Name: Delhi
Rating: 4.3

Connaught Place, Delhi Overview

Connaught Place or 'CP' as it is more commonly known is a massive commercial and financial centre in New Delhi. Named after the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, this confusing market complex houses almost all famous international chain stores, famous food chains, restaurants and bars. Connaught Place has one of the largest national flags in the country. This circular, greying whitewashed structure has two concentric circles; the inner circle which has blocks A to F and the outer circle which has blocks G to N. The Connaught Place is also the ultimate place to experience the vibrant nightlife of Delhi housing some of the most famous bars and restaurants. Being one of the most popular after dark destinations, no visit to Delhi is complete without a visit to the Connaught Place.

Connaught Place has some of the best colonial buildings in the city. Always bustling with people, it is dotted with Contemporary art galleries, antique theatres like Regal Cinema and toy stores. Delhi's first ice cream parlour, first toy store and first art gallery were all opened at this place. It is the ninth most expensive office market, costlier than Dubai, downtown Boston and Shanghai. Be it Indian or western fashion, khadi garments, accessories or various Indian handicrafts; one can get everything here. Connaught Place or CP is also a favourite among the city's party people. The nightlife here is lively with a myriad choice of some of the bars, pubs, sports bar, lounges, cafes and restaurants. Whether you are from Delhi or just visiting, you can dance the night away in one of the swanky nightclubs here. Connaught Place is a major shopping and entertainment centre apart from being a place to experience the diverse culture of the city.

Connaught Place Shopping

The area in and around Connaught Place is a shopper's paradise. The market is divided into two circles - Inner Circle and Outer Circle. The Inner Circle comprises of Blocks A to F. The major brand outlets here include Allen Solly, Bon Ton, Cantabill, Lee, Louis Phillippe, GAS, Nike, Park Avenue, Pepe, Filla, Roopchand Jewellers, and Wills Lifestyle. The Outer Circle of Connaught Place consist of Block G to P having showrooms like Lacoste, Omega, Rado, Digjam and Tag Heuer.

Apart from these, the main markets in Connaught Place are Janpath and Palika Bazar. Janpath which starts out at radial road number 1 at CP stretches for around one and a half kilometres. Most famous for Pashmina Shawls from Kashmir, it is one of the largest and oldest street shopping localities not just in the city, but the entire country. Street vendors with handicrafts, jewellery, wall hangings, Himalayan arts and musical instruments are aplenty. One needs to up their bargaining skills because the vendors readily offer a discount of about 60 - 80 percent of the asking price. Palika Bazar is another street shopping locality near Janpath, particularly dominated by electronics shops. It attracts a lot of foreigners and nationals and houses more than three hundred shops with stolen goods, illegal products, fake designers and unlicensed software and CDs.

Connaught Place Restaurants

The Connaught Place is one of the most popular destinations in Delhi when it comes to restaurants and bars. This place is known for its excellent dining options right from budget to high-end. Those people who want to have a relaxing dinner or lunch at a fine restaurant can visit Ambrosia Bliss (one of the largest places to eat in CP featuring a restaurant and a nightclub), Berco's (serving authentic Chinese and Thai dishes), Parikrama (not only the highest restaurant in the city but also revolving), White Waters (one of those spacious American classics restaurants), Excuse Me Boss (for those barbecue hangouts with friends) and Castle 9 (serving comprehensive world cuisine).

Connaught Place has something for everyone. It houses not only these high-end restaurants but also the budget ones serving mouth water delicacies. For the random hunger pangs and easy-on-the-pocket hotels, you can head over to Hotel Saravana Bhavan (serving Delhi's best thaali), Nizam's Kathi Kabab, Coffee Home, Wenger's, Sagar Ratna, Kake-da-Hotel, Rajdhani, Veda, Zaffran, Swagath, United Coffee House and Zen.

Khan Chacha, 38 Barracks, Zabardast Indian Kitchen, The GT Road, Caffé 9 and Farzi Café are a few other famous restaurants. Prices range from INR 600 to 2500 for two people depending on the place you choose. Other famous food joints like McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway and Dominos are also available in the complex.

