In Delhi, Aerocity beside Terminal 3 is the softest possible first night, Connaught Place the best-connected base, and Paharganj the cheap one that is also the worst place to land as a first-timer. In Mumbai: Colaba for the historic centre, Bandra or BKC for modern comfort, Andheri East if you only need to sleep before an early flight.
- Aerocity is the softest first night in Delhi - a secured hotel zone immediately beside Terminal 3, quiet and sealed off from the street. International chains, and you can be checked in twenty minutes after clearing customs.
- Connaught Place is the best-connected base - on the Airport Express and the main metro lines, with the restaurants and shops around it.
- Paharganj is the cheap one, and a hard landing. Opposite New Delhi station, noisy and dense, and the concentration point for the fake-tourist-office scam. Not where a first-time visitor should spend night one.
- In Mumbai, Colaba is the historic centre - walkable to the Gateway of India, and well policed.
- Bandra and BKC are the modern, comfortable option; Andheri East is purely practical, for a late arrival before an early domestic flight.
- Hotels register foreign guests and file Form C within 24 hours, so your passport is scanned at check-in.
- Some budget properties refuse foreigners rather than deal with that paperwork - book through a platform that will rehouse you if it happens.
Delhi
- Aerocity - a modern, tightly secured hotel district right next to Terminal 3, full of international four- and five-star chains. It is quiet, clean and completely insulated from the city, which is exactly the point on a first night or before an early flight. It is also the most expensive of the three.
- Connaught Place - the commercial and historic centre, on the Airport Express and the main metro lines, with a deep spread of mid-range hotels, restaurants and shops. The best base if you want to actually use the city rather than recover from it.
- Paharganj - directly opposite New Delhi Railway Station, and the cheapest accommodation in the city. It is also loud, dense and dirty, and it is where the fake-tourist-office operation is concentrated. Experienced travellers manage it fine. It is a bad first night.
Mumbai
- Colaba - the southern historic centre. The Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace are within walking distance, and the area is well policed and easy to move around on foot.
- Bandra and BKC - BKC is the modern financial district with international hotels; Bandra next door is residential and lively, with the cafés and restaurants. Comfortable and secure, but an hour from the southern sights in traffic.
- Andheri East - near the airport, and the sensible answer if you land late and have a domestic flight in the morning. Nothing to do there, which is not the point.
At check-in
- Your passport is scanned and your stay is registered. Every accommodation provider, private hosts included, must file Form C with the immigration authorities within 24 hours of check-in.
- Some budget properties refuse foreign guests rather than handle that filing, and you may only discover it on arrival. Book through an international platform that will rehouse you, and have the booking confirmation with a phone number you can call.
- See the everyday prices section for what things actually cost - hotel rates in India swing enormously by area, season and how far ahead you book.
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