Lutyen's Best & Legendary Work In the City, Only The Name Is Enough For This Place

Long before all the malls took shape & came into focus, Delhi had been accustomed to a thriving commercial centre in the heart of the city which to this day remains a bustling, flourishing destination attracting huge crowds of shoppers, tourists & people who just want to have a good time in this landmark area of the Capital City.

Lutyens' Good Work 

Connaught Place (CP) (renamed Rajiv Chowk in 2005) is the central business district of Lutyens’ Delhi & a part of the British planning legacy which remains in use till date. Connaught Place gets its interesting name from the First Duke of Connaught, Britain & it was planned as a central plaza under the European urban & town planning guidelines to serve as the prime commercial & financial centre for Imperial India. 

Designed as a circle with two concentric circles, CP is characterized by open colonnades, wide walkways, a central park & some wonderful sitting spaces. The open colonnade provides for a wonderful shopping experience, even if it’s only window shopping! One can spend hours here strolling around the inner, middle & outer circles and browsing the various shops, stalls & showrooms.

Incorporating Everything

There are a variety of restaurants, fast-food joints & pubs in CP, making for an interesting gourmet experience. Some of the eateries are truly legendary & as old as CP itself. For instance, the patisserie, Wenger's, which opened in 1924 & is still one of the most famous bakeries in Delhi. People can be seen lining up at this shop in the wee hours of the morning even before it opens for the day & it surely runs out of stock by closing time. Then there is the British-style pub Blues which is a preferred place to unwind for Delhiites. 

The entertainment quotient in CP is maximised by the four movie theatres (both, One Screen & Multiplex) – Rivoli, Regal, Plaza & Odeon; these screening, both, 2D as well as 3D movies. There is a wide variety of cinema for a movie buff to choose from. 

Connaught Place also has a number of institutional & corporate offices which makes it buzzing with activity all day along. Early on in the morning one can see people coming to their offices, at lunch making a beeline for their favourite eateries and in the evening shopping & socialising before heading home. 

Central Location

The coming of the Metro has brought in a renewed buzz to CP as it has made the place accessible from any corner of Delhi & attracts crowds like never before. At any given time of the day, one can see an eclectic mix of people hanging out here from college goers, tourists, families to office workers etc. 

So, any time you are looking for fun & entertainment, ditch the malls & head to CP!!