Free Things to Do in Delhi: 30 Ideas That Cost Nothing (2026)

You can fill a whole week in Delhi without buying a ticket. Lodhi Garden, India Gate, the Lodhi Art District murals and Mehrauli Archaeological Park are free. So are Bangla Sahib, the Lotus Temple, the Gandhi museums and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, and the India International Centre runs concerts most weeks that need no ticket. Some popular “free” spots now charge a small fee, Sunder Nursery among them, so we’ve listed those separately. For today’s free events, see our free events in Delhi page.

Free places at a glance

Place	Area	Entry	Hours / closed	Nearest metro
Lodhi Garden	Lodhi Road	Free	6 am–8 pm (Oct–Mar); 5 am–8 pm (Apr–Sep)	Jor Bagh (Yellow), Khan Market (Violet)
Lodhi Art District	Lodhi Colony	Free	Any time; daylight is best	JLN Stadium (Violet)
National War Memorial	India Gate	Free	9 am–7:30 pm (Nov–Mar); 9 am–8:30 pm (Apr–Oct)	Central Secretariat (Yellow/Violet), Khan Market
Mehrauli Archaeological Park	Mehrauli	Free	About sunrise to sunset	Qutub Minar (Yellow)
Bangla Sahib	Near Connaught Place	Free, with free langar	Open all day	Patel Chowk (Yellow), RK Ashram Marg (Blue)
Lotus Temple	Kalkaji	Free	9 am–5:30 pm; closed Monday	Kalkaji Mandir (Violet/Magenta)
Gandhi Smriti	Tees January Marg	Free	10 am–5 pm; closed Monday	Lok Kalyan Marg (Yellow), then auto
Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum	Safdarjung Road	Free	9:30 am–5 pm; closed Monday	Lok Kalyan Marg (Yellow)
Kiran Nadar Museum of Art	Saket	Free	11 am–8 pm; closed Monday	Malviya Nagar (Yellow)
Lalit Kala Akademi	Mandi House	Free	11 am–7 pm	Mandi House (Blue/Violet)
Sunday Book Market	Daryaganj	Free to browse	Sundays, about 9 am–5 pm	Delhi Gate (Violet)

Parks, gardens and open spaces

1. Lodhi Garden. Delhi’s favourite morning walk winds past 15th- and 16th-century Lodi and Sayyid tombs, with joggers, yoga groups and picnickers on the lawns. There’s no ticket, and the gates open at 6 am in winter. See more in our Lodhi Road area guide.

2. Lodhi Art District. The streets of Lodhi Colony are an open-air gallery, with large murals painted by Indian and international artists through St+art India since 2015–16. Walk the blocks between Khanna Market and Meherchand Market. JLN Stadium (Violet Line) is the nearest station.

3. India Gate and Kartavya Path. The redeveloped Central Vista lawns are free and open round the clock. Evenings are best, when the monument is lit and families come out with snacks from the designated vendor zones. Nearest station: Central Secretariat.

4. National War Memorial. Right beside India Gate, this memorial is free and holds a short retreat ceremony every evening. It’s open 9 am to 7:30 pm from November to March, and until 8:30 pm the rest of the year.

5. Mehrauli Archaeological Park. A sprawling stretch of ruins, stepwells and tombs next to the Qutub complex, free to wander from about sunrise to sunset. Wear proper shoes. See our Mehrauli guide.

6. Deer Park, Hauz Khas. The 60-acre Aditya Nath Jha Deer Park is run by DDA and is free. It’s open from 5:30 am to 7 pm in winter and has a rose garden, a duck pond and paths that lead towards Hauz Khas lake. (The Hauz Khas monument complex itself charges ₹20.) Our Hauz Khas page has more.

7. Agrasen ki Baoli. A dramatic stepwell hidden among the office blocks off Hailey Road, a 10-minute walk from Barakhamba Road station (Blue Line). It’s free and open in daylight hours.

8. Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri. A big, quiet park that also hosts NDMC’s Morning Ragas concerts with SPIC MACAY, which are free classical music on the grass.

9. Aravalli Biodiversity Park, Gurugram. A former mining site turned native forest, with free entry and trails off MG Road. It’s open 6 am to 5:30 pm in winter, and the nearest station is Guru Dronacharya (Yellow Line).

Temples, gurdwaras and mosques

10. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. Cover your head (scarves are provided), walk around the sarovar and sit down for langar, the free community meal served to everyone. It’s near Connaught Place on Baba Kharak Singh Marg.

11. Lotus Temple. The Bahá’í House of Worship is free and open to people of every faith. It’s open 9 am to 5:30 pm and closed on Mondays. Nearest station: Kalkaji Mandir.

12. Akshardham. Entry is free, but phones, cameras and bags must be left at the free cloakroom. The temple is closed on Mondays. The exhibitions (₹260 for adults) and the water show (₹110) are optional extras. Take the Blue Line to Akshardham.

13. ISKCON Temple, East of Kailash. Free and open from 4:30 am to 9 pm, though the main shrine closes from 1 to 4 pm. Kailash Colony and Nehru Place (Violet Line) are the closest stations.

14. Jama Masjid. India’s largest mosque is free for Indian visitors. Dress modestly, and avoid Friday midday prayers, when non-Muslim visitors aren’t allowed in. Nearest stations: Chawri Bazar (Yellow) and Jama Masjid (Violet).

Free museums and memorials

15. Gandhi Smriti. Birla House, where Gandhi spent his last days, has a museum and a memorial path tracing his final steps. It’s free and closed on Mondays.

16. National Gandhi Museum and Raj Ghat. Raj Ghat, the memorial at Gandhi’s cremation site, sits across the road from the National Gandhi Museum (10 am to 5:30 pm, closed Mondays). Both are free.

17. Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. Indira Gandhi’s former residence at 1 Safdarjung Road, kept much as it was. It’s free and closed on Mondays.

18. Sulabh International Museum of Toilets. A genuinely interesting history of sanitation in West Delhi’s Palam–Dabri area. It’s free and open 11 am to 5 pm every day, Sundays included.

19. Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Saket. A major private museum of modern and contemporary art, inside the DLF South Court mall. It’s free and open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 8 pm, and also runs free family workshops on some Saturdays.

20. Lalit Kala Akademi. The national academy of art’s galleries at Rabindra Bhavan, Mandi House, hold big group shows with free entry, 11 am to 7 pm.

21. Triveni Kala Sangam. Several galleries, a sculpture garden and an auditorium on Tansen Marg. Triveni doesn’t sell tickets for its shows. Our Mandi House area page covers the neighbourhood.

22. Ojas Art, Mehrauli. A contemporary gallery near the Qutub, free and open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm.

Free concerts, films and talks

23. India International Centre. IIC says most of its programmes are open to the public without tickets or invitations, including classical recitals, film screenings and talks. Check the monthly calendar on our IIC venue page.

24. India Habitat Centre. Many IHC talks, screenings and exhibitions are free, and it runs a free book exchange on the first Sunday of the month. Some performances are ticketed. See our IHC venue page.

25. Cultural centres. Instituto Cervantes says entry to its cultural activities is free, and Alliance Française regularly hosts free film screenings. Worth checking every week.

Streets, markets and wandering

26. Chandni Chowk on foot. The redeveloped main street is closed to motor vehicles in the daytime, which makes it easier to walk from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid past Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and the old havelis. Go on a weekday or Saturday, because many shops shut on Sunday. See our Old Delhi guide.

27. Majnu ka Tilla. Delhi’s Tibetan colony is a maze of monasteries, prayer flags and cafés by the Yamuna. Wandering is free, though the momos are hard to resist. It’s about 1.5 km from Vidhan Sabha station (Yellow Line).

28. Sunday Book Market. The famous Daryaganj book bazaar now runs every Sunday at Mahila Haat on Asaf Ali Road, from about 9 am to 5 pm. Browsing is free, and bargaining is expected. More markets are listed on our flea markets page.

Seasonal freebies

29. Amrit Udyan. The Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens open free to the public (with online booking) for a few weeks each year. In 2026 the main winter season ran from 3 February to 31 March, with a summer edition from 16 August to 15 September. The gardens are closed on Mondays, even in season.

30. Raahgiri Day. The car-free street festival started in Gurugram in 2013 and still pops up across the city, most recently in Connaught Place’s Inner Circle. Expect cycling, dance, yoga and music on closed roads. Keep an eye on our free events listings for the next one.

Almost free: places that now charge a small fee

These are often listed as free online, but they aren’t:

• Sunder Nursery: ₹50 for adults, ₹25 for children aged 5–12 and seniors, ₹200 for foreigners. Open 7 am to 10 pm daily.
• Hauz Khas complex: ₹20 for Indians, booked online.
• Dilli Haat INA: ₹30 for adults, ₹20 for children.
• Garden of Five Senses: ₹50 for adults, ₹20 for children and seniors.
• Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort: ₹35 online or ₹40 in cash for Indians. Under-15s are free.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan tour and the Saturday Change of Guard: ₹50 each, booked online.
• Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya: ₹50 on weekdays and ₹100 on weekends for visitors aged 12 and over.
• Shankar’s International Dolls Museum: ₹25 for adults, ₹10 for children.

The Archaeological Survey of India also waives entry fees on special days, such as World Heritage Day (18 April), so look out for the announcement each year.

Tips for a free day out

• Monday is the worst day for free museums. Gandhi Smriti, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, KNMA, the Lotus Temple and Akshardham all close.
• Carry water and a scarf. The scarf covers your head at gurdwaras and mosques and keeps the sun off in the parks.
• Use the metro. Most places above are within 15 minutes of a station, and a day of travel costs far less than cabs.
• Pair places nearby: Lodhi Garden with the Lodhi Art District, Mehrauli Archaeological Park with Ojas Art, or Mandi House’s galleries with an IIC concert in the evening.

Want a guided version? Several heritage walks are free or cheap, so check our heritage walks page. Planning with children? Our guide to weekend activities for kids has more low-cost picks, and the this weekend page lists everything on in the next few days.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sunder Nursery free to enter?

No. Sunder Nursery charges ₹50 for Indian adults, ₹25 for children aged 5–12 and senior citizens, and ₹200 for foreign visitors. Children under five enter free. It's open daily from 7 am to 10 pm.

Which museums in Delhi are free?

Gandhi Smriti, the National Gandhi Museum, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Saket are all free. Most are closed on Mondays.

Is Lodhi Garden free?

Yes, Lodhi Garden has no entry fee. It's open every day from 6 am to 8 pm between October and March, and from 5 am to 8 pm between April and September.

Is Akshardham temple free?

Entry to Akshardham is free, but the exhibitions cost ₹260 for adults and the evening water show costs ₹110. The temple is closed on Mondays, and phones and cameras aren't allowed inside.

Are ASI monuments free for children?

Yes. Children under 15 get free entry at ticketed Archaeological Survey of India monuments such as Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and Red Fort. Adults pay ₹35 online (₹40 in cash) at these three.

Where can I find free events in Delhi this weekend?

Delhi2Go's free events page lists free concerts, talks, exhibitions and walks across Delhi NCR, updated daily. The India International Centre and Triveni Kala Sangam are reliable sources of free programmes.