WHERE TO GO SHOPPING IN DELHI – AVOID THE TOURIST TRAPS!

I made a comprehensive list of the best shopping places in Delhi with my local friend so that you can get the best deals and avoid tourist traps. Delhi has excellent markets and modern shopping malls too. If you have time, you can spend a whole day getting some great things from India. 

Things to remember when shopping in Delhi

• Remember to always bargain at the market. The price you can get depends on the product, but generally, you make a good deal if you buy for 50% of the original price. But it may not always be the case. Sometimes you can achieve less discount. An Indian starts bargaining for half price. As a foreigner, they will always try to tell you a higher price because they know that you have less idea about local prices. 
• Cheap can often mean low quality. I bought two backpacks from the Paharganj market for a ridiculous price, but one got broken during the first trip. There are many counterfeit products.
• Take care of your belongings while shopping. You can easily get distracted in this choosing, trying, and bargaining process, and the well-trained pickpockets will notice that. 
• Have local currency with you. In India, you must pay with the local currency, the Indian Rupee. Change enough money before going to the market. Some vendors give the price in dollars too. But they will try to get some profit from the money change as well. If you go to higher quality shops, they accept dollars, euros, and almost any currency. Here you can pay with a credit card too.
• Indian markets are usually open street markets that can get very crowded, noisy, and chaotic at the weekends. Not everybody has the nerves for that.

Without a doubt, India is a perfect place to do cheap shopping and find top-quality products for a reasonable price. 

What places to visit in 2 weeks when you are the first time in India

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The best markets for shopping in Delhi

Karol Bagh market – one of the most popular markets in Delhi

Karol Bagh is known for its shopping streets, like the Ghaffar Market and Ajmal Khan Road. Affluent Delhiites of West and Central Delhi are the main customers here. International brands also opened their branches here. Karol Bagh has plenty of restaurants and sweet shops as well.

You will find everything you look for, from handicrafts to household items and clothes. The shops excel in quality products for a reasonable price.

The Gaffar market

It is an electronic wholesale market and is part of the Karol Bagh.

The Karol Bagh market is closed on Monday. 

The best places to visit and things to do in Delhi in 2 days

Chandni Chowk market – the historical market of Delhi, worth a visit even without shopping

Chandni Chowk is the oldest and busiest market in Delhi. It is in the chaotic Old Delhi, near the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, and the Old Delhi Railway Station. There is not a single person in Delhi who does not know Chandni Chowk. The shops, temples, and streets have an ancient atmosphere that no other bazaars in Delhi can provide. Within a short distance, you find the mosque (Jama Masjid), a Sikh, a Jain temple, and a Catholic church.

Cables hanging in bunches above, cycle-rickshaw riders carrying the passengers in the labyrinth of roads, products being delivered to the shops all belong to the daily life of Chandni Chowk.

Chandni Chowk means the “moonlit square”. Once it was the name of a single square with a reflecting pool. But now the whole market is called Chandni Chowk. The processions of the Mughal emperors passed through here close to the Red Fort, the royal residence. 

With all the tiny details and unique ambiance, it is an ideal scene for Bollywood movie shootings. 

The immense market is divided into different sections, each selling a particular commodity (spices, steel products, jewelry, wedding dresses and accessories, book shops, electronics, fabrics). Chandni Chowk is the first choice when it comes to weddings. Couples find everything they need for the big event at one place: wedding sarees, embroideries, wedding jewelry, invitation cards, and decoration elements.

With plenty of eateries and sweet shops, it is a perfect place to try the delicious street food. The best way is to go on a food tour to know where and what you should taste to avoid stomach problems. 

The specialized markets of Chandni Chowk:

• Fatehpuri market: a popular cloth and wholesale fabric market, where you find traditional Indian dresses, sarees, elegant and everyday outfits.
• Dariba Kalan: the best gold and silver jewelry market in Old Delhi and beautiful rings, necklaces, and earring inlaid with precious and semiprecious stones. 
• Ballimaran market: This is the shoe market that sells both Western-style and traditional Indian leather shoes, jooties.
• Kinari Bazaar: Big choice of sarees, embroideries, and jewelry
• Moti Bazaar: As Moti means pearl, this market area specializes in good quality white and colorful pearls besides having many shawl shops.
• Meena Bazaar: A range of Muslim dresses, embroidered Indian bags, and high-end sarees

 Opening hours: Closed on Sunday

Sarojini Nagar – the cleanest market in Delhi

 The best place to buy good quality shoes and fabrics. International and local brands offer their products in every price range. It is the cleanest of all the markets in Delhi. The Sarojini Nagar market made headlines as one of the three targets during the Delhi bombings in 2005. India claimed that the Kashmir separatist group, the Lashkar-e Taiba stood behind the attacks. 

Location: Near the embassy area, Southwest Delhi

Opening hours: 12am- 12pm

Khan market – the “royal market” in the heart of the city

The Khan Market lies in a high-end district of Delhi surrounded by government buildings and a posh residential area. The Khan Market offers high-quality products in fancy showrooms. It is a favorite shopping place for the affluent Delhiites with numerous products (jewelry, clothes, ayurvedic medicine, book stores, CDs, and DVDs). The shopping street of the Khan market is one of the most expensive in the world. Apart from wealthy locals, diplomats and expats also favor this place. There are outstanding restaurants and snack bars at the market as well.

