Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk)

India's largest mosque, built 1650 to 1656, at the top of Matia Mahal. Entry to the courtyard is free; the minaret climb is about ₹100 and camera charges apply. Closed to visitors during prayer times and around 12.30 to 1.45pm on Fridays. The view over the Red Fort and the rooftops is the best in Old Delhi.

At the Fatehpuri Masjid end of Chandni Chowk, Asia's largest wholesale spice market, in a courtyard building called Gadodia Market. Sacks of chilli, cardamom, dried fruit and asafoetida from about 10am to 7pm, closed Sunday. The chilli dust will make you cough on the upper floors; that is not a metaphor, bring a scarf.

Gali Kababian, immediately south of Jama Masjid's Gate 1. Open roughly midday to midnight, later in Ramadan. Mutton burra around ₹450, seekh kebab ₹180, mutton korma ₹380, and a rumali roti at ₹25. It is crowded, the seating is functional, and it is still the benchmark. Al Jawahar next door is the calmer alternative.

The silver lane running north off Chandni Chowk beside the Jain temple, trading for well over two centuries. Silver is sold by weight against the day's rate plus making charges, which is a far fairer system than tourist shops. Ask for the rate per gram before discussing pieces. Most shops open 11am to 8pm, closed Sunday.

Digambar Jain Lal Mandir stands opposite the Red Fort at the eastern head of Chandni Chowk. Behind it, a free charitable bird hospital has treated injured pigeons, parakeets and kites since 1929. Donations only, open roughly 8am to 8pm. Leave leather items and shoes at the temple counter before entering.

Down Gali Qasim Jaan off Ballimaran, the restored house where the poet Mirza Ghalib lived until 1869. Free, closed Mondays, open about 11am to 6pm. Two small rooms, a bust, some manuscripts. It takes fifteen minutes and it anchors the whole lane, which is otherwise a spectacle market.

Chandni Chowk station on the Yellow Line sits at the western end of the main road — 12 minutes and ₹30 from Rajiv Chowk, and the exit puts you almost at Khari Baoli. Lal Quila station on the Violet Line serves the Red Fort end, and Jama Masjid station is one stop further. From the airport, take the Airport Express to New Delhi station and change to the Yellow Line — about 40 minutes total. Never bring a car: the walled city has no parking and the lanes are impassable. Cycle rickshaws are the correct local transport, ₹80 to ₹150 for a lane circuit; agree the fare first and expect to walk anyway in the busiest sections.

Sunday, when most of the wholesale market including Khari Baoli, Kinari Bazaar and Dariba Kalan is shut. Monday closes the Red Fort. The ideal visit is Tuesday to Saturday, arriving around 9.30am when the lanes are opening and before the midday crush. Friday is fine but Jama Masjid closes to visitors for about an hour and a quarter at midday prayers.

Yes in daylight, with normal crowd precautions — pickpocketing in the tightest lanes is the real risk, so carry nothing in back pockets and wear a bag across your front. After about 9pm the market lanes empty out and are poorly lit; stick to the Matia Mahal food strip, which stays busy, and take a cab back rather than walking to the metro through empty alleys.

A guide is genuinely useful the first time — the good stalls are unmarked, the lanes are unsignposted, and a three-hour walk costs roughly ₹1,500 to ₹3,000 a head including tastings. If you go alone, stick to the long-established names: Karim's, Al Jawahar, Paranthe Wali Gali, Natraj, the Jalebi Wala at Dariba corner, and Kuremal's kulfi in Sitaram Bazaar.

A full morning covers Chandni Chowk, the silver and spice lanes and Jama Masjid. Add two hours for the Red Fort, which is large and mostly open to the sun. If you want Karim's for lunch and the bazaars afterwards, budget six hours and accept you will be exhausted. Most people underestimate the walking and the heat.