Hotels near Red Fort

The Red Fort was completed in 1648 as the palace fortress of Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, and its Rajasthani sandstone walls run 2.4 km at heights reaching 33 metres. UNESCO inscribes it as the Red Fort Complex, a listing that covers the 17th-century Mughal fort together with the older Salimgarh of 1546. You enter through Lahori Gate, the same gate from which the Prime Minister addresses the country every Independence Day.

Inside, the Diwan-i-Aam and the marble Diwan-i-Khas repay the most time; the latter once held the Peacock Throne. Allow two hours. The fort closes on Mondays. Entry costs INR 35 for Indian citizens and INR 600 (roughly EUR 6.50) for foreign visitors, the separate foreign-visitor tier that the Archaeological Survey of India applies at all its monuments. The evening sound-and-light show is ticketed separately and runs in Hindi and English on alternating slots.

Pro Tip: Book the e-ticket on the Archaeological Survey of India portal the night before and be at Lahori Gate by 9:30 am. Both the ticket window and the security line roughly double after 11 am, and from April to June the open sandstone courtyards turn punishing by midday.