Dil wali Delhi!!

I had to travel to Delhi for an exam and this is a short account of the same. The title is sucks and is cliché but then couldn't come up with a better title so thats what I had to settle with. Is Delhi "dil - wali " ? I am not quite sure , but is definitely full of people who like to flaunt- money, looks, attitude. Atleast thats the Delhi I saw!

Anyways I write this article to share a few travel tips which I found in handy. So to start off , the first thing you need a smart phone with decent net connectivity as traveling in Delhi can be a bit confusing. The following apps come in handy :

The Quintessential Google Maps : Click here to download.
Delhi Metro Rail App. Click here to download. This is a neat app which shows the metro route with connecting stations , fare, approximate travel time and the nearest metro station. Also there is a list of places to visit with the metro station closest to each which comes in handy!
Any of the following Taxi services , given the notoriety of the Delhi auto drivers. In fact you can use all of them one by one. Out of all the three services, I found Uber to be the most useful to get a cab immediately while Taxi for sure is good for booking cabs on a later period which is not possible using uber. Click on the name to download. Click here for free credits

Taxi for sure

Uber
Ola

The easiest way to search for boarding is to do an online search and select a hotel/ hostel which suits your need. There are many cheap hostels which suit the needs of people whom roaming around in the city is a priority and can compromise on stay. Booking and Hostel World are good places to start off. I stayed at the International Youth Hostel Delhi which I found a decent and safe place to stay (Read more here : International Youth Hostel).

Once you arrive at the Airport/ Delhi railway station, you should get the Metro card which comes in really handy. For a refundable security deposit of Rs 50, you can get the card at any metro station and that will save you the long ticket queues. Also you get 10percent discount on all your tickets. If you are arriving at the airport (national or international) , the Airport Metro line is the cheapest and fastest way to get into the city. The ticket for New Delhi station is just 100 bucks which will take anything from 300 to 400 bucks by cab. For traveling within the city, metro is the cheapest option and from your station to your destination you can choose either the above cab services or the local autos/ cycle rickshaws.

I didnt get enough time to roam around but I did manage a few places. Out of the Red Fort , Jama Masjid (both of which are closeby) and Humayun's Tomb, I like the latter the most. If you are group of people it would be advisable to take a local guide as roaming around just looking at these monuments doesn't make much sense. The light show at the Red Fort is something you should not miss. Check out the timings here. Also a visit to the India gate in the night is a must.

I didnt interact much with people but the ones I did (mostly my cab drivers, hostel staff and a few random tourists whom I forced to clicking my pics) were helpful. The area around South Delhi is safe. I visited the India gate on Saturday at midnight and it was quite crowded with families having a fun time in the gardens parallel to the path leading to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

All in all it was a pleasant short stay!