Main shopping areas in Delhi
In Delhi, the best shops tend to be clustered together in outdoor marketplaces. Some of the main shopping areas popular with the local and expat population are:
Khan Market (South Delhi) is a favourite with the expat and diplomatic communities. It has excellent book shops, upmarket clothing and accessory boutiques, opticians, grocers, photographers, tailors, computer shops, and a couple of up-market household furnishing stores.
Greater Kailash Part I (South Delhi) is the market for the rich and the well-off. Its M-Block market is famous for designer clothes, accessories and cosmetics. Exotic fruits are also easily available here. The N-Block market is good for ethnic Indian wear, furnishings and crockery.
Connaught Place: This circular market in the heart of New Delhi is named after the Duke of Connaught, a member of the British royal family. It is a leading commercial and business hub of the city and also remains the premier shopping destination of Delhi with a number of restaurants, eateries, watering holes, shops, emporia and cinema halls.
Popularly known as CP, Connaught Place has two broad shopping areas: Inner Circle and Outer Circle. Inner Circle is the place to find international brands of clothes, fine restaurants and excellent bookshops. Palika Bazaar is the famous underground supermarket of CP, with over 400 shops selling electronic goods and clothes. You need to be an expert at bargaining, if you want to buy something here. Connaught Place is well connected by buses and Metro (Metro station: Rajeev Chowk). The market remains closed on Sunday.
Janpath (Central Delhi) is a popular street market where you can buy export surplus garments and silver curios from Tibetan shops at very reasonable prices. The Central Cottage Industries Emporium at Janpath and Jawahar Vyapar Bhavan offer a good selection of Indian handicrafts. Baba Kharak Singh Marg is also nearby. It is a street lined with government-sponsored emporia that offer handicrafts from all over India.
South Extension Part I & II (South Delhi) offers quality garments and footwear and has outlets of almost all the top international brands.
Lajpat Nagar (South Delhi between Greater Kailash and South Extension markets) is a shopping area for people on a budget. Cental Market of Lajpat Nagar is one of the largest markets in Delhi and has a large number of shops ranging from the small local varieties to the large branded showrooms. Here you can buy everything from food to fashionable clothes to footwear to handbags to fashion jewelry. Bargaining is a must.
Sarojini Nagar (South Delhi): This is one of the most popular places to buy clothes and fabrics. The biggest attraction of the place is export surplus garments. You can buy the most stylish outfits in India here—but you must bargain. Apart from street side shops, you can also buy garments at a number of international and local brand showrooms.
Hauz Khas Village (South Delhi) is a small shopping area where you can pick up old Bollywood film posters, antiques, furnishings, and art pieces. It’s also home to many of Delhi’s up-and-coming designers’ boutiques, and you can pick up amazing one-of-a-kind pieces here for a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere.
Chandini Chowk (Old Delhi) The densely populated market of Chandini Chowk has survived for over three centuries and is strewn with historical landmarks. The narrow streets and by-lanes of this shopping area offer a plethora of surprises. ‘Dariba Kalan’ is a street known for its beautiful pearl, gold and silver jewelry. You can also pick up a small bottle of essential oil, known as ‘itra’, here. For spices head to Khari Baoli and for ‘zari’ and ‘zardozi’ trimmings and tinsel, Kinari Bazaar is the place. Katra Neel is the narrow by-lane where you can buy silks, satin, crepe, cotton and muslin.
Dilli Haat (near AIIMS, opposite INA Market): Dilli Haat is a permanent craft bazaar popular with tourists and anyone who wants the market experience without the chaos. You can buy handicrafts from different parts of India here. Delhiites also flock here for its open-air food court, serving regional delicacies from across the country.
Saket Malls In South Delhi’s Saket neighborhood, a long line of interconnected malls, namely Select CityWalk, MGF Metropolitain, DLF Place, and Square One have enough shops and cinemas to keep you busy for days. Come here for international brands, department stores, and restaurants serving everything from Indian vegetarian food to sushi.
