From Delhi airport to the city
1 h route4 stopsBest: The express metro leaves from T3. If you fly T1, that’s another terminalUpdated July 2026
The prepaid taxi counter you want is OUTSIDE terminal 3. In capitals, because this is the most valuable practical fact on this page: inside the terminal there are counters that look official, with their sign and their queue, and they charge two or three times the real fare. The right one (Bharat Prepaid, the one the Delhi police used to run) is outside, between lanes 2 and 3, past gates 5 and 6.
That said, there’s an alternative that skips the whole problem and which for many people is the best way in: the express metro. Air-conditioned, with baggage screening, no traffic and nothing to negotiate with anyone. Delhi has the reputation it has when it comes to arrival, and a good part of that reputation is avoidable if you know these two things before you land.
The route, stop by stop
4 STOPS- 01
The express metro
Delhi metro’s orange line is an express that leaves terminal 3 and reaches New Delhi station in about fifteen or twenty minutes, running at a hundred and twenty an hour. It’s air-conditioned, has baggage screening on entry and it’s clean, calm and predictable. Compared with getting into Delhi traffic, this is another planet.
Two practical things. The first: at New Delhi it connects with the yellow line, which crosses the entire city north to south and stops at Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place and the Qutub Minar. And at Dwarka Sector 21 it connects with the blue. Which means from the airport you reach almost anywhere without setting foot on the street.
The second, and mind this one: the express serves terminal 3. If your flight leaves or arrives at terminal 1, which is a different terminal several kilometres away, you have to allow for the inter-terminal transfer. Check your ticket before making plans.
- 02
The prepaid counter: which one and where
The prepaid taxi takes the negotiation out entirely: you pay at a counter on a fixed tariff, you’re given a slip with your destination, you hand it to the driver on arrival and there’s no negotiation on the way. It works. The problem isn’t the system: it’s which counter.
Inside terminal 3 there are several that look official (counter, sign, uniform and a queue) and charge two or three times the real fare. They aren’t illegal. They’re private, and they exploit the fact that you’ve just landed and that they all look alike.
The one you want is OUTSIDE the building: it’s called Bharat Prepaid, it’s the one the Delhi police used to run, and it’s between lanes 2 and 3, past gates 5 and 6. Walk out, keep going and find it. Pay there, keep the slip and hand it to the driver on arrival, not before. And most important: ignore anyone who approaches you offering a taxi, however official they look. Official taxis don’t come looking for you.
- 03
The apps
Ride-hailing apps work perfectly well in Delhi and are, for many people, the most comfortable solution: the price is agreed in the app before you get in, so the whole conversation about the fare disappears, and there’s a record of the trip.
The terminal has a signposted pickup zone for these services, and you should use it: wait there, check the number plate against the one the app gives you and don’t get into another car even if the driver says it’s him.
If someone phones you asking you to come out somewhere else or to cancel the trip and pay him cash, don’t: cancel and order another. It’s a classic. Bear in mind too that at peak times the app will give you an optimistic estimate: Delhi traffic is among the worst in the world and the express metro beats any car outright.
- 04
What not to do
This is worth saying plainly and without drama, because knowing it defuses ninety per cent of the problem. Coming out of the terminal, people will approach you offering transport. None of them is the official service: the official service is at a counter and doesn’t go looking for customers.
And there’s a specific script, old and well practised, worth recognising: they get you into the car, and on the way the driver tells you your hotel has closed, or burned down, or that there’s a problem in the area, or riots in Paharganj, and offers to take you to an “official” travel agency to sort it out. None of it is true. It’s an operation to sell you a tour.
The answer is one sentence, said calmly and repeated: take me to the address I gave you. If he insists, get out.
This isn’t a matter of physical danger: it’s a matter of not losing your afternoon and your money. With the express metro, this simply doesn’t happen.
Frequently asked
How do you get from Delhi airport to the city?
The best option is the express metro (orange line): it leaves T3, reaches New Delhi in 15-20 minutes at 120 km/h, is air-conditioned and connects with the yellow line, which crosses the whole city. Note: it serves T3. If you fly T1 that’s a different terminal. If you prefer a taxi, the right prepaid counter is OUTSIDE T3, between lanes 2 and 3, past gates 5 and 6: the ones inside charge two or three times the real fare.
Where is the prepaid taxi counter at Delhi airport?
The official one (Bharat Prepaid, the one the Delhi police ran) is OUTSIDE terminal 3, between lanes 2 and 3, past gates 5 and 6. The counters inside the terminal look official, with signs and uniforms, and charge two or three times the real fare. Pay outside, keep the slip and hand it to the driver on arrival. And ignore anyone who approaches you: official ones don’t look for customers.