Why Diya?

Bedroom with wooden furniture, green accent wall, and bookshelf.
Indoor courtyard with wicker chairs, potted plants, and warm traditional decor.
Rooftop patio with a green awning, potted plants, and outdoor seating under a blue sky.

Because it’s run by people who care.  

  • Diya B&B has been set up by beneficiaries and supporters of Salaam Baalak Trust and a related non-profit Street Connections. An earlier version of Diya B&B that ran nearby for 5 years was highly recommended by Lonely Planet.   We gave guests a personal welcome and helped them with practical queries; we employed former street children from the Trust, and we funded the planting of a mini-forest.

For something different

  • Paharganj is famous for Delhi’s budget hotel quarter: a great central location, but with very few rooms you’d choose to hang around in. At Diya you can enjoy a quirky touch of old Delhi haveli style and a few posh South Delhi features, but at a fraction of the cost of staying in a converted haveli or upscale boutique hotel.
  • perhaps, because you would appreciate some of those comforts without being cut off from the real city; you might like to learn about the Delhi beyond India Gate and the Qutub Minar.

For advice and practicalities

  • Because, if you like, we’ll answer your questions in advance – especially about your time in Delhi and how to find places to see and things to do here that are off the beaten track.
  • Because we will help you find the local market, buy a SIM card or a metro pass, haggle with an auto rickshaw driver; we can book you a train ticket before you arrive, collect you from the airport or station.

For off-the-beaten track recommendations

The lanes of Old Delhi are the speciality on the Street Connections Walk,  but what Sufi shrines, urban villages, recommendations for galleries with good cafes attached (and vice versa)? Or even the nearby 14th century tomb that is ‘one of the most challenging historical places to visit in Delhi’?  We can help you find those or many others.