Aura of India: Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi: Market Timings, Lanes and Metro

Rickshaws and shoppers in a busy Chandni Chowk street in Old Delhi

Photo: Juan Antonio Segal from Madrid, Spain, CC BY 2.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, before noon.

Not one market, but a hundred lanes that each sell one thing.

A street from the Mughal capital

Chandni Chowk was laid out in the 1650s by Jahanara, daughter of the emperor Shah Jahan, as the grand avenue of his new capital, Shahjahanabad, now Old Delhi. It runs from the Red Fort at one end to the Fatehpuri Mosque at the other. A canal once ran down its middle and caught the moonlight, one explanation for the name, the moonlit square. The Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India, is a few minutes’ walk south.

Lanes that specialise

Off the main street, each lane has its trade. Khari Baoli is the spice market, one of the biggest in Asia, where sacks of chillies make the air sting. Kinari Bazaar sells ribbon, tinsel and wedding trim. Dariba Kalan is silver jewellery, Nai Sarak is books, Chawri Bazaar is wedding cards, and Paranthe Wali Gali is a lane of fried flatbreads stuffed with everything from potato to banana. Porters carry loads on their heads through gaps no car could enter.

Why people come

Delhi families shop here for weddings, because it still has the widest choice and the lowest prices in the city. Traders come from across North India to buy wholesale. Visitors from abroad come because it is the most intense street in Delhi, with a Jain temple, a Sikh gurdwara, a church and mosques along one road. Since 2021 the main road has been closed to cars and motorbikes during the day, which has made the walk easier.

Getting there

Take the Delhi Metro Yellow Line to Chandni Chowk station, which comes up just off the main street. From the airport, the Airport Express line to New Delhi and a change to the Yellow Line takes under an hour. From the station, walk or take a cycle rickshaw into the lanes. Most shops open between ten and eleven, and many close on Sunday.

A walk from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri

The main street runs about 1.4 km, straight, from the Red Fort in the east to the Fatehpuri Masjid in the west. Since September 2021 it has been a non-motorised zone from 9 am to 9 pm, with red stone paving, benches and cycle rickshaws. Walk it west from the Red Fort end. Near the start is the Digambar Jain Lal Mandir; a little further is Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, at the place where the ninth Sikh guru, Tegh Bahadur, was executed in 1675.

The trade lanes open off both sides. Turn south into Dariba Kalan for silver, gold, pearls and attar, the oil-based perfumes; one attar house there dates from 1819. Kinari Bazaar, beside it, sells zari trim and wedding tinsel. Katra Neel, to the north, is for fabric. Paranthe Wali Gali comes off the main street, and Nai Sarak runs south towards Chawri Bazaar. At the far end, past Fatehpuri, the air turns sharp with chilli: that is Khari Baoli.

Shopping without the stress

Most of the market is wholesale, and prices are not fixed. Ask two or three shops before you buy, and expect to settle somewhere between the first price and half of it for cloth and trim. Spices at Khari Baoli are sold by weight; ask for the rate per kilo and how much the smallest pack weighs.

Keep heavy shopping for last, and arrange a cycle rickshaw back to the metro. If Old Delhi is the start of a longer trip, the Mughal and Sultanate story continues at the Qutub Minar, in the south of the city; more on the capital is in our guide to Delhi.

In the lanes

Go at about ten. By noon the lanes are shoulder to shoulder.
Carry small notes and keep your bag in front of you.
To enter the gurdwara, remove your shoes and cover your head. Scarves are provided.
Photograph the lanes, not the porters, unless you ask first.

By noon the lanes close in around you. The morning is when you can still see where one ends and the next begins.

Plan your visit

Opening hours	Most shops open between 10 and 11 am and close by about 8 or 9 pm. Delhi Tourism lists the food lanes as 10:30 am to 9 pm. The main street is closed to motor traffic from 9 am to 9 pm.
Closed on	Many shops close on Sundays, including Nai Sarak and Khari Baoli. Some food outlets stay open. Go Monday to Saturday.
How to reach	Delhi Metro Yellow Line to Chandni Chowk station, just off the main street. The Violet Line’s Lal Quila station is near the Red Fort end. From the airport, take the Airport Express to New Delhi and change to the Yellow Line.
What to buy	Dariba Kalan: silver, gold, pearls and attar. Kinari Bazaar: zari trim and wedding tinsel. Katra Neel: silk, satin and cotton fabric. Khari Baoli: spices and dry fruit. Nai Sarak: books and stationery. Chawri Bazaar: wedding cards.
Bargaining	Expected almost everywhere except in sweet shops and restaurants. Agree the price before anything is cut, weighed or packed.
Getting around	On foot. Cycle rickshaws work the main street and the wider lanes; agree the fare first.

Open Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, Delhi in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Is Chandni Chowk open on Sunday?

Partly. Many shops, Nai Sarak and the Khari Baoli spice market close on Sundays, though some food outlets stay open. For shopping, go Monday to Saturday.

Which metro station is nearest to Chandni Chowk?

Chandni Chowk station on the Yellow Line comes up just off the main street. Lal Quila on the Violet Line is nearer the Red Fort end.

Can cars drive on Chandni Chowk?

Not during the day. Since 2021 the 1.4 km stretch from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid has been closed to motor vehicles from 9 am to 9 pm. Cycle rickshaws are allowed.

What is the best time to visit Chandni Chowk?

A weekday at about 10 am, before the lanes fill. October to March is the most comfortable season; summer afternoons in Old Delhi are very hot.

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Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi: Market Timings, Lanes and Metro