I’ve been exploring Delhi on foot my entire life.
Every lane in Old Delhi, every corner of Connaught Place, every monument I’ve visited — all on foot. Walking has always been my default way of seeing a city. And for Delhi specifically, I was always comfortable with that.
But recently I decided to break that pattern. A thought came about doing something different with the weekend — and within a minute, I remembered a name I’d heard years ago at an event.
Delhi By Cycle.
I’d wanted to experience it long before, but couldn’t do that then.
This is my Delhi By Cycle review of the Lutyens Delhi tour — and what it’s like to see a city through a completely different lens.
Table of Contents
How I First Heard About Delhi By Cycle
I first came across Delhi By Cycle at an event years back. The concept stayed with me — guided cycling tours through specific Delhi neighbourhoods, with a storyteller leading the way.
My first actual experience on a cycle in Delhi was at the Lodhi Art District — I’d rented a smart bike to cover the murals while making a documentary. Equipment in my bag, murals spread across a wide area, cycling was the only sensible option. That experience quietly changed something.
What is Delhi By Cycle?
Delhi By Cycle — DBC — is India’s first city cycling tour team. Started in 2009 by a Dutch founder, it has hosted over 60,000 domestic and international travellers across multiple Delhi tours.
The orange colour on everything — cycles, t-shirts, signage — is a direct reference to the Netherlands. Orange is the Dutch national colour and a core part of their identity. Our tour leader Rahul explained this at the briefing before we left.
They run multiple tours across different Delhi neighbourhoods. The one I did was the Lutyens Delhi Tour — covering Daryaganj, Delhi Gate, Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar Lane, Kartavya Path, India Gate, and Agrasen Ki Baoli.
Delhi By Cycle Lutyens Tour — All the Details
Cost: ₹750 per person
Duration: 3.5 hours — with a breakfast break at Connaught Place
Start and end point: Delhi By Cycle office, Street 4B, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi
Nearest metro: Delhi Gate (Gate 3) — short walk to the office. You’ll spot orange cycles outside.
Meeting time: 6:45 AM sharp — they don’t wait beyond 7:00 AM
What’s included:
- Well-maintained cycle for the full tour
- Tour leader who narrates history
- Chai and light snacks
- Breakfast at Connaught Place
What’s not included: Personal expenses and anything not mentioned above
Booking: Through their Instagram link or their tour page
Cancellation policy: Full refund if cancelled 24 hours before. Cancellation charges of 5% in any case. No refund for no-shows or latecomers.
The Day Before
I booked the Saturday slot. A day before, they reached out — there are few participants for that day, could I shift to Sunday? I agreed.
Shortly after I received a breakfast menu. A few options, all at ₹150. I ordered a chilli paneer calzone and an iced Americano.
Small detail but it showed the kind of organised experience this was going to be.
The Morning
I set my alarm for 5:30 AM.
Got ready, ate some bananas, drank milk, and I was out of the house by 5:50 AM. The tour starts at 7:00 AM sharp.
I interchanged at Mandi House and reached Delhi Gate metro station by around 6:45 AM. I would have preferred walking from the metro to the starting point but timing was tight. So, I took an auto instead and reached by 6:55 AM.
The Briefing
People gathered over the next 10 minutes. About 15 participants in total.
People from Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal, Coimbatore, Indonesia. Teens figuring out what to do with their lives. A newly married couple exploring. Students on career breaks — and I genuinely didn’t expect the mix.
Rahul — our tour leader — gave us the briefing.
The orange colour story. And then a line that set the tone for the whole morning:
“In Delhi, you honk wherever required. And also wherever not required. Because this is Delhi.”
Everyone laughed and we were ready to leave.
Daryaganj — Where the Tour Begins
Address: Street 4B, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi
We rode out of the office and into the lanes of Daryaganj.
This is one of Delhi’s oldest commercial neighbourhoods — home to the famous Sunday book market, and narrow lanes that haven’t changed much in decades.
As we crossed Delhi Gate, Rahul started sharing facts.
Old Delhi was originally called Shahjahanabad — officially founded by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1639.
There were originally 14 gates around the walled city. Only 5 left today:
- Delhi Gate
- Ajmeri Gate
- Kashmere Gate
- Turkman Gate
- Nigambodh Gate
It’s the kind of history that sits right in front of you every day in Delhi but disappears into the background without someone pointing at it.
Connaught Place — The Breakfast Stop
After crossing busy roads and traffic lights, about 15 minutes of cycling, we reached Connaught Place.
