Sweet chai, crispy aloo tikkis, fluffy naan – it is little wonder why Delhi is the gastronomic capital of India. Get behind the scenes of northern India’s food scene with the help of a local guide. From the fragrant marketplaces of the Old Town to the kitchen of a Delhite, learn traditional family recipes, prepare an authentic Indian dinner, experience local hospitality, sample tasty morsels from a street vendor and explore ancient historic sights on this Bite-size Break of Delhi.
Namaste! Welcome to India.
With the gleam of the modern and the beating heart of the ancient, Delhi is a city with a wealth of cultural, spiritual, artistic and culinary delights.
For this Bite-size Break, you will be met by your guide at 3.30pm on Day 1 in the foyer of your hotel.
If you have any issues with the pick-up on Day 1 of this trip, please call the Intrepid office on +91 1145 006 400 during business hours (9.30am to 6pm) or after hours on +91 9999 916 229.
Travel by private car to the area of Rohini where you will be welcomed to the home of a local Delhi family. Be ready for incredible hospitality and plenty of delicious dishes as you embark on a home cooked Delhi experience.
Join your hosts in the kitchen, lend a hand with dinner preparations, jot down some secret home recipes and join in conversation about day-to-day life in Delhi around the table. In keeping with local tradition, dishes will be vegetarian and, at the end of the meal, there will be an opportunity to enjoy same masala chai. Alcohol is not a traditional part of the Indian meal and won;t be served. Leave your hosts with a truly authentic insight into family life in Delhi, a full stomach and new friends.
After saying thank you and goodbye, you will be dropped back to your hotel by private car.
Day 2 - Starting: Delhi & Finishing: Delhi
Meet your local guide at the hotel at 9am today. There's a chance to kick start the day with a cup of chai before diving into the sights, sounds and smells of Old Delhi.
Check out the impressive kitchens at a Sikh temple, where we will enjoy a taste of the lunch prepared for the many devotees who attend the temple every day.
Enter the wonderful and fragrant Chandi Chowk markets, where you will meet a local spice trader to learn more about these fundamental flavours in Indian cookery.
You may choose to spend some more time in Chandi Chowk or continue on to check out India Gate and President House. At the end of the tour, you will have the option to be dropped back to your hotel if you wish to rest before the afternoon's activity.
Be ready at your hotel at 4pm to commence the evening's Delhi Food Walk.
This delicious food tour begins with a bit of local culture. Pass through the city’s picturesque colleges and universities, stopping at an ancient Hanuman temple.
Get ready for the first food stop and witness how fresh local shawarma (kebab) is made. From here, continue on to an iconic neighbourhood eatery that is popular with everyone, including students from nearby colleges. Here, you can enjoy a local favourite – momos (dumplings) and banta, a delicious lemon-based drink that’s an ideal refreshment for hot Delhi weather.
Continue through the Kamla Market and emerge into a narrow alley full of delectable street-food stalls. Here we’ll sample several local delicacies like paneer tikka, golgappas, bhelpuri, paav bhaji, and chuski. Yum!
Walk through some beautiful nearby markets, until you reach your final destination - dessert. Savour the best homemade ice cream in Delhi, kulfi-falooda, then enter a sweet shop for fresh samosa, rabdi, gulab jamun, and sweet flavoured milk.
You will be dropped back to your hotel at the conclusion of the tour.
Finish this Bite-size Break as an aficionado of Delhi’s best local food - which you’ll be craving long after you leave this enigmatic city.
Please note that tastings may change subject to availability and season.
Day 3 - Starting: Delhi & Finishing: Delhi
There are no activities included today and you are free to depart at any time.
Enjoy a home cooked meal in the home of a Delhi local
Learn about India’s struggle for independence on a city tour
Experience the dizzying pace of daily life in Delhi
Sip sweet chai and sample tasty snacks from street stalls
Explore the city by cycle rickshaw
Mingle with locals at markets, restaurants and food stalls
Sweet chai, crispy aloo tikkis, fluffy naan – it is little wonder why Delhi is the gastronomic capital of India. Get behind the scenes of northern India’s food scene with the help of a local guide. From the fragrant marketplaces of the Old Town to the kitchen of a Delhite, learn traditional family recipes, prepare an authentic Indian dinner, experience local hospitality, sample tasty morsels from a street vendor and explore ancient historic sights on this Bite-size Break of Delhi.
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ITINERARY CHANGES FOR 2014:
Due to recent accidents and a failed safety audit of tourist vehicles at Ranthambhore National Park we have removed this destination from our itinerary until further notice. From 1st January 2014 this tour will spend an additional night in Bundi to replace the night at Ranthambhore.
India – home to some of the most diverse and incredible cuisine, sights, smells and history – is begging to be explored by the daring and eager. Discover tastes like never before with spicy street food, decadent restaurant banquets, and a home-cooked meal with a local farmer on his spice plantation. Visit French Puducherry, wander around a tea farm in Periyar, take to the water on a houseboat in the Kerala backwaters and enjoy cooking demonstrations in Madurai and Kochi. You will relish every bit of this sensory trip through the heart of southern India.