New Delhi

Delhi carries the memory of empires: Mughal monuments such as Humayun’s Tomb and the Red Fort, the bazaars of Old Delhi, and the broad avenues of Lutyens’ New Delhi. It is a capital of power and contrast — and the natural gateway to Agra, Jaipur and the Himalayan foothills.

Delhi is often described as seven cities built one upon another. The Qutub Minar recalls the Delhi Sultanate; Humayun’s Tomb, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid record the Mughals, whose walled Shahjahanabad survives as Old Delhi, with the crowded lanes of Chandni Chowk at its heart. Lodhi Garden and Mehrauli keep older tombs among lawns and trees.

New Delhi itself was laid out by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker and inaugurated in 1931. Its broad avenues lead from Rashtrapati Bhavan along Kartavya Path to India Gate, framed by bungalows and gardens. Today the capital also holds some of India’s finest museums and restaurants, and the express trains and highways that lead to Agra and Jaipur.

October to March is the season to visit. Autumn brings Diwali, when the city glows with lamps; December and January are cool, with misty mornings and bright, mild afternoons, ideal for walking the monuments. Air quality can deteriorate in late autumn and winter, so it is worth planning gardens and excursions around clearer days.

The Republic Day parade on 26 January brings regiments, camels and tableaux down Kartavya Path, and Holi in March fills the streets with colour. From April to June the heat is fierce, often above forty degrees; the monsoon follows from July to September, turning the gardens green but making travel slower.

Delhi’s defining hotels belong to Lutyens’ city and the diplomatic enclave. The Imperial, opened in 1936 on Janpath, keeps its colonial art collection and palm-lined drive; The Oberoi, New Delhi overlooks the Delhi Golf Club and Humayun’s Tomb; The Leela Palace New Delhi stands in Chanakyapuri among the embassies; and ITC Maurya, a Luxury Collection hotel, has received heads of state for decades.

LVXVRY books ITC Maurya through Marriott STARS & Luminous — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges the programme attaches to the stay. For The Imperial, The Oberoi and The Leela Palace, LVXVRY advises on and arranges the stay directly, choosing the address to suit the monuments or onward travel to Agra and Jaipur.