I will accompany my husband when he travels to Delhi for business this spring, and he’s promised that we can spend the weekends shopping. Jewelry and textiles are at the top of my list. I’ll also be looking for small pottery or artworks, and could be tempted by a rug if I can figure out how to get it home. My question is, is it good to stay in Delhi for shopping, or could we find better prices someplace outside of the city?
Hello there! I think Delhi is the ultimate destination for cheap and affordable shopping. You can find the prices in Delhi cheaper as compared to some cities. Ideally, you should look into street shopping and bazaars though. Here are some that I can recommend to you: Dilli Haat - This is an open air bazaar and food plaza run by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation. The great thing about this bazaar is that it operates everyday. Some of the shops or stalls here are permanent. However, majority of the stalls are rotated for an average of 15 days. You can find fabrics and textiles here as wells beaded jewelries and even gems. Sandalwood carvings can also be found here along with other handicrafts. This is the address: Dilli Haat, West Kidwai Nagar, Kidwai Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110023. Janpath Market - This market is known for its Pashmina Shawls although you can buy other types of fabrics here as well. There are also walking vendors here selling jewelries like necklaces, bracelets and rings. Handicraft items like brass ornaments and miniature statues can also be found here. The address is: Janpath Road, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001. Palika Bazaar - This is an underground market just nearby Connaught Place as well. There are about 380 shops in here mostly selling clothes and electronics. A great thing about this bazaar is that it is air-conditioned. This is closed during Sundays though. You can find many knick-knacks here that are great as souvenirs for family and friends. The address is: Rajiv Chowk, Near Connaught Place, New Delhi, Delhi 110001. Karol Bagh - There are different sections here that has specific shops. In the Bank Street, you can find shops selling jewelries and accessories. Silver Street offers only silver jewelries although some shops sell other gems. The Ajmal Khan Road has an assortment of fabrics and clothing items. This is the address: Karol Bagh, Delhi, 110005, India. Chandni Chowk - This is one of the oldest markets in Delhi. You can find everything that you might ever need here. The Katra Neel Market has an assortment of fabrics and textiles. Moti Bazaar has a great variety of shawls and even pearls. In Dariba, you can find silver and gold jewelries. There are also lots of street food stalls here in case you get hungry. This is the address: Kucha Mahajan, Old Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi 110006. Sarojini Nagar Market - Most of the shops here are owned by families. The Babu Market here has clothes and garments. There are many trendy clothes here that's why this is a hot spot for younger people. The address is: Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Marg, Block H, Sarojini Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110023. Lajpat Nagar - This is the best destination for shopping for women. You can find various sarees, salwar kameez, kurtas and kurtis in here. This market is also famous for its embroidered garments and clothes. The address is: Near Ashram Chowk, New Delhi, India. I hope this helps! P.S. Bargaining is allowed in most shops so do your best to haggle for the items! Good luck!
Connaught place is one place in Delhi, where you can get a lot of things including the branded stuff and the non branded stuff. However, the problem is that vendors often jack up the price by 3x to 4x when they see foreigners, so make sure that you are able to get at least some idea about the prices and then bargain accordingly, otherwise, even after bargaining you would end up paying 2x of the total cost. Also, best is to just buy the handicrafts and stuff as clothing is not of good quality from the roadside vendors, so do keep that in mind while shopping.
Image Source: wikimedia commons A bit about Pallika Bazar. This underground bazar has several entrance gates. One should mark the number of the gate. Each gate is from a different location. Getting in from one entrance and getting out from another could pose problems. This I say from experience. Also Pallika Bazar is quite a distance from the airport. If one has to catch a flight then reasonable amount of time should be calculated for this experience. We had to run for the flight as we did not estimate how long it would take for us to return.