National Museum

Adjacent to the National Gallery of Modern Art in Lutyens' Delhi, the National Museum is a massive heavyweight in the city's cultural scene. Maybe it's the location on Janpath, a few minutes from India Gate, that makes it hard to skip… or maybe it's the collection, spanning over 5,000 years of history.

The museum’s literally as old as the nation itself, conceived to bring together the country's most significant artefacts under one roof. The collection runs to nearly two lakh works: door panels, bronze statues, embroidered fabric, stone carvings. Three floors chronicle the history of the Indian subcontinent, each dedicated to a different theme and time period.

It’s large enough that it rarely feels crowded, but you should still expect some rush on national holidays and weekends.

Why you should go to the National Museum

The dusky Gandhara Buddha statue will instantly steal your heart. So might the famous dancing girl figurine from the Indus Valley civilisation, the twinkling bead jewellery, or the Tibetan thangkas. The Mughal miniature paintings offer a glimpse into the lives of medieval kings you'll find yourself envying. The National Museum library, meanwhile, is a specialised storehouse for academic, curatorial and educational work – a serious space, less touristy and more scholarly. Time your visit right and you can also catch a special film screening on the ground floor.

Time Out tip: End your day with a walk down Kartavya Path, leading up to the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan.