Is the Delhi Metro safe for tourists?

Yes — it's the safest public transport in Delhi. Heavily monitored CCTV, women-only coach option, security checks at every entry. Recommended for solo travellers, including women.

How much does Delhi Metro cost?

Single ride: ₹10-60. Smart card gives 10% discount on every ride. Airport Express: ₹60 fixed. A full day of metro for a typical tourist: ₹100-200.

When does Delhi Metro run?

5 AM to 11:45 PM most lines (Sundays start 6 AM). Airport Express last train leaves airport at 11:25 PM. For late-night plans (post-12 AM), use Uber.

Delhi Metro Survival Guide for Tourists (2026)

Delhi Metro is one of India's great public infrastructure success stories — 348 km, 256 stations, 8 million riders/day, runs 5 AM-11:45 PM. For tourists, it's often the fastest, cheapest, and least stressful way around Delhi.

This guide covers what you actually need to know.

The lines you'll use as a tourist

Line	Color	Where it goes	When you'll use it
Yellow	Yellow	Connaught Place → HUDA City Centre (via HKV, Saket, IIT Delhi)	Most South Delhi trips
Violet	Violet	Kashmiri Gate → Raja Nahar Singh (via Lajpat, Khan Market, India Gate, Old Delhi)	Lajpat Nagar to Old Delhi/CP
Blue	Blue	Dwarka → Noida (via CP, India Gate area)	CP to Noida tech parks
Airport Express	Orange	New Delhi station → IGI Airport T3	Airport runs (with light luggage)
Magenta	Magenta	Janakpuri West → Botanical Garden (via Vasant Vihar, IIT)	Less common for tourists
Pink	Pink	Majlis Park → Shiv Vihar (circular line)	Connecting between other lines
Red	Red	Rithala → Shaheed Sthal (mostly east/north Delhi)	Rarely for tourists
Green	Green	Inderlok → Brigadier Hoshiar Singh	Rarely for tourists

How to pay

Option 1: Smart Card (recommended for 4+ rides)

Buy at any station ticket counter
₹150 minimum (₹100 deposit + ₹50 balance)
Recharge in increments of ₹50 (counter or app)
10% discount on every ride vs paper ticket
DMRC Travel app: link the card, recharge from phone

Option 2: Token (single ride)

Buy at counter or vending machine
Drop in the slot when exiting
Best for 1-2 rides

Option 3: QR ticket (via DMRC app)

Buy ride in the app
Scan QR at the gate
Same price as token, no plastic, no queue at counter
Recommended for tourists with a smartphone + Indian SIM

Fares

Minimum: ₹10 (under 2 km)
Maximum: ₹60 (longest single journey)
Airport Express: ₹60 fixed
Smart card discount: 10% off all rides

For comparison: An Uber from HKV to CP is ₹350-500. Metro is ₹40. The Metro saves you ₹300+ for 25 extra minutes.

Operating hours

5 AM - 11:45 PM most lines
Sundays: starts at 6 AM
Airport Express: 5 AM - 11:25 PM (last train leaves airport 11:25 PM)
Frequency: every 4-7 min peak, 8-12 min off-peak

Peak vs off-peak

Peak: 8-10:30 AM (office hours), 5:30-8:30 PM (evening rush)
During peak: Yellow Line + Blue Line are CRUSHED. Avoid if you have luggage or kids.
Off-peak: 10:30 AM - 5 PM, after 9 PM — comfortable, half-empty

Women's coach

The first coach of every train is reserved for women. Marked "Women Only" in pink. Men are not allowed (₹250 fine if they enter).

For solo female travellers, this is the safest space — often the most comfortable coach to ride. Older women, college girls, and working women all use it. Highly recommended.

Etiquette + rules

Stand on the right of escalators, walk on the left
Don't eat/drink in the trains (₹200 fine — enforced)
Don't cross legs in seats (small thing but locals notice)
Give up seats for elderly, pregnant women, people with disabilities (clearly marked seats)
No photography of station infrastructure (security checkpoints, control rooms — staff will stop you)
Photography inside trains is OK
Bags get scanned at every entry — be patient with the queue

Security check

Every station entry has:

1. Walk-through metal detector

2. Bag X-ray

3. Sometimes a body pat-down (men + women separate queues)

Allow 5-10 minutes for security at peak. Don't carry:

Anything sharper than a small folding pocketknife (will be confiscated)
Glass bottles of liquid (water bottles are fine — they'll ask you to sip)
Large suitcases (technically OK but a hassle in crowded coaches)
Open food (will be asked to throw out or seal)

Common tourist trips on Metro

Hauz Khas Village → Khan Market

Yellow Line (HKV) → AIIMS → Yellow Line continues → INA → Yellow Line continues → JLN Stadium → Walk 8 min
Total: 18 min, ₹30. Easier: Uber 12 min, ₹250.

Lajpat Nagar → Khan Market

Violet Line direct (Lajpat Nagar → Khan Market)
5 min, ₹20. Way faster than Uber.

Lajpat Nagar → Connaught Place

Violet Line direct (Lajpat Nagar → Central Secretariat → walk OR change to Yellow → Rajiv Chowk)
15 min, ₹30. Significantly faster than Uber (40+ min in traffic).

HKV → Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk)

Yellow Line direct (HKV → New Delhi → Chawri Bazaar/Chandni Chowk)
30 min, ₹40. Way faster than Uber (60+ min in Old Delhi traffic).

IGI Airport → New Delhi station

Airport Express direct (T3 → New Delhi)
22 min, ₹60. Often faster than Uber in airport-area traffic.

Chattarpur → Gurgaon Cyber City

Yellow Line direct (Chhatarpur → HUDA City Centre / Sikanderpur for Rapid Metro to Cyber City)
25-30 min, ₹40. Way cheaper than Uber (₹400+).

Stations to know

Rajiv Chowk (CP — Yellow/Blue interchange) — busiest in Delhi
Kashmere Gate (Yellow/Violet/Red interchange)
New Delhi (Yellow + Airport Express interchange)
Central Secretariat (Yellow/Violet interchange — central government area)
Hauz Khas (Yellow + Magenta interchange — your home station for HKV)
Chhatarpur (Yellow Line — your home station for Chattarpur)
Lajpat Nagar (Violet + Pink interchange)

What to avoid

Riding during peak hours with luggage — you'll have a bad time
Taking the Metro from airport with 2+ heavy suitcases — use Uber instead (₹500 well spent)
Buying a smart card if you're only here 2 days — token/QR is fine
Trusting the elevator at every station — many smaller stations are stairs-only

Where to stay for Metro access

Best Metro-accessible neighborhoods:

Lajpat Nagar: 5 min walk to Violet Line + Pink Line — best access
Hauz Khas Village: 10 min walk to Yellow Line station
Chattarpur: 8 min walk to Yellow Line station

Our Lajpat Nagar apartments win on Metro convenience. HKV apartments win on lifestyle.

Related: 48-hour Delhi itinerary.