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Delhi is a shopping center for goods from all over India, making it the best place to stock up on gifts and souvenirs. Bargaining is often appropriate—and almost mandatory. A good rule of thumb: When the price is written down, it's probably fixed; when you have to inquire about the price, it's negotiable.
In shops where foreign customers are uncommon, the staff is likely to follow your every move with great interest. If this bothers you, simply state your objective or emphasize that you're just looking; they'll cooperate if you indicate nicely that you don't need to be followed around.
Old Delhi is an endlessly interesting place to shop, admittedly more for the experience than for what you'll take away. The sidewalks of Chandni Chowk are lined with clocks, baby clothes, tacky toys, blankets, and much more; the shops on Dariba Kalan are filled with silver and gold jewelry. Stalls behind the Jama Masjid sell metalware and utensils, and one street specializes in stationery, especially Indian wedding invitations. Kinari Bazaar glistens with Hindu wedding paraphernalia. Khari Baoli, west of Chandni Chowk toward Lahori Gate, is renowned for its wholesale nuts, spices, and Indian pickles and chutneys.
India has one of the world's foremost Oriental-rug industries, and there are carpet vendors all over Delhi. Unfortunately, carpet sellers are a notoriously dishonest crowd. In addition to being obnoxiously pushy, they are likely to sell you inauthentic merchandise at colossally inflated prices and then deny it later. There are some exceptions to this rule, but they tend to sell out of their homes rather than upscale showrooms—so call before you go.
Clothes shopping is one of Delhi's great pleasures. Khadi, the hand-spun, hand-woven cotton that Gandhi turned into a nationalist symbol during the Independence movement, has made a roaring comeback and is now worn by many Delhi women during the long, hot summer. You can experience khadi in a salwar-kameez—the classic North Indian ensemble of long tunic and loose pants, also popular in a variation called the kurta-churidar—and in Western-style tops and skirts. Some Indian fabrics can fade or bleed easily, so it's always a good idea to wash clothes first before wearing.
If you find yourself shopping for a sari, savor the experience of learning about this amazing handicraft. Silks and attractive cotton saris are sometimes sold at Dilli Haat market, depending on which vendors have set up shop that week. Silks are sold en masse at upscale stores in South Extension, Greater Kailash I, and Connaught Place, but the highest thumbs-up go to Kalpana and Padakkam.
For crafts and curios, Delhi's fixed-price government emporiums near Connaught Place offer good values to travelers with limited time. They're also conveniently open seven days a week. The best market for fine curios and antiques is in the exclusive leafy neighborhood of Sundar Nagar. In addition to the shops listed here, a few shops on the southern (right-hand) side of the market have collections of old optical instruments.
Jewelry is another popular item on visitors' shopping lists. India consumes more gold annually than any other country in the world, mainly because gold is an essential part of a bride's trousseau. With Delhi's upper middle class spending ever more money, and now chasing such Western fancies as diamonds and platinum, jewelry is big business here. The flashiest jewelry stores are clustered in South Extension, Greater Kailash I, and Connaught Place, offset by a handful of older shops in Sundar Nagar. Indian gold is 22-karat, and some Westerners tend to find its bright-yellow tone a bit too flashy. For a gold Indian piece in a subtler antique style, stroll through the market in Sundar Nagar. Hit the glitzier stores for the princess look. Indian jewelers as a group have been accused of adulterating their gold, but alas, you as a consumer will have no way to determine the content of each piece. Old Delhi is packed with jewelry and curio shops, though you have to search harder for fine designs. Stroll Dariba Kalan for the best selection of silver and gold.
As the center of India's English-language publishing industry, and, arguably, India's intellectual capital, Delhi has something of a literary scene. For those with hard currency, Indian books are great bargains, including lower-price local editions of titles published abroad. If you'll be in Delhi for a while, hunt down the elusive but excellent Old Delhi: 10 Easy Walks, by Gaynor Barton and Laurraine Malone (New Delhi: Rupa, 1997)—these painstakingly detailed routes are fascinating and manageable. The top hotels have small bookshops, but Khan Market has several of the capital's best.
South Delhi is best for discriminating music lovers.
Most shops are open six days a week, as each neighborhood's market area closes one day a week, usually Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. Most shops in Old Delhi are closed on Sunday.
Purchase crafts from all over the country at this fixed-price, government-run shop; it will ship items abroad too. Even if you don't buy anything here, it's a good place for getting an idea of the upper bounds of prices before you go bargaining elsewhere.
