I guess I'm a little confused about this relationship. I have to go to Delhi for work and would have at least a day to sightsee. Using a driver seems like a great arrangement.

I'll be by myself and would like to see religious sites and other highlights. Does the driver just drive where I tell him, or does he have ideas of what to see and make suggestions? I realize he isn't going to act as a guide, but do they share some information?

Thanks all.

maybe your business will provide you with a driver for the day or get one from the hotel...

they will have ideas but with only one day you should have ideas as well...

its the only way to go....

you might also want a guide....they are very cheap also....that person can tell you what you are seeing and show you the easiest way to do it

having a driver is definitely the most efficient way to get around Delhi. Delhi drivers are like anywhere else; some good ones with lots of ideas and information, and others who know only how to drive a car.

Best way is to get recommendations for a driver. I'd guess the people you'll be working with could give you some names. I have a great one if you'd like his email.

I always have a general list of the places I want to visit, but will ask the driver's input on the best way to schedule the day. With Delhi traffic, you don't want to be zigzagging around the city.

What hotel are you staying at? You have two options...1. get a driver from the hotel and it will be pricier depending on time but will be clean and have AC and they will take you where you want etc. Sometimes and it varies they can come out with you and help getting tix etc and can reccommend places to shop etc (they will get a cut as well but thats how it is). Otherwise I sometimes use taxis from Hotels to appointments and get chatting and ask if they are free when I want to go out and just make an appointed time for them to pick you up at the hotel. ALWAYS pre arrange a price and AC is ectra and they will try to take you places to shop. Alternatively a third option is book a guide through an agent or the concierge at the hotel and do it all for a flat fee i.e. driver and guide.

When you book your driver, make it clear that the driver must speak English and that the agreed to price is firm (but you may need to pick up the tab for parking lot fees - ask in advance about that). Also, make sure that the driver knows his way around the part of Delhi you want to go to.

Don't assume anything with a driver. Have your itinerary planned in advance with the help of a person or two from where you're doing business and tell the driver where you want to go and it what order.

If the driver's English is good, he can tell you more as you drive around.

I'm staying at the ITC Maurya. This info has been very helpful. I travel a lot--for work and pleasure--and am usually independent and self-sufficient. But it does seem like a driver is a good idea here.

You will not want to drive yourself in India. But if you are independent and comfortable on your own, you will not really need a guide in Delhi. Do some research to get a clearer idea of what you want to see and do, and then a good driver can plot it out for you so you are not back-tracking in this very busy city. Narinder, the driver that Lucy recommended to us was great. He took us just where we wanted to go without stops at stores that we were not interested in, which is an issue with many drivers/guides who get commissions on tourists' purchases. We were interested in both the Indira Gandhi and Nehru houses and museums, as well as the house where M Gandhi lived in Delhi, in addition to all of the other monuments and sights. Narinder was great about getting us around so we didn't feel rushed, and knwing just where to park so we could find him & he could find us. And he was a lovely person to be around. English was also very good.