Morning Tour
6:30 AM: Pickup and the same sequence at a later hour: the guided Taj Mahal visit, Agra Fort around midday, lunch at a local restaurant in Agra at about 1:00 PM (paid separately) and the view of the Taj Mahal from the Yamuna riverbank.
Around 6:00 PM: Drop-off at your hotel in Delhi or at the airport.
Important Information
- Duration: Plan for a substantial day out; the sunrise itinerary lists a return around 1:00 PM, but road conditions can change the timing
- Language: English-speaking guide
- Included: Pickup and return to your Delhi hotel or the airport, private air-conditioned vehicle, guide, private tour for your group only
- Not included: Breakfast, lunch, and entrance tickets to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, which are paid separately
- Closed day: The Taj Mahal is closed to visitors on Fridays
- Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible; pets are not allowed
Book the Experience here:
Before You Book the Taj Mahal Trip
Foreign visitors pay a higher entrance fee than Indian nationals at both monuments, and the inner mausoleum of the Taj Mahal carries a small extra charge, so bring a card and some cash for tickets on the day. Only small bags are allowed into the Taj Mahal complex, and food, tobacco and tripods are not permitted. The things to know before visiting the Taj Mahal go into timing and entry in more detail. Between December and January, morning fog around Delhi and Agra can slow the drive and soften the sunrise view.
3. Cooking Class and Meal With a Delhi Family
This 4-hour class takes place in a family home in Delhi. Your hosts introduce the ingredients and techniques of everyday Indian cooking, you prepare several dishes with them, and then everyone sits down to eat what you made. All the recipes are vegetarian, and you can book a breakfast, lunch or dinner session.
Cooking Class & Meal With an Indian Family
Meeting Your Hosts: The family welcomes you at their home in Delhi, and the exact address is on your voucher. If you prefer, they can meet you at the nearest metro station instead.
Introduction to Indian Cooking: Before cooking starts, the hosts walk you through the spices and staples of an Indian home kitchen, how they’re cooked and which recipes appear most often.
Hands-On Cooking: You prepare dishes such as bhelpuri, a puffed-rice snack; samosas; and pakora, vegetables fried in chickpea-flour batter. To drink there’s masala chai and shikanjvi, a spiced lemonade.
Language and Customs: Along the way you pick up some Hindi words and phrases and learn how a meal is served and shared in an Indian home.
The Meal: The class ends at the table, eating the dishes you cooked together with the family.
Important Information
- Duration: 4 hours
- Food: All recipes are vegetarian; vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free or other dietary needs can be noted when booking
- Included: Cooking class with a local family, breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on the session, water and WiFi
- Meeting point: The family’s home in Delhi, with optional pickup at the nearest metro station
- Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible; pets are not allowed
Book the Experience here:
Why It Belongs on the List
Restaurant food is easy to find in Delhi; a home kitchen is not. The class fits a free morning, afternoon or evening, works well on the day before or after the Taj Mahal trip, and suits vegetarians without any change to the menu. If your route continues to Jaipur, there’s a similar cooking class with a local family in Jaipur.
Planning a Two- or Three-Day Delhi Itinerary
On a two-day itinerary, schedule the Old Delhi walk and an evening cooking session on the same day, keeping the following day free for Agra. With three days, separate the cooking class from the walk and add another Delhi landmark. All three fit into two or three days. The Taj Mahal trip requires a dedicated day, though the early departure may return by early afternoon. The Taj Mahal is closed to general visitors on Fridays. The Old Delhi walk and the cooking class each take half a day, so they combine on a single day, for example the walk in the morning and a dinner session at the cooking class in the evening.
The most comfortable months for walking in Delhi are roughly October to March. From April to June daytime heat is intense, and from July to September the monsoon brings heavy rain, so early starts matter more then. Winter mornings in December and January are often foggy, which mainly affects the early drive to Agra.
Many of Delhi’s sights cost nothing to visit, and these free things to do in Delhi are a good way to fill the time between bookings. If you stay a night in Agra rather than returning the same day, the city also has its own free things to do in Agra.
Other Places Worth Visiting in Delhi
The three activities above are a starting point rather than an exhaustive list of Delhi attractions. Humayun’s Tomb, a UNESCO-listed Mughal garden tomb, and the UNESCO-listed Qutb complex offer two very different chapters of the city’s history. They require separate visits and are not included in the Old Delhi free walking tour.
India Gate and the broad avenues of New Delhi make a useful contrast with Chandni Chowk. The Lotus Temple, a BahĂĄ’Ă House of Worship, is another option if you have a few extra hours. Check its visiting schedule before making the cross-city journey. Plan these stops by neighborhood and allow for Delhi’s heavy road traffic.
