Woman traveling alone in Delhi/Agra hotel
 

Hello. I will be in Delhi for a day and a half before I meet up with my husband and am wondering about safety of walking alone. Specifically Eyewitness Travel describes a walking tour around Vijay Chowk, Lodi Gardens and Khan Market. Should I go with a guide from the hotel? Also, any suggestions for a hotel in Agra with easy access to Taj as well as a guide in Taj area?
Thank you for any information you can provide.

I'd recommend a trusted guide. For Agra, what is your budget like? A good value option is the Clarks Shiraz, and the ITC Mughal is a great luxury choice.

Just in general, I've traveled in India a number of times over the last 10 years or so, usually alone, walk everywhere that's suitable for walking and have never felt unsafe. Unless you want company, I wouldn't bother hiring a guide. Often a good guidebook is more useful.

Please read Thursday's thread on gang rape of woman in India. At this point, I would NEVER travel on my own in India as a single woman and especially at night. Note that the latest incident involved a 51 year old woman gang raped in the heart of Delhi.

I (older female) have visited India twice on my own, traveling for several weeks each time (four months total) mostly by rail, and wandering around cities without an escort. However, I now have serious reservations about doing so again, and I am afraid I have to endorse the suggestion to use a guide. You will probably be fine during daylight hours, but if this is your first visit to India I think a guide would be worth the money.

Since I don't walk around at night, it's a moot point, from my personal point of view.

I strongly suspect that the incidences of rape have not increased, but the reporting of them has. I have nothing except instinct to support this point of view but I know it's true in general that as societies become more aware of inequality, reportage grows. It's progress and a good sign, as in the cases of dowry killings, female circumcisions and other crimes. When people are made more aware of these sorts of atrocities, they become less acceptable to more people and the world changes.

While the reporting rate may have increased, I think it is also the case that as women have started to move away from their families and act independently, they become targets for men who object to the societal change. Attacks on tourists are a byproduct. I would point out that solo female travelers are not necessarily safe in their hotels, there was a woman recently who was injured jumping out of her window to avoid attack. (See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21914192 )