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Lodhi Gardens is probably the most beautiful of central Delhi’s green spaces. Lodhi is home to several Mughal-era monuments, including this, the tomb of Muhammed Shah, last of the Sayyid dynasty rulers, built in 1444. The gardens are a favourite spot for joggers, dog walkers and also young lovers snatching a moment of intimacy away from the chaos of the city around them. All photographs: @deeptikpinstagram.com/guardiantravelsnaps

Lunch at Sodabottleopenerwallah with photojournalist @samisiva. The restaurant, in central Delhi’s popular Khan Market, is a modern incarnation of the dying Irani cafes of the Parsi community, and one of a new wave of cafes and restaurants in the city combining great food, good prices and a cool, fun atmosphere.

Himalayan Wrestler cures all ills, from twisted ankles and broken bones to polio. Alternative medicine, Indian style in Mehrauli village.

The labyrinthine alleyways that lead to the Dargah (shrine) of the 13th-century Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya are full of men selling rose petals and chadur (cloth) to be presented as offerings at the shrine. Many important figures in Delhi’s Mughal history are buried here.

The closing fog and the sulphur glow of Delhi’s streets give it a noirish quality at night. It’s a time good for driving in your car, past the ruins and monuments, which can seem hallucinatory sometimes. Delhi has its fair share of ghost stories, too, the most terrifying being the white lady of Delhi Cantonment, who will try to flag you down on a deserted stretch, and run alongside your car at high speed. People have been seeing her for decades.

Old Delhi is the walled city famous for its markets, street food, spices and wedding shopping, not to mention the Jama Masjid mosque and Lal Qila (Red Fort). The alleys are full of handcarts, porters, rickshaws and hawkers, and yet everything still keeps moving.

It doesn’t matter who you are: chai is the great leveller. And while you can have it served at home, nothing beats the hot-sweet-and-spiced goodness of the Delhi chaiwala’s street-side preparation. Old Delhi has a huge number of chai stalls, coming to aid the tired and thirsty shopper. At just 10 rupees, it’s worth trying as many as possible. This one, on Lalkaun Bazar Road, was heavy with ginger, and sweet but strong, perfect to push on through the crowds until the next one.

Winter has arrived in Delhi. And in winter there’s a special feeling when you huddle next to the sputtering frying pans of the street food vendors. The kachori – crispy discs of fried flour stuffed with dal, then served with a small plate of tangy and spicy potato curry fired up with chopped green chillis – is a snack Delhi can’t get enough of. Old Delhi’s Jung Bahadur Kachori Wala, just off Chandni Chowk, is nothing more than an alcove in the wall, but the constant crowd around it tells you how big it really is.

Noida is a satellite city to the east, across the Yamuna river. It came into existence in 1976, as part of a strategy to move large-scale economic activities out of Delhi, and provide an alternative urban centre. Though its rubble roads are becoming well-paved, and new constructions keeping rising, it is still a village and herdsmen still do what they’ve always done. A land of Gujjar farmers – famed for their quick tempers and conservative ways – Greater Noida is where the identity of Delhi falls away.

Hip-hop, graffiti and food. Mizo Diner (after the state Mizoram) is one of Delhi’s glorious secrets, serving spicy, meaty, delicious food from India’s north-east, in a super-friendly atmosphere with a fantastic sense of community. It’s only one room in a tightly-packed, slightly run down south Delhi neighbourhood, but it’s got more personality than a dozen other places combined. Here, owner David Lalrammawia, aka Zine, poses in front of one of German artist Bond’s works.

Hauz Khas Village is Delhi nightlife’s great hope – and its great disappointment. About a decade ago this working-class neighbourhood exploded; cheap rents helped an artistic community flourish. But in recent years things have imploded – since the mainstream caught on, it has been a race to the bottom. Recent complaints have been from women: they lament that the one place they used to walk unharassed has now been tainted. Yet it still has some of the best nightlife Delhi has to offer, and the youth continue to visit in droves.