Delhi, India: hotels, restaurants and transport

GETTING THERE

British Airways (0844 493 0787; www.ba.com) flies to Delhi direct from Heathrow from £580 return. The better hotels offer a free pickup service; otherwise there are regular free coaches to Connaught Place; or you can take a prepaid taxi.

WHEN TO GO

Delhi enjoys four seasons. Best both for weather and festivals is autumn and winter, October to March, when the nights are cool and the days sunny. Avoid the heat of summer and the rainy season, April to September.

Kirker Holidays (020 7593 2289; www.kirkerholidays.com) offers four nights at the four-star The Claridges from £1,098 per person, including return flight and a full-day tour with driver and guide.

GUIDED DAY TOURS

Amit, the concierge at Hotel Leela Palace New Delhi, can arrange tailor-made tours and private visits for guests in advance of their stay from £30 per person for a half day, or £61 for a full day. Specialist guide Surekha Narain offers tailor-made heritage walks and numerous private visits (www.delhimetrowalks.com). The Salaam Baalak Trust for street children offers unforgettable city walks, guided by older children trained as local guides (www.salaambaalaktrust.com).

THE INSIDE TRACK

• Delhi bookshops are superb. In Khan Market (good for shopping), Bahri Sons has been a landmark since 1953.

• Take in the splendid Connaught Place while visiting India’s largest, loveliest and most fragrant flower market in front of the Hanuman Temple, 4am-9am each morning. Follow a visit with breakfast at Saravana Bhavan. (46 Janpath, Connaught Place).

• On guided tours, dress modestly, and carry a scarf and respectable socks for mosque and temple visits.

WHAT TO BRING HOME

For the finest shawls visit Kashmir Loom Company (A21 Basement, Nizamuddin East; by appointment only on 0091 11 2431 8947; www.kashmirloom.com) and Shaw Brothers (D 47 Ground Floor, Defence Colony; www.shaw-brothers.com) but don’t expect bargains.

If you like “modern ethnic” design, Anokhi clothing is a fraction of what it costs in the UK (32 Khan Market; www.anokhi.com). Atmosphere is excellent for furnishing fabrics (D-19 Defence Colony; 4155 3233; www.atmosphere.net.in), while Rohit Kaicker sells Indian miniatures (originals made by living artists who keep up the tradition) from his Gallery 29 (29 Sunder Nagar; 2435 3061).

FURTHER READING

Before you go: City of Djinns by William Dalrymple (Harper Perennial); when you are there: Love Delhi by Fiona Caulfield (Love Travel Guides).

THE BEST HOTELS

Amarya Haveli £

Stylish guesthouse run by a French couple. Good food; roof terrace (4175 9267; www.amaryagroup.com; doubles from £93).

The Manor ££

Tucked away in a leafy, upmarket residential suburb, a 15-room Fifties bungalow with slick, contemporary interior and a cutting-edge restaurant, Indian Accent (2692 5151; www.themanordelhi.com; doubles from £130).

ITC Maurya Sheraton £££

Long popular with visiting heads of state, the hotel contains characterful restaurants, a fine spa and an arresting muralled dome above the lobby (2611 2233; www.itcwelcomegroup.in; doubles from £210).

Leela Palace New Delhi ££££

Superbly located; Leela’s latest hotel is set to outshine the competition with its gracious, glamorous interiors, state-of-the-art facilities, including rooftop pool and enveloping service (3933 1234; www.theleela.com; doubles from £342).

THE BEST RESTAURANTS

Karim’s £

Authentic Mughal cuisine, close to Delhi’s largest mosque (16 Jama Masjid; 2326 4981).

Punjab Grill ££

Dine indoors or out; superb yet informal using the freshest of produce and the finest meat. Delicious (Select City Walk Mall; 4157 2977).

Bukhara £££

Located at ITC Maurya; Bukhara may be world famous but it’s also great fun, with aproned diners eating superb tandoori dishes with their fingers in rustic, convivial surroundings (ITC Maurya; 2611 2233).

WHAT TO AVOID

• Upset stomachs: consider taking Bimuno powders (available from Boots) before travelling to prepare your stomach – they work for me. Stick to bottled water (drink plenty), and avoid unpeeled fruit, vegetables and salads.

• Beggars: do not give money, however upsetting you find them. You risk being surrounded and it’s best to give to a suitable charity, such as the Hope Project (www.hopeprojectindia.org) instead.

• Running out of baksheesh (small change/notes) – everyone hopes for a tip, from the shoe-keeper at the mosque upwards.

• Losing your driver: take your mobile and keep a record of his phone and licence-plate number.

• Shopping malls: though almost all restaurants and retail stores are found in them, they are Westernised and atmosphere-free.

DID YOU KNOW?

Many Hindus do not eat beef so in Delhi McDonald’s burgers are made from mutton.