Also Known As · Mughal Gardens, Rashtrapati Bhavan Gardens, President's Estate Gardens
New Delhi, Delhi · garden
Formal, colour-soaked and unexpectedly serene — a manicured presidential garden that feels a world away from the traffic just beyond the estate walls, best enjoyed at an unhurried spring-morning stroll.
Tucked behind the sandstone bulk of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Amrit Udyan is the President of India's fifteen-acre garden — and one of Delhi's most anticipated seasonal openings. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens as the crowning green flourish of his 1910s imperial capital, it was shaped in consultation with Constance Villiers-Stuart, whose writing on Mughal gardens steered its geometry. The result is a deliberate fusion: the rectilinear water channels, sunken beds and symmetrical parterres of the Mughal tradition laid over the soft lawns and herbaceous borders of an English country garden. Long known as the Mughal Gardens, it was renamed Amrit Udyan in January 2023.
Ghee-roast masala dosa and a tumbler of South Indian filter coffee
Dal makhani, paneer dishes and the shahi paneer — Pandara Road outlet only
The unlimited pure-veg Gujarati-Rajasthani thali with seasonal farsan and sweets
Tucked behind the sandstone bulk of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Amrit Udyan is the President of India's fifteen-acre garden — and one of Delhi's most anticipated seasonal openings.
Udyan Utsav falls in late winter and early spring, when Delhi's air can still be poor and hazy — check the AQI and carry an N95 on bad-air mornings. Weekends and public holidays draw dense, slow-moving crowds; a weekday morning slot soon after opening is far calmer, and the low golden light is kindest to both the tulips and your photographs.
Visiting Hours
Entry Fee: Entry is free, but a timed slot must be booked in advance online through the official President's Estate visitor system; limited walk-up self-registration is sometimes available near the gate. No ticket is sold on site and there is no charge — beware anyone demanding a fee.
Verified: July 2026
Address
President's Estate (Rashtrapati Bhavan), Gate 35, near North Avenue, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, 110004
🚇 Nearest Metro: Central Secretariat (Yellow & Violet lines), ~2 km; Udyog Bhawan is also nearby
🚶 Walking from Metro: About a 20–25 minute walk from Central Secretariat Metro; a short auto or taxi ride is easier, especially in warm or hazy weather.
Distance from
Parking
nearby · Free at designated visitor parking during Udyan Utsav
Private cars park at a designated point near the estate; a free shuttle sometimes ferries visitors to the gate during the season. Confirm the current arrangement when booking.
🚕 Ride Hailing Tip: App cabs and autos can drop near the designated Amrit Udyan entry point; set the pin to 'Gate 35, President's Estate' rather than the main Rashtrapati Bhavan gate, which is a separate entrance.
How to Reach: Amrit Udyan lies within the President's Estate in central New Delhi, west of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Visitors enter through Gate 35 on the estate's north side (near North Avenue / Church Road). The nearest Metro is Central Secretariat (Yellow and Violet lines), about 2 km away; taxis and auto-rickshaws drop close to the entry gate. Free shuttle buses sometimes run from a designated parking point during Udyan Utsav.
History
The garden was laid out alongside Rashtrapati Bhavan (then the Viceroy's House) during the building of Lutyens' New Delhi, which took shape through the 1910s and 1920s and was inaugurated in 1931.
🏛️ Architect: Sir Edwin Lutyens (in consultation with Constance Villiers-Stuart)
Significance
Amrit Udyan is the living green heart of Lutyens' New Delhi and one of the finest surviving Mughal-English hybrid gardens in India.
The presidential palace the garden belongs to — Lutyens' grand sandstone centrepiece, toured separately
The great war-memorial arch and lawns at the far end of the ceremonial Kartavya Path
Colonnaded colonial-era shopping and dining circle at the heart of New Delhi
Landscaped historic park dotted with 15th-century tombs — a leafy morning-walk favourite
Family Highlights
💰 Equipment Fees: None for personal handheld photography; tripods and professional equipment may be restricted at the gate
📍 The Golden Spot: The central terraced beds with the fountains and long rows of tulips in bloom
🌅 Best Light Time: Early morning, within the first hour after the garden opens
🌅 Secret View: Stand at the head of the Long Garden (the 'purdah' rose garden) for the most photogenic axis of roses framed by tapered hedges.
🎯 Crowd Hack: Book the earliest weekday slot; weekend and holiday afternoons see the longest security lines during Udyan Utsav.
💎 Secret Fact: The garden was historically called the Mughal Gardens until it was renamed Amrit Udyan in January 2023.
⚡ Express Tour
In an hour, walk the central rectangular garden and its fountains, then the Long Garden of roses, and finish at the circular butterfly garden.
🔭 Deep Dive Tour
Give it two hours to add the herbal, bonsai and spiritual garden sections and to linger over the tulip beds and flowering creepers at a slow pace.
👕 Dress Code: Modest, comfortable clothing and walking shoes; sun protection for open lawns. No specific religious dress code.
📷 Photography Rules: Personal photography with phones and handheld cameras is allowed in the garden. Tripods, professional rigs and large camera bags may be restricted at security, and drones are strictly prohibited in this high-security zone.
🏧 Nearest ATM: Connaught Place and North Avenue, roughly 2–3 km away
📡 Public Wi-Fi: Not reliably available inside the garden
🔌 Charging Points: None inside the garden; charge devices before you arrive
Pro Tip: Use the visitor facilities near the entry/exit before starting your walk — there are few along the garden route itself.
👮 Tourist Police: Delhi Police posts around the President's Estate and Connaught Place; dial 112 for immediate help
🎒 Lost & Found: Report lost items to security staff at the entry/exit gate before leaving the estate.
💊 Nearest Pharmacy: Pharmacies at Connaught Place and along Baba Kharak Singh Marg, roughly 2–3 km away
Air Quality: Late-winter and early-spring air in Delhi can be poor and hazy; check the AQI and carry an N95 mask on bad-air mornings.
Water Safety: Carry sealed bottled water; no food or drink is sold inside the garden.
No. The garden is a separate experience with its own free ticket and its own gate (Gate 35). Touring the palace building and its museum is booked and entered separately.
Mainly during Udyan Utsav in spring, usually across February and March, when the tulips and roses bloom. It is closed on Mondays for maintenance. Always confirm the current announced dates before you travel.
Entry is free, but you must reserve a timed slot in advance through the official President's Estate online booking system. Limited walk-up self-registration is sometimes available near the gate.
A weekday morning early in the Udyan Utsav season, soon after opening, gives the freshest blooms, the thinnest crowds and the kindest light for photographs.
No food or drink is sold or allowed inside the garden, so there is nothing to navigate diet-wise — just carry sealed water. Pure-veg options like Saravana Bhavan (Janpath) and Veg Gulati (Pandara Road) are a short ride away.
Security is airport-style: large bags and sharp objects are not allowed, and drones are strictly prohibited. Personal handheld cameras and phones are fine, but tripods and professional gear may be restricted.