Travel to Delhi is a daunting experience. It sprawls uncontrollably over a vast tract of the Jamuna plain, its population (13.8 million at the last count) is a seething mass of humanity and its poverty and pollution challenge the sensibilities and respiratory systems of even the most hardened travellers. Those who look beyond the squalor that envelops much of the city, the thundering traffic, the acrid smog and the constant demands of the hustlers will find delights at every turn - historical, architectural, floral and culinary - quite apart from the vivid colour, eastern eccentricity and restless vibrancy that give Delhi its spirit.

Modern Delhi is really two cities: Old Delhi, packed into the narrow streets beneath the dramatic Red Fort’s imposing walls complete with its medieval bazaars and New Delhi, which is its polar opposite, complete with the grandiose Imperial citadel, chic bars and cafes, broad, leafy boulevards and well-spaced bungalows, as laid out by Lutyens and Baker in the 1920s.

As well as being a starting-point for visiting Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal, or the cities and forts of Rajasthan, Delhi itself has much to offer. The architectural legacy of the Islamic conquerors is rich and varied, the colonial centre is imposingly impressive; there are some interesting museums and the city’s bazaars and shops offer a bewildering array of goods, from spices and silks to car spare parts. The city’s restaurants tempt the visitor with a wide variety of delicious food, which by Western standards is mostly very reasonably priced.

When to travel to Delhi

The best time to travel to Delhi is November through February. Summer in Delhi is best avoided. From mid-April, the temperature rises inexorably. For much of May, June and July the thermometer is stuck at around 45C (113F), before the monsoon brings some relief.