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October through March are the best months to visit northern India.
Continental Airlines flies nonstop to Indira Gandhi International Airport from Newark, New Jersey.
The Raj-era art collection, clubby bar, and neatly clipped lawns are reason enough to visit this 1936 Art Deco icon. Janpath, New Delhi; 91-11/2334-1234; theimperialindia.com; doubles from $532.
The city’s top business hotel sits in a quiet corner of town, overlooking a nearby golf course and Humayun’s Tomb. Dr. Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi; 91-11/2436-3030; oberoidelhi.com; doubles from $426.
Great Value The future to the Imperial’s past: a pulsing, 220-room hive of hypermod design (by Terence Conran & Partners, among others) whose flashy restaurant, bar, and dance floor draw Delhi’s chic young things. Rooms are a bit small but stylish in a cool, Ian Schrager–y way. 15 Parliament St., New Delhi; 91-11/2374-3000; theparkhotels.com; doubles from $377.
Beloved by Delhi society as a see-and-be-seen spot, the landmark Taj Mahal (a.k.a. the Taj Mansingh) is all about bling, with its glittering Mughal motifs, opulent fountains, and zardozi domes. 1 Mansingh Rd., New Delhi; 91-11/2302-6162; tajhotels.com; doubles from $512.
Delhi’s best South Indian food (dakshin means “south”) is served thali-style, with no silverware. Use spongy appam bread to scoop up crisp spicy prawns or pan-fried mutton with coconut and ginger. Sheraton New Delhi, District Centre, Saket, New Delhi; 91-11/4266-1122; lunch for two $47.
Hotel Diplomat, 9 Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi; 91-11/4604-0404; drinks for two $21.
A gimmick that works: almost every dish on the contemporary European menu is cold-smoked to often brilliant effect—don’t miss the smoked- tomato–and-lemongrass soup. VIPPS Centre, Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi; 91-11/4143-5530; dinner for two $117.
This smart upstart at the Oberoi has dazzling interiors and an extensive, mostly surefire menu: from sushi and yakitori to wood-fired pizza and a knockout butter chicken. Dr. Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi; 91-11/2436-3030; dinner for two $85.
Square One Mall, C2 Saket, New Delhi; 91-11/2956-2666; drinks for two $29.
In Delhi, the best shops tend to be clustered together in outdoor marketplaces or glitzy malls. Here are a few not to miss.
South of LSR College, in South Delhi. Expats and Indians alike have been known to furnish entire houses and buy a whole year’s wardrobe at Fab India (14 N-Block Market; 91-11/2923-2183), a superstore of cotton clothing, wool kilims, duvet covers, lamps, furniture—you name it—spread across several showrooms.
Near the Taj Mahal Hotel. Ogaan (Shop 17; 91-11/4175-7302) began life as a boutique and is now a media group as well, publishing the Indian editions of Elle and Elle Decor. Highlights include opulently embroidered dresses from Gaurav Gupta, silk chiffon tops from Gauri & Nainika, and Pashma cashmere stoles and sweaters. Ranna Gill (Shop 53A; 91-11/4175-7770) has Western-friendly Indian-style women’s fashion. Silverline (Shop 7A; 91-11/2464-3017), a 30-year-old, family-run wholesale jewelry firm, offers outstanding quality and value. Silver is the focus, along with precious and semiprecious stones like amethyst, tourmaline, and rose quartz. Good Earth (Shop 9; 91-11/2464-7175; goodearthindia.com) has chic, often whimsically designed furniture, kitchenware, and china, as well as delicious-smelling bath products. Anokhi (Shop 32; 91-11/2462-8253; anokhi.com), one of India’s most celebrated brands, offers Rajasthani block-printed linens and clothing in tasteful florals and paisleys at ridiculously low prices: soft pure-cotton tunics are just $13; cushion covers, a mere $3.
Race Course Rd., Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Visit the most elegant “mall” in town for ethereal scarves by designer Neeru Kumar (Shop 19; 91-11/2687-0339) and for brightly colored shawls made of kashgar, a fine sheer cashmere gauze, at Noor Jehan (Shop 23; 91-11/2611-2971).
3 Lodi Colony Market; 91-11/2463-8878; manisharora.ws.
1 Regal Building, Parliament St.; 91-11/2336-2809.
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