Delhi in 7 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Seven days in Delhi: the complete route plus a real buffer day
Seven days keeps the 6-day plan entirely intact, Old Delhi, New Delhi, Qutub Minar, the free UNESCO pair, Karol Bagh’s markets, and the Purana Qila/National Museum rest day, then adds a seventh day as genuine slack: a second food crawl, Khan Market, and departure logistics rather than one more monument. A full week in Delhi at this pace runs Rs 1,800-3,000 a day per person.
| Day | Focus | Rough spend (1 person) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid | Rs 1,800-2,800 |
| Day 2 | Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate, Connaught Place | Rs 2,200-3,500 |
| Day 3 | Qutub Minar, Hauz Khas Village, Lodhi Garden | Rs 2,200-3,200 |
| Day 4 | Lotus Temple, Akshardham, Dilli Haat | Rs 1,500-2,500 |
| Day 5 | Karol Bagh markets, Bangla Sahib Gurdwara | Rs 1,000-2,000 |
| Day 6 | Purana Qila, National Museum, slow evening | Rs 1,200-2,000 |
| Day 7 | Khan Market, second food crawl, departure | Rs 1,200-2,200 |
Book these before you go:
- Old Delhi food and heritage walk : weekend slots fill up days ahead.
- Red Fort skip-the-line ticket : worth it across a week with several monument days.
- Your Delhi hotel : a full week in peak season needs booking well ahead.
- Old Delhi rickshaw and food tour : a good pick for day seven if you want a guided repeat of day one’s lanes.
Where to stay for a full week
Karol Bagh or Hauz Khas Village both work as a single base for seven nights without ever putting you more than a Metro ride from that day’s sights. Booking a full week ahead in the October-March peak also protects you from the “your hotel is closed” scam, since you’ll have a confirmed reservation and address in hand before you land, not a same-day booking to defend.
Day 1: Old Delhi on foot and by rickshaw
Red Fort at opening, Rs 500-600 foreigner ticket, closed Mondays. Cycle rickshaw into Chandni Chowk, fare agreed first, lunch at Paranthe Wali Gali, Rs 60-150. Jama Masjid’s courtyard, free outside prayer times, dinner at Karim’s, Rs 200-400.
Day 2: Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate, and Connaught Place
Humayun’s Tomb in the morning, Rs 550 foreigner ticket, open daily. Metro to India Gate and Kartavya Path, free. Afternoon in Connaught Place’s arcades, cheap thali lunch.
Day 3: Qutub Minar and the trendier side of South Delhi
Qutub Minar in the morning, Rs 550 foreigner ticket, ground-level viewing only since the minaret’s 1981 closure. Hauz Khas Village in the afternoon, Lodhi Garden before sunset, free.
Day 4: Lotus Temple, Akshardham, and a crafts market dinner
Morning at the Lotus Temple , free, closed Mondays, then Akshardham in the afternoon, free darshan, exhibitions extra at roughly Rs 170-260. Dinner at Dilli Haat, gate fee under Rs 50.
Day 5: Karol Bagh’s markets and a free meal that isn’t a gimmick
Morning shopping Karol Bagh’s markets, genuinely cheaper than the central tourist core. Afternoon at Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, free entry and a free vegetarian langar meal served to thousands daily.
Day 6: A slower day at Purana Qila and the National Museum
Morning at Purana Qila, a 16th-century fort most itineraries skip and far less crowded than the Red Fort. Afternoon at the National Museum, a genuine rest for your feet after five days of walking. Unhurried dinner near Connaught Place or Khan Market.
Day 7: Khan Market, a second food crawl, and packing up
Spend the morning browsing Khan Market’s bookstores and cafes, pricier than Karol Bagh but a good last look at a different side of the city. If you skipped anything on day one’s list, an afternoon rickshaw and food tour back through Old Delhi makes a satisfying repeat visit rather than a rushed new stop. Confirm your departure transport, prepaid taxi counter or the Airport Express Metro, the night before, not the morning of.
Is 7 days enough time for Delhi?
More than enough for the city on its own; a week at this pace covers every major monument, both free landmarks, a full market day, and a genuine rest day, with day seven left over as pure slack. If you’re using Delhi as a base for Agra or Jaipur, that’s a different, longer trip entirely and not something to bolt onto this one.
How much does a full week in Delhi actually cost on a budget?
Figure Rs 14,000-21,000 per person total: six nights in a budget-to-mid room, three monument tickets at the foreigner rate, Metro fares across seven days, and meals split between street food and one free langar meal.
Push toward hostel dorms and street food throughout and that falls closer to Rs 10,000-12,500, since three of the seven days cost very little beyond a museum ticket or a market lunch.
Buy the three-day Tourist Smart Card twice, once at the start and once around day four, rather than single tokens the whole week; across seven days of heavy Metro use, the 10% per-trip discount adds up to real savings.