Sunder Nursery

Sunder Nursery's arguably the most popular outdoor space in all of Delhi. A 90-acre heritage park located adjacent to Humayun's Tomb and across the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, the nursery's served a bunch of different purposes over the centuries. What began as a garden – Azim Bagh – built by the Mughals in the 16th century was transformed into a nursery by the British during colonial-era India in their attempt to cultivate a range of different species of plants. It was finally opened to the public in 2018 after extensive renovations in its current, full glory.

You'll find traces of every bit of this history in the park today: all of the 15 monuments inside date back to the Mughal era, of which six are UNESCO heritage monuments. All of them – including the Sunder Burj, Sunderwala Mahal, Lakkarwala Burj and the tomb of Mirza Muzaffar Hussain – sit comfortably within the landscaped sections of the park, instead of being cordoned off. Some are large, central, and lit up at night. Others are tucked into the woodsier corners of the park. The entire space, in fact, harkens back to the Mughal pleasure garden: central fountains, paved walkways, symmetrical lawns, shaded paths. The site, by virtue of it sitting inside the larger Humayun's Tomb complex, is incidentally a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

You'll find traces of the nursery too: the entire left wall of the space has thousands of plants on offer, with some bulbs and seed varieties starting at a throwaway ₹15. There's some sort of rule here about bringing your own pots to take the plant away in – come prepared. 

There's much more to the space, though: a 20-acre biodiversity zone with native plant species, a central water body, a secret lake at the back, several wooded sections, and more. Lately, it's been experiencing a sort of tourist revival, and you'll find that it hosts loads of events: Candlelight Concerts, farmers' markets, workshops, and other fun stuff. 

It's also recently become potential food walk territory: besides the South Indian-style Carnatic Cafe inside the premises of the nursery, you've got a whole host of coffee shops and bars that've come up in the parking lot adjoining the park. If you’re not after a full meal, vendors inside little kiosks have you covered with hot and soft drinks and little parcelled snacks. 

Time Out tip: While Sunday afternoons may seem like the absolute perfect time for a visit, be warned of heavy footfall both outside and inside the park, as well as a nasty traffic jam leading up to it, especially in the winter time.