A Day in Delhi: History, Heritage & Railways

New Delhi - India Gate at sunrise

A day in Delhi can feel like a journey through several centuries of Indian history. From the Mughal grandeur of Humayun's Tomb to the monumental avenues of New Delhi and the locomotives of the National Rail Museum, the city brings together remarkably different chapters of India's past.

For travellers on the Indian Magic Tour, Delhi provides an ideal introduction to the country. Its historic landmarks reveal the story of successive empires and changing capitals, while its railway heritage offers a glimpse into the network that helped connect the many different regions of India.

Morning: Discovering Mughal Delhi

Start the day at Humayun's Tomb, one of Delhi's most impressive historic monuments.

Built in the 16th century for the Mughal emperor Humayun, the tomb is an important landmark in the development of Mughal architecture. Its imposing red sandstone walls, white marble details and formal charbagh gardens create a strikingly symmetrical design.

The tomb was built several decades before the Taj Mahal, and its architecture helped establish a style that would reach its height under the later Mughal emperors. Walking through its gardens and approaching the great central dome offers an opportunity to appreciate both the scale of the Mughal empire and the sophistication of its architecture.

It is also a reminder that Delhi's story began long before the British period.

Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi

Late Morning: The Making of New Delhi

From Mughal Delhi, the character of the city changes dramatically.

New Delhi was planned in the early 20th century as the capital of British India. Designed around broad avenues, formal gardens and monumental government buildings, it represents a very different chapter in the city's history.

One of its best-known landmarks is India Gate, the imposing sandstone war memorial at the eastern end of Kartavya Path. Originally known as the All India War Memorial, it commemorates Indian soldiers who died during the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War.

The surrounding streets and architecture provide a fascinating contrast with the Mughal monuments of the morning. Within just a few miles, Delhi's landscape moves from imperial Mughal architecture to the carefully planned capital of British India.

It is this layering of different periods that makes Delhi such an interesting city to explore.

India Gate New Delhi

Afternoon: Delhi's Railway Heritage

After exploring Delhi's architectural history, the afternoon offers a chance to discover another important part of the city's story: its railways.

The arrival and expansion of the railway transformed India during the 19th century. The first passenger railway opened in 1853, running between Bombay and Thane, and railway lines subsequently spread across the subcontinent, linking cities, ports and commercial centres with increasingly remote parts of the country.

Delhi became an important railway hub as these networks expanded, thanks in part to its position in northern India and its connections with routes stretching across the subcontinent.

For a closer look at this history, head to the National Rail Museum in Chanakyapuri.

National Rail Museum: A Journey Through Indian Railway History

The museum's collection includes an extraordinary variety of locomotives, carriages and other railway artefacts.

​Among the more unusual exhibits is the Patiala State Monorail, a unique steam-powered monorail dating from 1907. Royal saloons provide another glimpse into the history of rail travel in India, while the museum's collection of steam, diesel and electric locomotives illustrates the remarkable evolution of the country's railway network.

From Delhi into India

By the end of a day in Delhi, you've travelled through several very different versions of the city: Mughal Delhi, the colonial capital and the railway city that developed alongside the expansion of India's transport network.

That makes Delhi a fitting starting point for a journey through India by rail.

The Indian Magic Tour brings together historic cities, cultural experiences and memorable railway journeys, allowing travellers to experience the railway as an important part of India's history and everyday life.

From Delhi, the journey continues into a country of extraordinary contrasts. As the train travels onwards, changing landscapes, historic cities and different regional cultures reveal another side of India at every turn.

Discover the Indian Magic Tour.

One City, Many Stories

Tricycle Rickshaws Riding on a Street near Chandni Chowk Market, Dehli, India

You could spend weeks exploring Delhi and still only scratch the surface. But even a single day reveals something important about the city: its history is not confined to one period or one architectural style.

Mughal monuments, British-era landmarks and India's railway heritage all sit within the same city, each providing a different perspective on the country that exists today.

For travellers beginning an Indian railway adventure, Delhi is more than a first stop. It is an introduction to the many layers of India, and to the journeys that have connected them.

Also read: A Day in Kolkata: From Colonial Calcutta to Railway Heritage