Hotels near Chandni Chowk

Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan's eldest daughter, laid out Chandni Chowk in 1650 as a boulevard split by a canal that caught the moonlight, which is where the name comes from. The canal disappeared long ago. The main road now runs 1.3 km from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid with a pedestrianised central stretch, and the trade that matters happens in the lanes branching off it.

Kinari Bazaar deals in wedding trim and zari embroidery. Dariba Kalan sells silver by weight. Khari Baoli at the western end is the largest wholesale spice market in Asia. Paranthe Wali Gali is a lane barely two metres wide where three families have fried stuffed parathas since the 1870s, at INR 80 to INR 150 a plate, under EUR 2. A cycle rickshaw loop runs INR 100 to INR 200. It is loud, tight and crowded, and that is precisely the appeal.

Pro Tip: Walk the lanes between 10 am and noon on a weekday, once the wholesale trucks have unloaded and before the afternoon crush. Many shops shut on Sunday. Bring a scarf for Khari Baoli, where airborne chilli dust will have you coughing within a minute.