Where to stay in Delhi

After a long-haul flight, leafy South Delhi gives the calmest soft landing with metro links, while Connaught Place keeps you central and walkable in New Delhi.

Written by the Departly editorial team Reviewed against GOV.UK on 10 Jun 2026

Find hotels in Delhi

Ad · affiliate link — at no extra cost to you.

In short

Where to stay in Delhi

For a first Delhi trip — usually the start of the Golden Triangle and usually after a 9-hour overnight flight — base yourself in South Delhi (Hauz Khas or Greater Kailash) for a calm, leafy soft landing with metro links. Choose Connaught Place if you want to be central and walkable in New Delhi, Paharganj only if a cheap room and the New Delhi railway platform matter most, and Aerocity if you just need one airport-side night before an early onward flight.

The short version

Best all-rounder: South Delhi (Hauz Khas / Greater Kailash).
Best value for comfort: Connaught Place.
Best old-city atmosphere: a heritage haveli stay in or near Old Delhi.
Best for an airport stopover or early flight: Aerocity.
Avoid choosing Paharganj as your default just because the rooms are cheap — pick it only if rail access tops your list.

Best areas to book

South Delhi (Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, Saket)

££ mid-range

Leafier, quieter and better value-for-comfort than the backpacker zone, with strong restaurants, the Hauz Khas village ruins and reliable metro links. The sensible first-timer base: you can decompress here on day one and still reach Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar without crossing the whole city.

Best for: First-timers wanting a calm base after a long flight

Browse hotels 20-40 min by metro to central New Delhi

Connaught Place (CP)

££ mid-range

The colonial-era circular shopping district at the heart of New Delhi: central, walkable, well connected by metro and close to the Yellow and Blue lines. Touristy and midrange-to-pricey, but the practical middle ground between South Delhi's calm and Paharganj's chaos, and a short hop to Old Delhi.

Best for: Central, well-connected stays in New Delhi

Browse hotels Central New Delhi

Paharganj

£ value

The long-running backpacker strip right beside New Delhi railway station: cheap rooms, cheap eats and the easiest onward train, but loud, hectic and heavy on touts. Fine if budget and rail access top your list; a poor choice if you've just landed long-haul and want to sleep.

Best for: Budget travellers boarding trains at New Delhi station

Browse hotels By New Delhi railway station

Old Delhi (near Chandni Chowk)

££ mid-range

Staying inside the walled old city puts Jama Masjid, the spice lanes of Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort on your doorstep, with a handful of restored haveli guesthouses for atmosphere. Intense, congested and short on quiet rooms — best for travellers who actively want to be in the thick of it rather than retreat from it.

Best for: Old-city atmosphere and a heritage haveli stay

Browse hotels Old city, ~30 min by metro to CP

Aerocity

£££ premium

A cluster of international-brand hotels right by Indira Gandhi airport, linked to the centre by the Airport Express. Soulless and cut off from the real city, but genuinely useful for a one-night stopover or a pre-dawn onward flight to Agra or beyond.

Best for: Airport stopovers and early onward flights

Browse hotels By the airport, ~20 min by Express metro to New Delhi station

The simple choice

If you are booking in a hurry, filter for South Delhi first — Hauz Khas or Greater Kailash — then compare Connaught Place if you want to be more central and walkable. That single rule keeps most first-timers out of the two common traps: a noisy tout-heavy room in Paharganj when you only really wanted cheap, or an Aerocity airport hotel that leaves you 16km and a metro ride from everything you came to see. Save Paharganj for the morning you actually catch a train.

Compare Delhi hotels

Safety and noise

Delhi rewards a sensible base. GOV.UK flags pickpocketing, scams and a risk of sexual assault including against female travellers in India, so a quieter South Delhi or Connaught Place street with a reputable hotel beats a backstreet room off the Paharganj main bazaar, especially if you are arriving on a late or overnight flight or travelling solo. Wherever you stay, pre-book an Uber or Ola or take the Airport Express from arrivals rather than accepting a ride from a tout, and agree any auto-rickshaw fare before you climb in.

October to February can bring severe morning air pollution; if you have a respiratory condition, a hotel with good air filtering is worth paying up for.

Book the essentials

Where to stay

Browse staysvia Booking.com

Tours & tickets

Book tours & ticketsvia GetYourGuide

Keep planning Delhi

DelhiCity guide IndiaCountry guide

Where to stay in Delhi FAQs

Is South Delhi too far from the sights for a first trip?

No. Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash and Saket all sit on the metro, so you can reach Qutub Minar (close by in the south), Humayun's Tomb and central New Delhi in 20-40 minutes without fighting road traffic. You trade a little proximity for much calmer, better-value rooms — a fair swap after a 9-hour flight.

Is Paharganj a good place to stay?

Only if budget and rail access are your top priorities. It is cheap and right beside New Delhi station for onward trains, but it is noisy, congested and heavy on touts — a hard place to recover from jet lag. Most first-timers sleep better in South Delhi or Connaught Place and only pass through Paharganj on the way to a train.

Should I stay near the airport at Aerocity?

Only for a stopover or an early onward flight. Aerocity's brand hotels are comfortable and a short hop from the terminal, but they are cut off from Old and New Delhi, so they are a poor base for actually seeing the city. Use the Airport Express to reach the centre if you book there.

Ready to book?

Find hotels in Delhi