Recently one of friends pinged me on Facebook that she is travelling to North India from USA to visit Agra, Jaipur and other places around. And she want to do some shopping in Delhi, so asked about the main places/markets in the city. Although I had few names on top of my head but I asked for some time to get back on this. This blog-post is an attempt to capture some details about shopping in Delhi w.r.t. type of stuff to be bought, cost range, weather etc. Hope this post would be helpful for folks who are visiting Delhi and want to do some shopping. First I will try to list down main places for shopping along with some details about these markets and then would categorize them on various parameters. E.g.- which places are best to shop during summers etc...
Dilli Haat – It’s neither a mall nor a typical Indian market, but a very well maintained Haat (village market) managed by Delhi Tourism. It’s an enclosed market having single entry gate. This place is highly recommended to tourists visiting Delhi. Apart from interesting stuff to buy, you get an unique shopping experience. There are some good places to have Indian street food inside Dilli Haat. Anyone who visits me (especially from different parts of the world) and wants to do shopping, I prefer taking them to Dilli Haat.
Negotiation – Yes, shopkeepers negotiate in this market and at times, people sell you stuff at 50% of the initial asking price. I am not very good at it but it would be fruitful to connect with someone who visits this market often and understand the scope of negotiation :).
Location – Opposite INA Market, south Delhi
(There are 2 more Dilli Haats – one is in Pitampura and other in Janakpuri.)
How to reach – This place is very well connected through Metro (INA Metro station is just in front of Dilli Haat). I have always preferred Metro to visit Dilli Haat in INA, so not aware of parking facility there. If you plan to visit Pitampura Haat, it has good amount of parking space, but there are very few shops and that’s why it’s not that popular.
Opening hours – It opens at 11am and remains open till 10pm. I would recommend to check time on Delhi Tourism website because timings vary on some special days.
Entry Ticket – There is an entry ticket for this market, which is available at the counter on main gate. The price is 30 Rs per person.
What to buy РIndian handicrafts and art pieces. Indian Tranditional clothes, home d̩cor stuff & souvenirs from the various states of India.
Places to see around Dilli Haat - Safdarjung Tomb
Places to see around Dilli Haat - Safdarjung Tomb
Janpath – It again an interesting market near Connaught place (which is another huge market with most of the showrooms) where you can find various types of shops. Lots of tourists and foreigners can be seen roaming around this market which is located on the roadside. This place is also popular for window shopping.
Opening time – 11am till 9pm
How to reach - Nearest metro station in Rajeev Chowk and it's located at a walkable distance. If you are going via taxi/car, parking is available near Palika market from where one can easily walk to Janpath.
Negotiation - Yes, same rule applies here (Dilli Haat)
What to buy РHandicrafts, hippy clothing, leather stuff, cheap jewelry, souvenirs, home d̩cor etc.
Places to see around Janpath - India Gate, President's House, Parliament House, Delhi Zoo, Old Fort, Jantar Mantar
Khan Market - It’s a small but well established market which is popular amongst the folks who like shopping in exclusive showrooms and don’t care much about the price/negotiations. Market has some branded outlets, exclusive outlets and some brilliant eating places. This is one of the few markets in Delhi which has book shops that do good business business :). Khan Market has vegetable shops as well, where you can find fresh and almost all kinds of fruits & veggies. There are some cafes in the street which offer outside seating arrangements with interesting ambiance.
Location - South New Delhi, not far from India Gate.
How to reach - There is a Metro station in Khan Market and one of the exit takes you to Khan Market. There is parking in the market and it’s free :).
What to Buy - Books, music, branded and tailored clothes, Ayurvedic food and cosmetics, Home décor stuff and lamps.
Places to see around Khan Market - Lodhi Garden, Safdarjung Tomb
Recommended Restaurants - Do you have any recommendation ?
Chandni Chowk - This is probably the oldest market in Delhi which is operating for hundreds of years now. Walking around the narrow alleyways is certainly an adventure and personally I never recommend to visit this market during summers. There are various smaller markets in the area dedicated for specific types of stuff. There are dedicated markets for electronic, fabric, cameras, and silver jewelry. There are some very popular street food vendors in Chandni Chowk. This place is popular for wedding shopping :).
Location - Old Delhi.
How to reach - Metro is the only mode I would recommend. Parking is BIG problem here. So if you are in a taxi/car, park it in Connaught place and take metro from there.
Opening Hours - Daily except Sundays.
What to Buy - Fabrics, jewelry, and electronic goods.
Sarojini Nagar - It is most famous for its shops that sell really cheap designer clothes and discarded stuff by known brands & sport houses. This is generally a very crowded market having varied sized shops and stalls selling all kinds of clothes and fashion accessories.
Location - South West Delhi, near Safdarjung Airport(which is not operational).
How to reach - INA is the nearest metro station. Auto-Rickshaw and Taxi. Cars are usually parked around the roads, but there are folks who take care of cars(conditions applied* :) ) and charge parking fees.
Opening Hours - Daily except Mondays.
What to Buy - Designer clothes, Indian clothes, fashion accessories, shoes, Bedsheets, Curtains, Towels etc.
Places to see around Sarojini Nagar - Railway Museum,
Lajpat Nagar - Another busy and old market of Delhi which is very popular amongst middle class. This market has mix of showrooms, smaller shops and roadside kiosks selling varied stuff. I have just heard that lot of girls/ladies go there to get mehndi(henna) on their hands and it seems that market has lot of Mehndiwalas who are quite good at it.
Location - South New Delhi, near Defence Colony (between Greater Kailash and South Extension).
How to reach - Metro, Autorickshaw or Taxi
Opening Hours - Daily except Mondays.
What to Buy - Indian clothing, shoes, bags, accessories (including Indian bangles) and home furnishings.
Places to see around Lajpat Nagar - Lotus Temple, Iskcon Temple, Moth ki Masjid
Malls in Delhi -
Select City Walk mall in Saket, DLF Emporio, DLF Promenade are some of the popular malls in Delhi where you can get most of the brands. There are 3-4 malls in Vansant Vihar, which are close to each other and you can find stuff in different price ranges. Select City Walk is another huge mall in Saket and there are 2 smaller malls near it. If you love shopping in malls, I would highly recommend these. and they have some of the best restaurants in Delhi.
My recommendations Tourists visiting Delhi -
1. Dilli Haat, INA
2. Chandni Chowk
3. DLF Malls in Vasant Kunj
4. Khan Market
Some other markets -
Defence Colony
Greater Kailash
Hauz Khas Village
Shahpur Jat
Karol Bagh
Kamla Nagar
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