Skip-the-Line Guided Tour of Delhi's Iconic Red Fort (3-Hour)

Shah Jahan's second capital

He had already built the Taj Mahal when he decided Agra was finished and moved the empire to Delhi. The Red Fort — Lal Qila — went up from 1638 to 1648 as the palace-fortress of a brand-new city, Shahjahanabad, with two kilometres of red sandstone wall on what was then the bank of the Yamuna.

Three hours with a guide is the right length. Skip-the-line entry matters here: the ticket queue at the Lahori Gate on a Sunday can run half an hour.

Inside

Chatta Chowk, the covered bazaar inside the gate, which once sold silk, brocade and gems to the imperial household and now sells souvenirs — but the vaulted arcade is original.

Naubat Khana, the drum house, where musicians announced arrivals and where everyone but the emperor's closest circle had to dismount.

Diwan-i-Am, the hall of public audience, where Shah Jahan heard petitions daily from a marble alcove inlaid with pietra dura — the panels behind the throne were looted in 1857 and partly returned from the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1903.

Diwan-i-Khas, the hall of private audience, which held the Peacock Throne until Nadir Shah carried it to Persia in 1739. The Persian inscription on its wall still reads that if there is a paradise on earth, it is this.

Rang Mahal, Khas Mahal and the hammam, and the marble Moti Masjid that Aurangzeb added.

1857 and after

The last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was tried by the British in his own Diwan-i-Khas in 1858 and exiled to Rangoon. Much of the fort's interior was demolished for barracks afterwards, which is why the courtyards feel emptier than they should.

Since 1947 the Prime Minister has raised the flag over the Lahori Gate every 15 August.

Two options

Guide only, or private car, driver, guide and entry ticket.

Practical

Closed Mondays. Entry is ₹600 for foreign nationals.