By Shriyam Gupta & Avantika Sood
‘A city is a reflection of the civilization that built it.’
How does one come to learn about one’s city? We read, which provides us with new eyes to look at the city. We talk, which enables us to live someone else’s life in the city. We walk through it, and that allows us to actually experience it.
Walking lets us get involved with the city. You are living in it, making use of its facilities, interacting with people and hence becoming a part of its everyday existence. What makes walking so special is that we get to combine what we read, watch and know, with what we experience. Whether it’s a monument, a garden, a nature trail or just a local area, it gives us a chance to be part of the ‘scene’ and revisit the city we live in.
Lucky for us, there are more than a few outfits that organize cool and fun ways to explore Delhi. Handpicking them for you, here’s our walking guide |
Delhi Heritage Walk | Their philosophy is to take you to see Delhi as you have never seen it before. The team includes scholars and academia and thus you can expect to experience the unknown of the city.
Genre | Heritage, Food, Monuments, Customized
Price | 400-900 INR {Covers guided walk}
More information | http://delhiheritagewalks.com/about-delhi.html
Contact | info@delhiheritagewalks.com; Phone | +91-9212534868
INTACH | The Indian National Trust of Arts and Cultural Heritage has over 150 chapters around the country to promote culture and arts. Working closely with Delhi Tourism and other such associations, INTACH has been organizing walks since 2005. They are especially efficient when it comes to leading large groups such as school students, and are thus relatively affordable.
Genre | Monuments, Heritage, Customized
Price | 100-200 INR {Covers guided walk}
More information | http://www.intachdelhichapter.org/heritage_walks.php
Contact | mail@intachdelhichapter.org; Phone | +91-11-24632267; +91-11-24631818; +91-11-24632269 {Ext.105}
Discover Delhi with Sohail Hashmi | The Delhi based documentary filmmaker and historian organizes walks for small groups. There is no fixed schedule for the month and thus you will have to stay updated through the Facebook page.
Genre | History, Heritage, Food
Price | 400-600 INR {Covers guided walk}
More information | https://www.facebook.com/DiscoveringDelhiWithSohailHashmi
Contact | sohailhashmi@gmail.com; Phone | Unavailable
Salaam Balak Trust City Walk | The walk starts from Chelmsford road and takes you through life on the street. Their objective is to engage you with this life and sensitize you to issues related to it. Its hosted by young people who have spent there childhood struggling on the roads and thus gives you a first hand account of the harsh realities of life.
Genre | Street life, Heritage
Price | 150-250 INR {Covers guided walk}
More information | http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/city-walk.asp
Contact | salaamwalk@yahoo.com; Phone | + 91-9873130383; +91- 9910099348
Masterji ki Haveli | If you are in the city for a day, or want to explore Old Delhi in a freshly imaginative way, Masterji ki Haveli is the tour for you. Its led by a team of travel experts. They organize one-day, as well as half-day tours around Old Delhi covering major sites, while also food tours and many others. The full day tour ends with a traditional dinner at the Private Mansion in the Old city.
Genre | Food, Full day Tours, Heritage
Price | 5500-6000 INR {Covers food, transport, lunch and dinner}
More information | http://www.masterjikeehaveli.com/;
Contact | friendsindelhi6@gmail.com; Phone | +91-9810750217
1100 walks | Their walks explore the city in a completely new light. You can choose from a variety that includes religion, festivals, nature, urban villages etc. One such tour is ‘the Blackberry Walk’, which, as the name suggests, explores Jamun in New Delhi and its history with the city. Himanshu Verma, a leading art curator and founder of Red Earth, Delhi, leads these walks.
Genre | Outstations, Festival, History, Nature, Food, Full day tours
Price | 1500-3000 INR {Covers transport and food}
More information | http://1100walks.com/
Contact | himanshu@redearthindia.com; Phone| +91-11-41671100
Delhi by Cycle | If you are too lazy to walk, you can always go the cycling route. Cycling under the morning sun {before honking cars and irate people take to the road} is a completely new way to experience the city. Their core group includes students, filmmakers and NRIs, all of whom will provide different insights into the city. This unique initiative takes you cycling around Shah Jahan, Haveli, Yamunna and Nizammudin. And yes! They provide the bicycles.
Genre | Cycle Tour; Street life, Heritage, History
Price | 1600-1700 INR {Covers 2 guides, bicycles, refreshments or a meal}
More information | http://www.delhibycycle.com/index.asp
Contact | info@delhibycycle.com; Phone | +91 9811723720; +91 11 64645906
Delhi Magic | They offer visitors the choice of a wide range of curated tours around the city. Not only do they have walks, but also car tours for the day. Their ‘Something Different’ section includes, among many things, metro tours and shopping guides. Beside this, they have special itineraries for Agra and Jaipur.
Genre | Metro Tours, Shopping tours, Heritage, Car Tours, Full day tours
Price | 700-1100 INR {Covers rickshaw fares and trained guides}
More information | http://www.delhimagic.com/
Contact | deepa@delhimagic.com; Phone | +91 98677 0741
Delhi Food Tours | They provide customized food tours that give you the opportunity to explore a variety of Indian cuisines, as they are found in the local eateries of New Delhi. The idea is to experience food from across India within the geographical confines of the capital.
Genre | Food, Customized tours
Price | INR 4,000 per person {minimum booking of 2} {Covers transport, food and non-alcoholic drinks}
More Information | www.delhifoodtours.com
Contact | http://delhifoodtours.com/contact; Phone | 095 60 002222
When in India Tours {Rickshaw} | A creative venture that offers unique tours, it helps visitors discover the real Delhi. They want you to experience the warmth, hospitality, peace, spirituality, unique rituals, beliefs and finger licking delicacies of Delhi, on rickshaws.
Genre | History, Food, Travel, Heritage
Price | USD 50-75 per person {Covers rickshaw fares, trained guides, food, souvenirs, water}
More Information | http://www.wheninindia.com
Contact | info@wheninindia.com; Phone | 91-9818176637, 91-9958077066
Heritage Walks with Surekha Narain | A hard-core dilliwala, her objective is to bring about awareness and concern for our built heritage by designing walks around well-known and lesser-known areas of Delhi and its surroundings. There is a wide of range of walks to choose from.
Genre | Heritage, History, Monuments, Street life, Spiritual, Customized
Price | Depends from tour to tour
More Information | http://www.delhimetrowalks.com/home.htm
Contact | nsurekha65@gmail.com; Phone | 9811330098 {sms only}
{LBBD} Explore | Yours truly organizes heritage walks, to enable Delhiwaalas to experience places known, unknown, hidden and off the beaten track. Moreover, our walks bring together like-minded people to share ideas about the city, their interests, and life in general. LBBD Walks always come with an element of surprise – ‘jugaad‘ as we say – where we bring someone from within the community we’re exploring forward to share their knowledge and expertise. Keeping up with true LBBD spirit, no one leaves on an empty stomach, or empty-handed!
Genre | Heritage, History, Nature, Food
Price | INR 650 onwards and INR 500 onwards for members {Includes a guided walk, food and water}
More Information| www.littleblackbookdelhi.com
Contact | contactus@littleblackbookdelhi.com; Phone | Confirmed on participation
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