Travel Postcard: 48 hours in New Delhi

NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours to explore New Delhi? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a short stay in the Indian capital. The best weather comes between October and March -- the rest of the year can be very hot and humid.

FRIDAY

5 p.m. - Enjoy sundowners on the terrace at the Imperial, perhaps the city's finest hotel and one of the most graceful buildings left by New Delhi's colonial architects.

7 p.m. - Head to the ancient Nizamuddin neighbourhood, a fascinating example of Delhi's many "urban villages". At its heart, past a gauntlet-run of hawkers, sits the 14th-century shrine of Nizamuddin Auliya, a saint revered by Sufi Muslims. There's a bit of luck involved, but most evenings you can join a cross-legged crowd in the courtyard to hear a band of men sing beautiful, hypnotic qawwali hymns over tablas and harmoniums (it's virtually guaranteed on Thursday).

9 p.m. - Locals rave about the kebabs from the nearby Aap Ki Khatir stand on a rather unglamorous stretch of Lodhi Road, but those with more cautious stomachs can head instead to Swagath in Defence Colony market, which specialises in South Indian sea food. The decor is forgettable, but the memory -- and pungent aftertaste -- of its fish and prawn and peppery Chettinad fare will linger for some time.

SATURDAY

9 a.m. - Time has taken a fascinating toll on Old Delhi, the walled city built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century as a vision of urban paradise. The grand canal that once gleamed along the length of Chandni Chowk has long been covered by concrete to accommodate some of the city's most cacophonous traffic, lined on either side by everything from centuries-old sweetshops to a beef-free branch of McDonald's.