📝BlogJetmeawayTrips
Delhi · Neighbourhood Guide

Where to Stay in Delhi

5 areas compared — what each one is actually like, who it suits, and the honest reason not to book there.

Compare Delhi Hotels →Flights to Delhi (DEL)
🏨 £45/night city average✈️ 8.5h from London📍 5 areas compared

Delhi is two cities that were built to different plans. Old Delhi is Mughal, dense and chaotic, and it is where the food and the Red Fort are. New Delhi is the wide colonial grid of roundabouts and bungalows, and it is where you will actually want to sleep. South Delhi, further out, is where the city’s money, restaurants and quiet streets have moved.

The short answer

If you only read one thing on this page.

  • First time in the cityConnaught Place & Central Delhi
  • Best valueKarol Bagh
  • FamiliesSouth Delhi (Hauz Khas & Saket)
  • NightlifeSouth Delhi (Hauz Khas & Saket)
  • CouplesLutyens’ Delhi & Khan Market

Delhi areas at a glance

AreaPrice bandBest forWatch out for
Connaught Place & Central DelhiMid-rangeA first trip and the best connectionsTouts around the outer circle and near New Delhi station are persistent, and the "tourist office" scam operates openly there. Book only through your hotel or an official counter.
Lutyens’ Delhi & Khan MarketPremiumCouples, calm and comfortThe most expensive part of Delhi and deliberately low-density, so there is little street life — it is a district of embassies and bungalows rather than shops.
South Delhi (Hauz Khas & Saket)Mid-rangeRestaurants and nightlifeA 30–45 minute metro ride from Old Delhi and the Red Fort, so the historic sights become a planned trip. Hauz Khas village itself is cramped and loud at night.
Karol BaghValueBest value with a metro stationCrowded, noisy and heavy with traffic — this is a working market district, not a pleasant stroll. Hotel quality varies enormously on the same street, so read recent reviews.
AerocityPremiumEarly flights and short stopoversIt is not Delhi in any meaningful sense: a hotel island beside a motorway. Fine for a stopover, wrong for a sightseeing trip.

Price bands are relative to this city, not to other destinations. £45 is the average nightly rate we see across Delhi as a whole — tap through for live prices on your dates.

Connaught Place & Central Delhi

Mid-range

Best for: A first trip and the best connections

The white colonnaded circles at the centre of New Delhi, sitting on the junction of the metro’s main lines with the Airport Express a stop away. It is the most practical base in the city — central to both halves, and never far from a train.

🚶 Walk to

Jantar Mantar, the Connaught Place restaurants and shops, and Rajiv Chowk metro for everywhere else.

⚠️ Watch out for

Touts around the outer circle and near New Delhi station are persistent, and the "tourist office" scam operates openly there. Book only through your hotel or an official counter.

Lutyens’ Delhi & Khan Market

Premium

Best for: Couples, calm and comfort

The imperial capital of wide avenues, roundabouts and enormous trees, holding India Gate, the government buildings and the Khan Market shopping enclave. The quietest and greenest central district, and where the grand hotels are.

🚶 Walk to

India Gate, Khan Market, the Lodhi Gardens and the Humayun’s Tomb approach.

⚠️ Watch out for

The most expensive part of Delhi and deliberately low-density, so there is little street life — it is a district of embassies and bungalows rather than shops.

South Delhi (Hauz Khas & Saket)

Mid-range

Best for: Restaurants and nightlife

Where contemporary Delhi lives: the Hauz Khas village bars overlooking a 13th-century reservoir and ruined madrasa, the Saket malls, and the best restaurant scene in the city. Well served by the metro’s yellow and magenta lines.

🚶 Walk to

The Hauz Khas complex and lake, the village bars, and the Deer Park.

⚠️ Watch out for

A 30–45 minute metro ride from Old Delhi and the Red Fort, so the historic sights become a planned trip. Hauz Khas village itself is cramped and loud at night.

Karol Bagh

Value

Best for: Best value with a metro station

A dense shopping and market district west of Connaught Place, on the blue line, with a very large supply of mid-range and budget hotels and one of the city’s best street-food streets.

🚶 Walk to

The Ajmal Khan Road market, the Karol Bagh metro, and the street-food stalls.

⚠️ Watch out for

Crowded, noisy and heavy with traffic — this is a working market district, not a pleasant stroll. Hotel quality varies enormously on the same street, so read recent reviews.

Aerocity

Premium

Best for: Early flights and short stopovers

A purpose-built cluster of international hotels minutes from the airport terminals, on the Airport Express line, with its own restaurant and bar complex.

🚶 Walk to

The hotel complex and its restaurants — and nothing else.

⚠️ Watch out for

It is not Delhi in any meaningful sense: a hotel island beside a motorway. Fine for a stopover, wrong for a sightseeing trip.

Getting in from the airport

Indira Gandhi (DEL) connects by the Airport Express metro to New Delhi station in about 20 minutes. Use the prepaid taxi counter or a ride app rather than accepting an approach in the arrivals hall — the "your hotel is closed" diversion scam is a genuine and long-standing problem here.

Compare UK flights to Delhi (DEL) →

Where to stay in Delhi — common questions

What is the best area to stay in Delhi for tourists?+

Connaught Place and central New Delhi. It sits on the metro interchange, the Airport Express is one stop away, and both Old Delhi and the southern sights are a straightforward train ride. Lutyens’ Delhi around Khan Market is the quieter, more expensive alternative.

Should I stay in Old Delhi?+

Visit it, but sleep elsewhere. Old Delhi has the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid and the best street food in India, and it also has the densest traffic, the narrowest lanes and the weakest hotel stock. It is 15 minutes by metro from Connaught Place.

Is Paharganj a good area to stay in Delhi?+

It is the cheapest area, opposite New Delhi railway station, and it is the centre of the city’s tout and commission scene. Budget travellers use it and it works, but Karol Bagh a little further west offers comparable prices with considerably less hassle.

How do I avoid the Delhi airport taxi scam?+

Use the Airport Express metro, the official prepaid taxi counter inside the terminal, or a ride app booked from the app itself. Ignore anyone who approaches you, and never accept that your hotel is "closed" or "overbooked" — that is the setup for being taken to a commission hotel.

Is South Delhi a good place to stay?+

Yes, for restaurants, bars, malls and quieter tree-lined streets — Hauz Khas, Saket and Greater Kailash are where Delhi actually goes out. The trade-off is a 30–45 minute metro ride to the Old Delhi monuments.

Picked your area in Delhi?

Compare live rates across our hotel partners — total prices including taxes and fees, no booking fee on top.

Compare Delhi Hotels →Full Delhi guide