A taxi or Uber would be your easiest and possibly quickest option to get from the airport to New Delhi. We were travelling on a budget, so a taxi or Uber was out of the question, and we like to control how we get from A to B, as we heard so many horror stories of drivers taking people to different hotels or taking extra money from them. Plus, when entering a new city, there is no better way to get out of your comfort zone than by using public transport right away. This is our 10-step guide to the Delhi Airport Express Metro Line (Orange Line) from Delhi Airport to City Centre.
T-3 to the Metro
This will be based on arriving in T3. It is possible to arrive in T-1 and T-2. If you arrive at one of these terminals, you will either need to take a transfer to T-3 or Aerocity metro station to join the line. The transfer costs 40 rupees and will take about 10 minutes.
Whether you have international or domestic arrivals, these directions will both be the same, and they are straightforward.
1. Collect your bag, if you have one, and exit the arrivals hall.
2. You will see an exit sign on the door in front of you; it will also have a sign pointing you to the metro.
3. Follow the signs on the ground, which will take you down a ramp where the metro station is located.
Security and tickets
4. Go through security. This is simple; you don’t need to get anything out; just put your bags through a scanner and get yourself scanned by a police officer. Women and men go to separate queues.
5. A few metres further down is the ticket desk. Take note of which queue to join; there seems to be a local line that leaves the station, and that queue is always longer. It says on signs above the desk which booth to go to. The cost is 60 rupees per person as of December 2023.
Entering the system
6. Go through the turnstiles and scan your ticket. Make sure to keep your ticket as you will need it to get out on the other side. Don’t be Megan, who ripped hers up!
7. Head for the stairs down to the platform.
8. Join the metro in the direction of the New Delhi metro station; it was on the left at the bottom of the stairs when we arrived, but it is well signposted.
9. Sit back and relax for around 20 minutes. Before you know it, you will be in the New Delhi metro station.
10. Follow the signs to either exit the Metro to walk to your hotel, change lines, or head to the New Delhi train station, which is just across the road.
Final thoughts?
Most public transport systems can be overwhelming when you first arrive in a new country. However, we found the New Delhi Airport Express to be a cheap and safe way to get from New Delhi Airport to the city centre.
Hopefully you found our guide to the Delhi Airport Express Metro Line useful. If you have any questions about using the New Delhi Airport Express, drop us a message in the comments and we will be happy to help.
Read more about our visit to India.
Thanks
The Lewis Family.
We are going to Delhi in Dec and this is very helpful, thank you. We will be looking at all your other posts to see what other tips we can get.
Thanks
Chris