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Paharganj Main Bazaar
The Backpacker Bazaar
Paharganj Main Bazaar begins right across the road from New Delhi railway station and runs for about a kilometre of guesthouses, rooftop cafes and shops selling books, jewellery, bags, clothes, incense and handicrafts. It is Delhi's classic budget base: chaotic and noisy, as even Delhi Tourism admits, but you can step off the Airport Express or a long-distance train and walk to your room.
👥 Who it suits
backpackers overnight before a train souvenir runs
Staying here
Yes, if budget beats quiet: guesthouses and hostels at every price right by the station.
🌙 In the evening
After 10 pm keep to the main streets and don't flash valuables.
Getting there
Ⓜ RK Ashram Marg · New Delhi station next door
Where to eat
Where to stay
A Mughal market outside the walls
Paharganj is older than its backpacker reputation. In Mughal Delhi it was one of the city's five main markets and the only one outside the walls, just beyond the Ajmeri Gate, and in the 18th century it was the principal grain market. Its name, 'hilly neighbourhood', comes from the nearby Raisina Hill, where the Rashtrapati Bhavan now stands. The guesthouses arrived when the area joined the overland hippie trail in the 1970s, and for many travellers the street is still their first day in India.
👣 How to walk the Main Bazaar
From the station side, walk the length of the street and back; most of what matters is on it.
- Shops along the street
Delhi Tourism lists what fills it: textile shops with bags, bedspreads, cushion covers and wall hangings; beaded necklaces and bangles; carved wooden figures of gods, brassware; incense and Indian tea; new and second-hand books. Prices are for bargaining. For fixed prices and crafts with a known origin, compare with the state emporia in Janpath.
- Chole bhature at Sita Ram Diwan Chand
Sita Ram, who came from Lahore after Partition, began selling chole bhature (spiced chickpeas with puffed fried bread) from a cart in Paharganj with his son Diwan Chand; the shop has served it since 1950, including a paneer-stuffed bhatura. The story and other addresses: chole bhature in Delhi.
- A walk with former street children
The Salaam Baalak Trust walk is led by guides who grew up in the trust's shelters for street and railway children; the route runs around New Delhi station and Paharganj and includes a visit to a shelter. More in walking tours of Delhi.
Money, touts and the evening
The risks here are the ordinary ones of a busy tourist street, concentrated. Scammers, pickpockets and ticket touts work tourist areas, and this is one of them: if a stranger offers to help with your train ticket or hotel, decline and go to the official counter. Currency rates on the street are often good, but count your notes before you leave the counter.
At night, the UK FCDO advises avoiding isolated areas when alone and not hailing taxis on the street; book a ride through an app. Women travelling alone can use the women-only metro coach, and 1091 is the women's helpline. More: is Delhi safe.
Paharganj or somewhere else?
- Connaught Place: the most convenient hub in the city, with two metro lines, more polish and higher prices.
- Old City: Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid, a denser and older labyrinth; Paharganj was its suburb.
- Majnu-ka-Tilla: the other budget long-stay quarter, Tibetan, quieter, and early to bed.
- Aerocity: for a dawn flight rather than a train.
Zostel is one of the hostels on the bazaar; the comparison of areas and budgets is in where to stay in Delhi.
❓ FAQ
What is Paharganj in Delhi famous for?
Its Main Bazaar: budget guesthouses and hostels, rooftop cafes and a kilometre of shops opposite New Delhi railway station.
Where is Paharganj Market?
Directly across the road from New Delhi railway station; the nearest metro station is RK Ashram Marg.
Is Paharganj safe?
The usual big-city precautions apply, more strictly than elsewhere: watch for touts and pickpockets, count your change, keep to the main streets late at night and use app cabs after dark.
Is Paharganj a good place to stay?
If budget matters more than quiet, yes: it is by the station that serves both the Airport Express and long-distance trains.
Sources (3)
Facts checked: 8 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
Other areas of Delhi
In the app: the city's areas on the map, the places inside and a route.
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