Debunking traveller myths and misconceptions about Delhi, India

Debunking traveller myths and misconceptions about Delhi, India. Photo / Getty Images

To visit Delhi for the first time is to step into the unknown. Start by dropping all preconceived ideas you may have about the city and then hold on tight, writes Tamara Hinson.

I’ll be honest. While India is one of my favourite countries, and one I visit regularly, my love affair with its capital was a slow burner. But these days, when talking about Delhi, I often refer to the fact that while things often seem chaotic, everything generally works out in the end. Take the time I disembarked from my flight to find I had no wi-fi, and spent an hour batting away a stubbornly persistent local who, it turned out, simply wanted to allow me to use his personal hotspot. Or the taxi driver I hailed who nodded at my address-adorned hotel key card, before pulling over to tell me he had no idea where he was going and needed to call a Delhi-based, English-speaking friend – one who subsequently provided word-perfect directions to my hotel over the speaker.

In summary, while India’s capital undeniably has a different vibe to Mumbai, a slick, seafront city which is infinitely easier to navigate, Delhi’s chaos is part of its charm. Myths and stereotypes had deterred me from visiting for years, and I racked up countless visits to other parts of India before I made it to Delhi, which, it turns out, is one of my favourite cities in the world.

Uber and Ola in Delhi offer the option to choose tuk-tuks, costing around NZ$4 for a 20-minute ride. Photo / Tamara Hinson

First, some myth-busting. Yes, the traffic can be horrendous but in my experience it’s nothing compared to congestion I’ve experienced in New York or Bangkok. And getting around is ridiculously cheap, whether you opt for regular taxis or car-sharing services such as Ola or Uber - both allow you to choose tuk-tuks, and you’ll pay the princely sum of around NZ$4 for a 20-minute Uber tuk-tuk ride. If arriving at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, another option is a metered taxi, booked at the official airport taxi counter – you’ll pay a fixed fare before being given a slip which identifies the parking space where you’ll find your taxi. Another advantage of Uber is security – in India, your driver will ask you for the OTP you’ll have received, which he or she must input into a device on the dashboard.

Another top tip for visitors: while Indians love an app (in India there’s even an Uber Errands service which allows people to block book drivers to carry out small jobs), cash is king when it comes to entry to the city’s landmarks, such as Humayun’s Tomb which, incidentally, was one of the few Delhi heritage sites I hadn’t checked out prior to my 2023 visit. My first attempt took place shortly after the terror attacks on the Taj Mumbai hotel, when security was at an all-time high (even today, the vast majority of hotels in Delhi require guests to pass through metal detectors) and after queuing for hours, I was moments from entering when a metal detector’s bleep alerted security to the phone in my pocket. I was told I’d need to place it in a locker then go to the back of the queue. I admitted defeat and vowed to visit at a later date.

Humayun’s Tomb, a significant example of Mughal architecture, was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. Photo / Getty Images

Which, it turns out, ended up being last September, when I spent several hours exploring the sprawling tomb complex and India’s first significant example of Mughal architecture. Built in 1569, it was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, constructed as the final resting place for Emperor Humayun. The central vaulted mausoleum, famous for its ornate stonework, glazed tiles and plasterwork, was soon joined by tombs built to house his ancestors, and you’ll need a minimum of two hours to explore the complex, which has the world’s first sunken garden. Steep stone staircases throughout the site call for decent hiking shoes, and I recommend taking advantage of the various shady spots in the chipmunk and dragonfly-filled gardens.

Another fantastic heritage site is Delhi’s Red Fort, a former residence for Mughal emperors, which was built in the 1600s and designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the man thought to be to be the genius behind the Taj Mahal. Venture behind the Red Fort’s red sandstone walls and you’ll find a beautiful covered bazaar, and various ornate towers, tombs and domes.

Delhi’s Red Fort was built and designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the man thought to be to be the genius behind the Taj Mahal. Photo / Getty Images

Like many visitors, I was initially surprised to find both a replica of the Taj Mahal and a fort created by its main architect in the centre of Delhi, but that’s part of the city’s charm – the unexpected discoveries you’ll make given a willingness to veer slightly off the tourist trail.