This government-run food and crafts bazaar invites artisans from all over the country to sell their wares directly. More than 60 do so at any given time; the vendors rotate every two weeks according to changing themes such as handicrafts, textiles, or Rajasthani goods. Constants include Kashmiri shawls, Lucknavi chikan (white embroidery on pastel cotton), woodwork, pottery, cotton dhurries, and simple children's toys. Stalls serve regional food from around the country, providing shoppers with a rare opportunity to sample Goan fish curry, Bengali fish in mustard sauce, and Kerala chicken stew outside their states of origin.
An India institution, this emporium is stuffed with block-printed kurtas, salwars, churidars, dupattas, Western tops, and skirts in subtle colors for trendy Delhiites, their moms and dads, expats, and tourists. Quality can vary. Avoid Saturday, when the place is a madhouse and it's difficult to get your hands on the stock. There are also branches in Khan Market, the Delhi airport, Green Park, a mall in Vasant Kunj, Greater Kailash and elsewhere.
Spirituality, self-help, and coffee-table books are the specialty at this bookshop with an attached café.
This lighthearted store carries products like an ashtray shaped like a sandaas and an Indian-style squat toilet. Also fun are wine-bottle stoppers shaped like old-fashioned water pumps and CD stackers in cylindrical tiffin carriers.
Stuffed to the ceiling with Indian teas, herbs, and spices, this teahouse has a charming owner, Vikram Mittal, who will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about tea. Another branch is on Barakhamba Road.
The many state emporiums, strung out over three blocks, can keep you busy for hours: the Kashmir store specializes in carpets, Karnataka in sandalwood, Tripura in bamboo, and so on. The prices are all fixed.
Next door to Mittal, Asia Tea House sells fine teas and tea paraphernalia.
This place is stuffed to the ceiling with dusty nonfiction, particularly academic history, politics, and Indian heritage, as well as a good amount of fiction titles.
This store sells the rich brocaded silks of Varanasi.
Specializing in jewelry, this store also sells rare old shawls and wall hangings from all over India.
Traditional gold earrings and beaded necklaces in muted colors and styles are the specialty of this shop.
This store has a vast selection of tribal and Mughal-print carpets and handwoven dhurries.
Come here for art and design books, and perhaps one of the occasional cultural events (check the website or drop in for a schedule).
Open every day but Sunday from about 10 to 7:30, this is the former commercial district of the British Raj. Pillared arcades and a wheel-shaped layout make it a pleasant place to stroll, especially the inner circle, though you have to get used to the intermittent entreaties of hawkers and beggars. Shops run the gamut from scruffy to upscale. Beneath the green park at the center of Connaught Place is
This subterranean treasure trove is a musty jumble of old prints, photos, maps, curios, and junk.
You guessed it—this store sells a variety of ethnic and Western-style cotton casuals. It's closed on Tuesday.
There's an overwhelming array of silver and brass curios here, with much of the brass oxidized for an antique look.
Bright, tastefully decorated cotton salwar-kameez are sold here, and they have a convenient while-you-wait alteration service.
This outdoor market usually has the capital's largest selection of cheap, distinctive cotton kurtas and raw salwar-kameez fabric. Designs vary widely, from Rajasthani mirror work to gossamer Maheshwari cotton to ikat weaves from Orissa—and stalls change for various themed exhibitions.
Supremely elegant pieces, especially earrings, will tempt buyers here. The store is open daily until 9 pm.
This is a good place for cheap, attractive cotton tablecloths, placemats, bedcovers, curtains, and rugs, as well as clothing for men, women, and children.
Open since 1984, this store caters to the diplomatic community with books on international affairs, history, science, and language study.
This bookstore carries a fair number of coffee-table books.
Geared to the sophisticated shopper, Good Earth has shops in several Indian cities and sells items like jewel-toned, pop-art cushion covers and other high-end home accessories, including linens, pottery, and brass. In Delhi, there's also a Good Earth store in the Select Citywalk Mall in Saket.
In the narrow medieval alleys of South Delhi's Hauz Khas Village, boutiques and shops in converted old homes sell crafts, curios, jewelry, artisanal furniture, and clothing (mostly glitzy Indian wear). Design stores include places like House of Blondie. The back alley also has fun vintage stores where you can find movie posters from Hollywood and Bollywood films. Most stores are open every day but Sunday from 10:30 to 6 or 7. The village is also dotted with bars and restaurants.
From bangles to necklaces to earrings and more, the jewelry here has fairly modern designs.
Across the street from Dilli Haat, this colorful market is one of Delhi's most exciting food bazaars, with shops full of imported packaged foods giving way to a covered fruit-and-vegetable market complete with coolies (porters) ready to carry your choices in a basket while you shop. Dry-goods merchants sell spices, nuts, and Indian salty snacks. Meat and seafood are prepared and sold on a muddy lane in back.
This is an absolute hurricane of Indian ephemera, with dangling colored lanterns, Hindu icons, cute animal curios, drawer pulls, and so forth.
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