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Garden of Five Senses, Delhi
The Garden of Five Senses is a 20-acre public garden near Saket, built by Delhi Tourism on rocky Aravalli ground and opened in February 2003. It is not free: entry is ₹50 for adults and ₹20 for children and seniors, paid in cash at the gate, and it opens at 9:00, closing at 18:00 or 19:00 depending on the season. The nearest metro station is Saket.
Twenty acres near Saket laid out, as the name promises, around what you can see, hear, touch and smell: spiral walkways climbing bare Aravalli rock, a Mughal-style water garden with channels running downhill, an amphitheatre and some twenty-five sculptures and murals set among the planting. Couples and photographers claimed it long ago, so it is livelier than an ordinary park and rarely silent. Entry is ₹50 for adults and ₹20 for children and seniors, cash at the gate; open 9:00 until 18:00 or 19:00 by season. February brings the Garden Tourism Festival.
Sculpture, rock terraces and water channels: the city park built to be wandered slowly
Timings and entry fee
The garden opens daily at 9:00 and closes at 18:00 or 19:00 depending on the season, so in winter plan to leave by six. Tickets are sold at the gate, cash only: ₹50 for adults, ₹20 for children and senior citizens. Delhi Tourism lists the same prices and a camera charge of ₹100 plus GST. Carry small notes.
Delhi Tourism's own page says only "open daily" and gives no hours, so if you are arriving late in the day, check the closing time at the gate.
What to see
The idea is in the name: a garden to be seen, heard, touched and smelled, laid on a natural slope of bare rock. Large patches of the original kikar and thorny ber scrub were left untouched between the planted areas.
Entrance and spiral walkway
Stainless-steel birds on slate-clad pillars stand at the entrance, and a spiral walkway climbs the rock from the plaza. Across from it, a herd of stone elephants bathes in a pool.
Khas Bagh
A formal garden on Mughal lines: water moves slowly downhill in channels, between fragrant shrubs, towards a row of fountains, some of them fitted with fibre-optic lighting.
Neel Bagh and the chimes
A pool of water lilies ringed by pergolas of climbing plants. Hundreds of ceramic chimes hang overhead and ring in any breeze.
Trail of Fragrance
A path of scented planting leading up to a rocky ridge in the north, where a steel sculpture shaped like a pinwheel turns in the wind.
Sculpture and the amphitheatre
About 25 sculptures and murals are set around the garden, one of the larger public-art collections in the country. The amphitheatre uses blocks of sandstone as seating, set into the slope.
Specimen courts
Small courts of less familiar plants: bamboos, cacti and herbs. Around 200 plant varieties were introduced in all.
When to go
The first hour after opening is usually the quietest. The garden has long been a favourite of couples and photographers, so it is livelier than an ordinary park, and weekends are busier than weekdays.
Delhi Tourism holds its Garden Tourism Festival here in February: flower shows, theme gardens, sales of plants and garden accessories, and activities for children. The festival days are the most colourful of the year and also the most crowded; dates and festival entry prices change each edition, so check Delhi Tourism for the current one.
How to reach
The garden is at Said-ul-Ajaib village on the Mehrauli–Badarpur Road, south of Saket. Delhi Tourism names Saket (Yellow Line) as the nearest metro station. The garden sits near Qila Rai Pithora, the first city of Delhi, and its boundary walls are built of the same kind of stone.
The Qutub Minar and the Mehrauli Archaeological Park are in the same part of south Delhi, which makes the garden an easy add-on to a Mehrauli day.
❓ FAQ
Is the Garden of Five Senses free?
No. Entry is ₹50 for adults and ₹20 for children and senior citizens, cash at the gate. A camera costs ₹100 plus GST, according to Delhi Tourism.
What are the Garden of Five Senses timings?
It opens at 9:00 every day and closes at 18:00 or 19:00, depending on the season.
Is food allowed in the Garden of Five Senses?
There is a food and shopping court inside, on the far side of the walkway from the main garden, with terraced seating. It is the obvious place to eat; ask at the gate about picnics on the lawns.
Is the Garden of Five Senses worth visiting?
Yes, if you like sculpture, rock landscapes and an unhurried walk. It is not a quiet park: couples and photographers keep it lively, especially at weekends.
Which metro station is near the Garden of Five Senses?
Saket on the Yellow Line, according to Delhi Tourism.