Take Connaught Place – Delhi’s CBD. It’s unlike any CBD you’ve known – chaotic and dusty, with headquarters of banks wedged between shops hawking used iPhones and tiny restaurants selling fragrant rotis. But nearby is a reminder that Delhi is a place where wandering off the beaten path pays rich rewards. A short, five-minute walk will take you to Hailey Lane, a quiet side street lined with crumbling brick walls. Opposite a beautiful mural depicting peacock wings is a narrow flight of stone steps – clamber up them and you’ll find yourself looking down on to one of the city’s most magnificent architectural gems. Agrasen Ki Baoli is an enormous ancient stepwell dating back to the fourteenth century. It’s just metres from Delhi’s beating heart, but its high stone walls – the reason few tourists know of its existence – muffle sound, creating a tranquil escape in the centre of India’s capital.

The Red Fort in Delhi offers a stunning glimpse into Mughal architecture and history. Photo / Supplied

The streets surrounding the stepwell have some of Delhi’s finest examples of street art. Then again, Delhi has never been a place short on colour. Spend a day or two here and you can’t fail to notice the beautifully painted pillars beneath flyovers and metro tracks, or the colourful lorries, adorned with hand-painted designs featuring temples, cityscapes and slogans. Public service declarations, whether it’s posters encouraging citizens to wash their hands or ones promoting safe sex, have traditionally been painted on to walls, rather than unfurled on to billboards.

Agrasen Ki Baoli, a tranquil ancient stepwell, is a hidden gem just metres from Delhi’s busy centre. Photo / Tamara Hinson

Today, one of the most colourful neighbourhoods is the Lodhi area. Referred to as India’s first arts district, it’s a neighbourhood which owes its new-found vibrancy to St+art, a not-for-profit created to bring a splash of street art-themed colour to India’s capital. Today, more than 60 murals cover various derelict buildings, and it’s a great place to understand how Delhi’s street art scene is evolving. St+art’s first project, for example, was an enormous mural (India’s largest) of Gandhi painted on the side of Delhi Police Headquarters in 2014. It was a collaboration by German street artist Hendrik Beikirch and Indian street artist Anpu Varkey. Delhi police were on board with the project, in the same way the directors of Tihar Jail agreed to let St+art street artists daub the prison’s exterior wall with a poem expressing the thoughts of inmates within. Recently, changing attitudes have led to a more freeform approach to India’s street art. You’ll see murals not only in neighbourhoods like Lodhi but areas such as the Shahpur Jat neighbourhood, which became a mecca for Delhi’s street artists after Anpu Varkey painted an enormous cat on the side of a building. “People saw it as a landmark,” says Thanish Thomas, one of St.Art’s co-founders. “Before, the area was famous for its temple, but it became famous for its street art. People started referring to that particular area as billee, which means cat in Hindi.”

The Lodhi area is one of the most colourful neighbourhoods in Delhi and known as India’s first arts district. Photo / Shepherd; Unsplash

A final myth about Delhi relates to its food scene. Don’t let fears of Delhi Belly – a somewhat mythical condition I’ve yet to experience, despite visiting five times in the past three years – put you off making the most of its fabulously diverse food scene.

A great spot for beginners keen to familiarise themselves with the capital’s culinary delights is the Taj Palace, New Delhi hotel, in the gentrified settings of the city’s leafy, embassy-filled Diplomatic Enclave. Loya, the flagship restaurant, pays tribute to northern India’s cuisine. The restaurant’s pièce de résistance is the open kitchen, which allows you to see not only the chefs but tools of their trade: traditional clay pots and iron kadhais in which curries and stews are prepared, and the charcoal burners commonly used by north Indian chefs. Here, dishes do more than satisfy hunger pangs – they provide fascinating insights into India’s cuisine, whether it’s the via the attari murgh, a creamy tomato chicken curry made with fenugreek, ginger and spices, or the smoked and spiced eggplant and jackfruit. And then there are Loya’s cocktails which, like the food, pay homage to northern India. I recommend the Mountain Margarita, served in a glass rimmed with Pisyu loon, a salt sourced from the Himalayas, or the Masala Whisky, a tastebud-tingling explosion of homemade masala syrup, bourbon, orange bitters and star anise smoke. Cheers, Delhi – I’ll be back soon.

Don’t let fears of Delhi Belly put you off making the most of Delhi's fabulously diverse food scene. Photo / Getty Images

For more things to see and do in India, visit incredibleindia.org