Don't let your first impressions of Delhi stick like a sacred cow in a traffic jam: get behind the madcap faade and discover the inner peace of a city rich with culture, architecture and human diversity, deep with history and totally addictive to epicureans. Read the overview

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Getting there and away

Delhi is India's flight centre, with international and domestic flights readily available in a range of costs and comforts plus travel agents queuing up to negotiate a deal. Both domestic and international terminals for the Indira Gandhi International Airport are quite a way out of town - domestic 7km (4.5mi) from the city and international 11km (6mi) - so be prepared for the taxi driver ambush upon arrival. The Inter State Bus Terminal at Kashmiri Gate, north of the 'Old' Delhi Train Station, has long distance trips south to Rajasthan and north to Chandigarh, and to the hill stations of Himachal Pradesh. The New Delhi Train Station is as user friendly as such a place can be in India, if you ignore the touts who have all sorts of stories aimed at parting tourists with their money. From here you can organise long-distance trips east across the Ganges Plain to Kolkata, and south to Mumbai (Bombay) via Agra.

Getting around

Delhi's bus system is not for the faint hearted, or indeed for those who need to get somewhere on time. The network covers most of the city and is dirt cheap, but is also overcrowded and ramshackle - adventure travel you might say. There are plenty of metered yellow-and-black taxis, but don't expect the existence of a meter to mean they will be used. Learn to negotiate before you get going. Auto-rickshaws are generally speedy over short distances and less expensive - cycle rickshaws are somewhat romantic, but harder to find now they have been removed from the modern parts of the city. Motorcycle rickshaws are a better bet during busy hours. They have set courses and prices and can muscle their way through traffic as well. Trying to cycle through Delhi streets would be a foolish choice for a traveller. Try the metro instead - check out www.delhimetrorail.com for more details.