Connaught Place Nightlife

Connaught Place is the ultimate place to experience the party scene of the capital, listening to live music, while sipping your favourite drink at a swanky nightclub. It houses severals bars, nightclubs, discotheques, restro-bars and pubs which are popular among the party people. The best places to soak up the energy in Connaught Place are My Bar Headquarters, My Bar Square, Lord of the Drinks, F Bar & Lounge, Ssky Bar & Lounge, Monkey Bar, QBA, Rodeo, Agni, Aqua, Warehouse cafe, Vault Cafe and House Of Commons. The best part about these bars and pubs is the happy hours where you can get huge discounts on food as well as drinks. Housing a myriad collections of bars and pubs, choosing a joint is definitely going to be tough!

History and Architecture of Connaught Place

Old villages like Madhoganj and Raja ka Bazaar were demolished to build the place, and people were relocated to nearby sites. These villages were in the route of the historic Qutb Road which connected Qutub Minar to Old Delhi. Named after Prince Arthur, the first Duke of Connaught, it was designed by Robert Torr Russell, chief architect of PWD at the time. The construction was completed in 1931. Built on a Georgian architecture, the complex is very identical to the Royal Crescent in the city of Bath, England. It was initially planned to be a massive 172 meters high but was later reduced to two-stories.

How To Reach Connaught Place

Connaught Place is easily accessible from all parts of the city. Rajiv Chowk metro station on the yellow and blue line is the nearest metro station right below the compound.

AC and Non AC DTC buses are readily available at Shivaji Stadium and Palika Kendra bus stops to all parts of the city. Taxis and Auto Rickshaws are also in plenty to sort all your travel plans.

You can use the following Metro Gates of Rajiv Chowk metro station to exit:

Gate No. 1: Towards R. K. Ashram, Block A

Gate No. 2: Towards PVR Plaza, B & H Block

Gate No. 3: Towards D & E Block

Gate No. 4: Towards Odeon Cinema

Gate No. 5: Towards N & F Block

Gate No. 6: Towards Palika Underground Market

Gate No. 7: Towards Regal Cinema

Gate No. 8: Towards Oriental Bank

Parking around the area is a cumbersome task and also costly with high demands, so coming here by your vehicle is ill-advised. If you indeed intend to come by your car, the multi-level parking at Palika Parking is the best option.

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Connaught Place Reviews

Your rating

abhijit sreepada

on Connaught Place 5 years ago

Located in the heart of New Delhi and connected well by metro to the rest of the NCR region, Connaught Place or CP is a landmark truly iconic to Delhi. Being my first tryst with the city of Dehi I wa (Read More)s pleasantly surprised. The people were helpful and nice. The newest fashion and food stores were located inside the age old buildings of CP- a perfect blend of new and old. From H&M to the street side vendors of Janpath, CP offers a great shopping experience for everyone along with great eateries. Offering something for everyone and any budget CP is truly a cosmopolitan area representing the spirit of the national capital.

Rutvi Saxena

on Connaught Place 5 years ago

For those living in Dwarka, reaching Connaught Place through the Airport Metro Line can be awfully convenient; the inner circle is a 10 minute walk from Shivaji Stadium Metro station. For a branded s (Read More)hopping experience and quality food chains (read: Wenger's bakery) , CP is the right place to be. You can always find some fashion jewellery vendors spread throughout. For those into hardcore thrift shopping however, walking a little distance to Janpath or taking the underground lane to Palika Bazaar can be fruitful. The former offers some great ethnic designs on bags, jewellery, and clothes in addition to the food joints. The latter has a wide variety of products at throwaway prices-you might wanna be careful though, the vendors at Palika Bazaar will aggressively persuade you into buying their products and you'll be bombarded by slogans as you walk. Bargaining is a skill to be utilized here, but a visit to CP is not just a shopping expedition, but a wholesome entertaining experience for every individual.

Tina Garg

on Connaught Place 5 years ago

The white pillars and decades-old shops tell a story like no other place can. Love, life, friendships, betrayals, Connaught Place has seen it all and it has preserved them for the future generations (Read More)to come. Taking walks from Wengers till Haldirams is one of the best experiences. This is the place where I go when I want to get lost. One thing that I will advise you to do is eat bhelpuri and sit in the central park near the showers in the evening and don’t forget to have a butterscotch shake at Keventer’s in Block A.

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