Location: near India gate

Opening hours: 10:00- 11:00pm

Kamla Nagar – a great place for Western clothes

Kamla Nagar got its name after the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, Kamala Nehru. Before and after the independence of India, it was a political hub. Today, it is a favorite shopping place in the north of Delhi for the elite. Indian and international brands opened up stores with western and traditional clothes. Customers can select from a wide range of restaurants as well. Similar to Karol Bagh, you can find all kinds of products.

Location: North Delhi next to the north campus of the University of Delhi

Opening hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm

Sadar bazaar – the biggest wholesale market in Delhi, a complete shock for your senses 

The largest bazaar for wholesale items and some say the biggest of that kind in Asia. Sadar Bazaar is probably the most congested area in Delhi, which comes with all the problems like electricity cuts, lack of sanitation facilities, and traffic jams. As a wholesale market, apart from some retailers, you can only buy products in bunches.

Mainly specialized in household items, but clothes, leather products, shoes, jewelry, stationery products, and perfumes are also on sale here. But it is important to know that many products are counterfeit.

Location: Close to Old and New Delhi railway station

Opening hours: 8:00am-10:00pm, Sunday closed

Janpath market – the most popular market for cheap shopping for Indian and foreign tourists

Janpath is one of the biggest markets in Delhi, a shopping paradise for local and foreign tourists. 

There is everything from décor, brassware to clothes and antiquities. Inexpensive hippie clothes and jewelry are the favorites of budget travelers.

Location: Next to Connaught place

Opening hours: 11:00am- 20:00pm 

Paharganj market

The bazaar is in the center of Paharganj, the hub of backpackers. Despite higher crime rates, many tourists who did not switch to Hauz Khas still choose to stay near Connaught Place. You find tons of cheap stuff, like bags, music, incense, and clothes in this market. 

Location: near Connaught place opposite New Delhi railway station.

Opening hours: every day till 9:00 pm

What places to visit in 2 weeks when you are the first time in India

Daryaganj – the legendary Delhi second-hand book market 

Everybody knows the second-hand book market that starts at sunrise and finishes at sunset every Sunday for decades. There is an incredible amount of books piled up in the street in Old Delhi, where you can find everything from primary school books to academic lexicons and cookbooks. They sell the book by the kg at 100-200 INR.   

Location: near Jama Masjid

Chor bazaar – the Thieve’s market

Earlier, the market sold a lot of stolen products, hence its name. There are still stolen items for sale, but now they are called “second-hand”. You find all kinds of things here: books, camera, clothes, shoes, electronics, watches, carpets. Several products are fake, so make sure you do not fall into a tourist trap. You can do very cheap shopping here, but do not expect high quality.

Located: near Jama masjid, next to Daryaganj book market

Opening hours: only on Sunday, 6 am-4 pm

Tip: Visit both Daryaganj and Chor Bazaar on Sunday, as they are next to each other and are not open on other days

Connaught place – the best place for Western clothes

Connaught Place is in the core of downtown Delhi and a perfect spot for shopping. The shops are usually government shops working with fixed prices, which is a relief for many foreigners who have no idea of the reasonable price for a product.

The State Emporia Complex on Baba Kharak Singh Marg is a fantastic place for shopping. Here you can buy typical products of each state. Assam, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and many other states offer exquisite dresses, textiles, wood carvings, lamps and miniatures. You find every product of the whole of India in one place without getting a headache from bargaining.

Dilli Haat – perfect place for shopping with a cultural program

Dilli Haat is a bazaar with three branches in the capital. But Dilli Haat Pitampura and Dilli Haat Janakpuri are less expansive and only open up during the festival time. 

Dilli Haat INA is not a simple market but a cultural venue at the same time. Music, dance, and other cultural festivals take place regularly. You can taste the typical dishes of each state and enjoy a colorful dance program in the evening.

Opening hours: 10:30am-22:00pmevery day

Entrance fee: 30 INR for Indians and 100 INR for foreigners

Location: Sri Aurobindo Marg, Laxmi Bai Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi, 110023, India

Shopping malls

Wealthier Indians prefer shopping in fancy malls instead of street bazaars. There are hundreds of shopping malls in the city, but these are the most popular and bigger ones:

Select Citywalk – a costly shopping place with large cinemas and other entertainment facilities.

DLF Emporio– one of the most famous and expensive malls in the whole country with luxurious shops and premium products.

Ambiance Mall: Located outside Delhi in Gurgaon, one of the biggest in whole Asia

Other malls: Ansal Plaza, Pacific Mall, City Square Mall, TDI Mall 

Shopping in the bazaar in India can be shocking with the crowds, the constant bargaining, and chaotic circumstances. At the same time, it is one of the best places to observe daily life. If you look for something calmer, shopping malls are great places to get good quality products.

How to plan your trip to India

Book your flight ticket to India: I always use Google Flights, Skyscanner or Wayaway to find the cheapest flight tickets worldwide. To get an extra 10% for your Wayaway Membership Plus program use my discount code VOG

Insurance to India: Safetywing is an affordable insurance that covers COVID-related issues as well.

: Book your train, bus and domestic ticket in India:

Check Indian Railways website for train tickers, or 12Go which gives you the best option (train, bus, and flight) based on the city of departure or arrival. 

Book accommodation in India: Booking.com and Hostelworld.com offer a wide choice of low and higher-budget hotels.

Local tours and tour packages: Viator and GetYourGuide offer transfers and several one or multi-day tours.