any suggestions for what to do with an 11 hour layover at 2 am at New Delhi Airport?
>>1116971
Assuming you don't have an Indian visa and must stay airside, there are quite good, 24hr paid lounges at Indira Ghandi Intl. Napping areas, showers, storage, booze, food, wifi. I haven't personally spent more than about five hours there, but it was moderately nice if a little expensive. There is probably also an airport hotel if you need more privacy/luxury.
>>1116987
what if I got a day visa or something (haven't researched yet) and ventured into town
>>1117135
It'll cost you at least $70 to get a short-term visa...is that worth it to you?
>>1117135
>>1117288
>>1116971
If you're from a Western country, your only short-term option would be a 30-day eVisa, which I believe costs $65.
I lived in Delhi for a year and a half. Unfortunately, even if you were to leave the airport, there wouldn't be very much for you to do. Of all the big cities I've been to, the Indian capital seems to close down and fall completely asleep faster than any other. Central areas, such as CP and Hauz Khas Village, would all be practically abandoned by the time you've cleared customs and gotten into the city.
Normally I'd say that you should go for it and try to explore a few hours. However, as much as I love IGI, I had a terrible time with getting past security on my way out of India in February. I almost missed my flight. You'd want to be the airport by 10am at the earliest, which means you'd have to leave central Delhi by at least 9:20am to get there. That leaves you with four or five hours to do nothing, given that everything will be closed until 8am or 9am.
Hypothetically, you could take a taxi into Old Delhi and walk around, starting at maybe 5am or 6am. You could see Jama Masjid, have breakfast, and maybe take a walk around the Red Fort before making your back to to the nearest Yellow Line station - which would be Chawri Bazar or Chandni Chowk, depenidng on if you're at Jama Masjid or Red Fort, respectively - getting off after one stop at New Delhi, transferring to the Airport Express, and making it back to the airport by 9:45am or 10am.
>>1117295
Continued.
NOTE: I forgot transit visas are a thing. Look into that, but it'd probably cost more/the same as an eVisa.
...
Now that I think about it, this is very doable for you, OP, provided you're willing to pay the $60 for the eVisa and aren't planning to re-enter the country within the month.
You'll almost certainly be "in" India by 3am or 3:30am at the latest. If you're serious about this, my recommendation to you is to wait in the airport until 4:45am and catch the first Airport Express Metro train to New Delhi station. Transfer to the regular Yellow Line, head towards Vishwavidyalya (probably a different name with the recent expansions), get off at Chandni Chowk, and use Google Maps or another navigation device to get to Jama Masjid.
Do NOT listen to or talk to any taxi drivers outside the airport, in the city, or any seemingly friendly people who approach you asking what you want help with - they will take you to a tourist office, and you will be wasting their time as well as yours, given that you're on a layover.
Visa aside, this would be a very cheap excursion for you. I think you can get a round-trip metro token for the Airport Express for $2-$3. My recommendation on the regular Metro is to go to a "Customer Care" window and purchase a Delhi Metro SmartCard when your FIRST GET OFF. Otherwise you will have to wait in a terribly long line to buy a 10-rupee token to go one station down. The Metro Smartcard can be purchased for 200 rupees (~$3.30), which would last about four or five days and is more than you need. You can cash it out when you return if you're a cheapskate.
>>1117297
>>1117295
Otherwise, IGI is a decent airport. I usually get there with minimal time to spare, so I can't speak for activities, but it is comfortable enough that 11 hours wouldn't be painful. The facilities are very nice, they have rooms and a spa and typical airport stuff, smoking section, restaurants, etc.
But if you're adventurous and not broke, get an eVisa, get into Old Delhi around 5am, spend 3-4 hours walking around, and get back to the airport by 10am. It's very doable - the Delhi Metro is very modern and extremely reliable. The Airport Express takes you from New Delhi Station to IGI in about twenty minutes.
So yeah, that's my recommendation. You could leave earlier via taxi, but there will be nothing to do and the driver will probably try to misguide you or rip you off. The Airport Express is faster and cheaper anyway.
