Faridabad
Faridabad is a city in the state of Haryana, bordering India's capital New Delhi, and nowadays engulfed by the ever-growing National Capital Region. Urban sprawl from Delhi has made Faridabad the most populous city in Haryana.
Get in
[edit]Faridabad is in the Southern National Capital region just 25 km south of Delhi.
By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
By road
[edit]There are various road links from Faridabad to Delhi, Agra, Mathura, and other parts of North India. With it being one of the most developed parts of Haryana.
Various bus services ply from New Delhi to Faridabad. Beware of the ones that drop you off at the border of Faridabad and Delhi because bus or auto rides from the border to the main city area tend to be overcrowded.
Taking a taxi is a faster and more comfortable way to reach the city but it can costlier by many times. Prices may range from ₹300-₹500 for one-way travel from Delhi to Faridabad.
Buses ply from the various bus stands to other parts of North India including Delhi, Chandigarh, Mathura, Agra and various other cities in Haryana.
By train
[edit]Due to its nearness to Delhi, Faridabad has excellent railway connectivity with trains from various parts of India. Trains ply from the Old Faridabad railway station for most of the other important cities in India. For local commuters, there are EMU train services to New Delhi, Mathura, Agra, and Ghaziabad which ply at frequent intervals. Price ranges from ₹10 - ₹15.
By metro
[edit]- 1 Faridabad Old metro station. Faridabad is well connected with the greater Delhi urban area by the metro. Faridabad's station is on the Violet Line. The main interchange station is Kashmere Gate.
Get around
[edit]
Public transport is dominated by rickshaws and auto-rickshaws. The initial prices quoted are high and can be pushed bargaining. Find out what a fair price is for the ride you are undertaking from a local of Faridabad.
Haryana Roadways run local buses throughout the city, which are comfortable and less polluting than the auto-rickshaws. The buses run frequently.
EMU train timings from Faridabad towards New Delhi are as follows: 7:30AM, 8AM, 8:20AM, 8:29AM, 9:21AM, 11:31AM, 01:02PM.
See
[edit]- Siddhadata Temple (on Badhkal-Surajkund road). A very peaceful place.
- 1 Suraj Kund (surajkund), Surajkund Mela Rd (on Badhkal-Surajkund road).
- Shiva temple (in Sainik Colony Sec-49). A must see, with 22 ft (6.7 m)-high Shivaling.
- Town Park (in sector-12). A beautiful park which hosts one of the largest Indian flags. Free.
- 2 Raja Naher Singh Palace (Naher Singh Fort), Ambedkar Chowk, Nathu Colony, Balramgarh (east of the Metro station of the same name), ☏ +91 129 2249569, naharsingh@hry.nic.in. A palace built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Now partially converted to a motel and restaurant.
- Triveni Hanuman Mandir (on the Pali-Gurugram road). At 108 ft (33 m), this is supposed to be one of the biggest statues of Lord Hanuman in India. There is a temple adjacent to the statue. This temple is very old and hundreds of devotees come here on Tuesday and Saturday. The statue took about 9 years to build.
Avoid Bhadkal Jheel: This so-called 'lake' is totally dry and grazing ground for local cattle, and cricket ground for nearby people. Even locals avoid it. A better option is close to New Delhi and Haryana border in Faridabad. Instead, visit Surajkund Lake Tourist Complex with comfortable range of Hotels from Haryana Tourism, boating, huts etc.
Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]Faridabad is famous for henna production. Henna is also called mehendi and is a vegetable dye used in Indian weddings to decorate the hands and legs of the brides.
- Malls. Crown Plaza, SRS Mall, Pristine Mall, Crown Interiorz, Parsvnath City mall, Parsvnath Mall Manhattan, Destination Point, Eldeco Station 1, SRS Shubham.
- Sector 15 Market. A good place for youngsters to hang out with friends and enjoy delicious food. Chickenette, Perfect Bake, Subway, Sethi's Delicacy, Choudhary Dhaba & Anupam Sweets all provide finger licking good options.
Eat
[edit]Various food outlets are spread throughout the city and you will find cheap as well as splurge eating joints and restaurants in the markets of every sector. Big chains like McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, Sagar Ratna, Haldiram's, Cafe Coffee Day and KFC also have their outlets in various malls across the city.
- 1 Red Chilli, SCF 141, Sector 17, ☏ +91 99534 76519. Chinese fast food joint which provides exceptionally tasty fast foods like Momos, Crispy Chilli Chicken and Hong Kong Noodles. The Chicken Momos are a speciality.
- 2 More Than Paranthas, Shop No 4 & 6, 2nd floor, Crown Plaza Mall, Mathura Rd, Sector 15A, ☏ +91 98990 88893. If you are looking for some exotic varieties of Parathas, "More Than Paranthas" has over 200 varieties and the menu also includes kebabs and biryanis.
- Pind-Balluchi, New Industrial Town, ☏ +91 129 483 0400. A cool place for OK food, a village scene ambience, a dance floor in "Mudra" the "discotheque", and party place. The ice-cream counter stocks some uncommon flavours, for example paan (betel leaf).
- Sethi's Delicacy, Sector-15 Market, opposite Mother Dairy kiosk (next to Chickenette). Sethi's has cakes and pastries baked in-house.
- Chickenette, Sector-15 Market, opposite Mother Dairy kiosk (next to Sethi's). Chickenette has one of the hottest dishes ever, which goes by the name "Banzaara Tikka". Try it and everything else will pale — nay, bland — in comparison. Their paneer tikka is legendary.
- SRS Mall, Sec 12, SSRS Mall, Sec 12. Get some whacky "paans" (assorted spices, condiments etc. wrapped in betel leaves). Varieties range from Chocolate Paan to Rose-Paan to the winter favourite, Kesar-Badaam Paan. For the unadventurous, the simple meetha-paan will suffice.
Drink
[edit]- Cafe 31. Coffee Shop Cafe 31 reflects the exuberance and lively hues of spices. Its décor is further revealed in its varied menus and diversity of dishes. The coffee shop serves multi-cuisine Indian and Continental meals.
- Hotel Delite, Millenium, Rajmandir, Mahalakshmi, Neelam Bata Road NIT. 11AM-11PM. 600-1500 for 2.
- Le Moksh, Parsvnath Mall sector 12. 11AM-11PM. 1500 for 2.
- Vegas Dreams, Sector 11 market near Milan sweets. 11AM-11PM. 600 for 2 people.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hotel Delite, A-5/B, Neelam Bata Rd, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, New Industrial Township, ☏ +91 129 435 5555. The hotel houses a total of 70 air-conditioned rooms and suites, attached bathrooms with separate shower cubicles, TV with satellite channels, international direct dial telephone, in-house laundry and dry cleaning and 24-hr room service.
- K Hotel, Sector 31, ☏ +91 4292777. The hotel offers tastefully appointed rooms and suites, fully furnished ready to move in serviced apartments and extensive conferencing & banqueting facilities. Service Apartment
- Vivanta by Taj. Vivanta by Taj is situated on the Surajkund Road near Surajkund
- The Atrium, Surajkund Rd.
- Radisson Blu, Sector 20B, Mathura Rd, Krishna Nagar, New Industrial Town (opposite Bata Chowk Metro Station), ☏ +91 129 266 6000.
Go next
[edit]- Take a taxi or public transport to the nearby city of Gurgaon to the west which has also become a satellite of Delhi.
- Ballabgarh - a town nearby to the south.