Old Delhi at seven in the morning is a different city
Most visitors see Chandni Chowk between eleven and three, which is when it is at its most crowded, its hottest and its least comprehensible. They come away saying it was overwhelming, which is fair, because it was.
Go at seven instead.
The wholesale trade is running and the retail crowds have not arrived. The spice market is working rather than performing. You can actually see the havelis above the shopfronts, which are the point and which are invisible once the street fills. The light is low and sideways through the lanes. And the breakfast — which is a serious thing in Old Delhi and almost entirely missed by visitors — is at its best.
By ten you are finished and on your way to somewhere with shade.
This is the single easiest upgrade to a Delhi day and it costs nothing but an alarm. It is also a reasonable test of whoever is planning your trip. If the Old Delhi walk is scheduled for the afternoon, ask why.
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