City Break Delhi - Cultural Experience

Itinerary

Day 1: ARRIVAL DELHI

Pass By: Delhi Airport, New Delhi, Delhi 110037, India
Once you arrive at Delhi Airport a representative will meet and greet you, followed by a transfer to your hotel. After checking in, spend the rest of the day at your own leisure, exploring this wonderful city , or relax at the hotel and make the most of the available services. (Standard Check-in Time: 1400 Hrs)
Overnight in Delhi.

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Standard = The Emerald or similar 3*
Superior =The Royal Plaza or similar 4*
Deluxe = Le Meridien or similar 5*

Day 2: OLD & NEW DELHI CITY TOUR

Pass By: Red Fort (Lal Quila), Netaji Subhash Marg, New Delhi 110002 India
After breakfast, enjoy a full-day tour of Old & New Delhi Discover the secrets of delightful Old Delhi with this fascinating full-day tour. Marvel at the magnificent Red Fort (Closed on Mondays), admire the majestic Jama Mosque and visit the Gandhi memorial. See the imposing India Gate, the parliament and the president’s palace. Behold the tallest stone minaret in India and visit Humayun’s Tomb, the forerunner of the Taj Mahal.
Explore the Red Fort, a Unesco World Heritage Site that dates back to 1648 at the peak of the Mughal Empire. Considered one of the best examples of Mughal architecture, it stands proudly over the banks of the River Yamuna, creating a stunning illustration of spirituality and splendour.
Head to the spectacular Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, built from, red sandstone and glistening white marble. Feel the authentic India and inhale the harmony of its ancient splendour. Come face to face with ordinary Indians as they stream in and out. Revel in the hustle and bustle of the nearby bazaar and maybe treat yourself to a souvenir. Afterwards visit the Raj Ghat, a simple black marble memorial to Mahatma Gandhi set among carefully tended to lawns.
Continue the tour and see the arched India Gate, the circular parliament building and the Rashtrapati Bhawan which is the president’s residence in New Delhi. Contemplate Qutab Minar, the tallest stone tower in India, which was started in 1199. Twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples were pulled down and their columns were used to erect it. Complete your tour with a visit to Humayun’s Tomb, the forerunner of the Taj Mahal.
Overnight in Delhi

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Standard = The Emerald or similar 3*
Superior =The Royal Plaza or similar 4*
Deluxe = Le Meridien or similar 5*

Day 3: DELHI

Pass By: India Gate, Near Connaught Place New Delhi, New Delhi 110001 India
Wake up to breakfast at the hotel followed by a full day for you to spend at leisure, be that further exploring Delhi at your own pace or making the most of the services available at the hotel. You can also join an optional tour ( extra pay).

1. HALF DAY NEW DELHI CITY TOUR (MORNING/AFTERNOON)
Begin your Delhi delight with a drive along the area known as ‘Lutyens's Delhi’ after Edwin Lutyens, the architect who designed the city’s new monumental government district a century ago. See the grandiose Rashtrapati Bhawan, the 340-room palace built for the viceroys of India, which is now the residence of the president of India. Lutyens’s blend of classical and Mughal elements has resulted in a style known as the Delhi order. Continue along the Rajpath and see the India Gate, a triumphal arch designed by Lutyens to commemorate fallen soldiers. See also the vast, circular Indian parliament, which also bears the hallmark of Lutyens.
Leave Lutyens's Delhi and explore the old parts of New Delhi with a visit to the site of the 73 metre-high Qutab Minar, the tallest stone tower in India. Qutub-ud-din Aibak, the first sultan of Delhi, had it built in 1193 and razed 27 Hindu temples to use their columns. The attached Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid, the first mosque in India, was also built by him. The tour ends with a visit to Humayun’s Tomb, the mausoleum of a Mughal emperor built from red sandstone and white marble. Facing the façade is a Persian-style charbagh garden, which was the first in India.

2. HALF DAY OLD DELHI CITY TOUR (MORNING/AFTERNOON)
Explore the Red Fort (Closed on Mondays), a Unesco World Heritage Site that dates back to 1648 at the peak of the Mughal Empire. Considered one of the best examples of Mughal architecture, it stands proudly over the banks of the River Yamuna, creating a stunning illustration of spirituality and splendour. Admire the epic Lahore Gate and behold the beauty of the intricate stonework in the Hall of Private Audiences, where emperors met visiting dignitaries, while the former women’s quarters of the Rang Mahal boasts a gilded ceiling and marble pool.
Continue to the spectacular Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, built from, red sandstone and glistening white marble. Feel the authentic India and inhale the harmony of its ancient splendour. Come face to face with ordinary Indians as they stream in and out; the courtyard is capable of holding 25,000 worshippers. Standout features include the two 40 metre-high minarets made from strips of red sandstone and white marble. Revel in the hustle and bustle of the nearby bazaar and maybe treat yourself to a souvenir. Afterwards visit the Raj Ghat, a simple black marble memorial to Mahatma Gandhi set among carefully tended to lawns.
3. SAME DAY RETURN TRIP TO AGRA (EXCEPT FRIDAY)

We’ll pick you up from your hotel and take you to Agra to visit the world-famous Taj Mahal on the banks of the river Yamuna. This ‘poem’ in marble was built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjehan for his beloved queen, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is entirely made of white marble and its walls are decorated with exquisite pietra dura (stone inlay) work.
It is said that different types of rare, precious and semi-precious stones were used in the intricate inlay work done on the interiors. This magnificent monument is set around a Charbagh or 'four garden' plan, which is split by watercourses-a reflection of the Persian style. Later visit the Agra Fort – the seat and the stronghold of the Mughal Empire under successive generations. This was the seat of Mughal rule and administration and the present structure owes its origins to Akbar who erected the walls and gates and the first buildings on the eastern banks of Yamuna River. Shah Jahan added the impressive quarters and the mosque while Aurangzeb added the outer ramparts. Visit the Hall of Public Audience and the Royal Pavilions.

4. SAME DAY RETURN TRIP TO AGRA & FATEHPUR SIKRI (EXCEPT FRIDAY)
We’ll pick you up from you hotel and drive you to Agra to visit the world famous Taj Mahal. Perhaps no other symbol epitomizes India as Taj Mahal. Situated on the banks of the River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is an ode to love, a poem in marble by Mughal Emperor Shahjehan for his beloved queen, Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal is entirely made of white marble and its walls are decorated with exquisite pietra dura (stone inlay) work. It is said that different types of rare, precious and semi-precious stones were used in the intricate inlay work done on the interiors.
Then visit the Agra Fort, the seat and the stronghold of the Mughal Empire under successive generations. It owes its origins to Akbar, who erected the walls and gates and the first buildings on the eastern banks of Yamuna River. Visit the Hall of Public Audience and the Royal Pavilions.
Continue to drive to Fatehpur Sikri, which was the capital city of Akbar but within years of being built was abandoned due to a lack of water. This complex in red sandstone is considered by many to be more beautiful than the Taj Mahal itself.
Overnight in Delhi

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Standard = The Emerald or similar 3*
Superior =The Royal Plaza or similar 4*
Deluxe = Le Meridien or similar 5*

Day 4: DEPART DELHI

Pass By: Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, Delhi 110037, India
After breakfast, check-out and in-time transfer to Airport to board flight for onward journey.
(Standard Check-out Time: 1100 Hrs)
Breakfast included

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.