Connaught Place in the early morning is one of my favourite versions of Delhi. I’ve walked through it at 7 AM more times than I can count — the empty arcades, the clean circular roads before the city wakes up.
Cycling through it felt different. The scale of it changes when you’re on a bicycle.
We parked at Block C and headed to Third Wave Coffee for breakfast.
Meanwhile the breakfast was getting ready. We did an ice-breaker exercise ran by Rahul.
Everyone introduced themselves. The catch — you had to remember every name that came before yours and repeat them all before adding your own.
By the time it got to the last few people the whole group was helping each other remember. 15 strangers laughing together in a café at 8:30 AM.
The breakfast arrived in between, I had ordered Chilli paneer calzone and iced Americano — both were good.
That ice-breaker moment changed the energy of the tour completely.
Jantar Mantar Lane and Kartavya Path
After breakfast we rode through Jantar Mantar Lane and made our way toward Kartavya Path.
The bond from the café carried over. People who’d just met were now cycling side by side, continuing conversations mid-pedal.
By around 8:45 AM the sun was properly up and the heat was building.
Rahul shared something I hadn’t known — “when the Indian flag is flying at Rashtrapati Bhavan it indicates the President is in residence. When the flag is down, they’re away”.
A small detail that makes you look at the building differently every time you pass it.
India Gate
From Kartavya Path we rode toward India Gate.
Even in the May heat, the lawn around it was full of people. Families, tourists, morning walkers.
India Gate was built in 1931 as a war memorial — honouring 84,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Indian Army during World War I and the Anglo-Afghan War. It bears the names of 13,300 soldiers inscribed on its surface.
After a group photo we moved on to the last stop.
Agrasen Ki Baoli — Again
I hadn’t expected this to be on the Delhi By Cycle route.
The day before I had been here alone — the first person through the gate that morning, completely by myself. I wrote about that visit separately if you want to read it before going: Agrasen Ki Baoli — The Stepwell Most People Walk Past.
Coming back with a group of 15 people was a completely different experience.
The sun was halfway up the steps by now. We found a cool corner in the shade and sat for a while. Conversations continued.
I got talking with siblings from Coimbatore. They immediately reminded me of my time living in Ooty — ten months studying photography at Light and Life Academy, exploring the Nilgiris. We talked about South India for a while. They were happy to hear someone from Delhi knew that part of the world well.
After a group photo we left Agrasen Ki Baoli and headed back.
The Final Stretch
The last leg was a direct 4 km ride back to the Delhi By Cycle office in Daryaganj — non-stop.
The conversations made it feel like nothing. By the time we reached the office the 3.5 hours had gone by faster than any morning I’d spent in Delhi in a long time.
Some participants looked genuinely tired — for anyone not used to cycling, 3.5 hours and traffic is a real workout. For regular cyclists or walkers it will feel easy.
Delhi By Cycle Review — Is It Worth It?
Yes, it was completely worth it.
Not because of the cycling. Not even because of the history — though Rahul’s storytelling is genuinely good.
Because of the people.
A group of strangers from different corners of India and the world, together on an orange bicycles at 7 AM, riding through Delhi with the city still half-asleep. By the time we finished, nobody felt like a stranger.
That’s not something you plan for.
At ₹750 for 3.5 hours including breakfast — it’s genuinely one of the best ways to spend exploring Delhi on a weekend morning.
Delhi By Cycle Lutyens Tour — Practical Guide
- Cost: ₹750 per person
- Breakfast: Ordered in advance from the menu, ₹150 included
- Duration: 3.5 hours approximately
- Start time: 7:00 AM sharp — arrive by 6:45 AM
- Start and end: Delhi By Cycle office, Street 4B, Ansari Road, Daryaganj
- Nearest metro: Delhi Gate (Gate 3)
- Route highlights: Daryaganj → Delhi Gate → Connaught Place → Jantar Mantar Lane → Kartavya Path → Rashtrapati Bhavan view → India Gate → Agrasen Ki Baoli → back to Daryaganj
- Fitness level required: Easy to moderate — suitable for anyone comfortable on a bicycle for 3–4 hours with breaks
- Best season: October to March — Delhi mornings in May are manageable only because the tour ends by 10:30 AM before peak heat
- Book at: Their Instagram page @delhicycle
Final Thoughts
I’ve walked every inch of the route we cycled that morning.
Connaught Place, Kartavya Path, India Gate, Agrasen Ki Baoli — Cycling and seeing all of them was a different experience.
If you’re based in Delhi and haven’t done this yet — book a slot. Go out and explore Delhi.
