Airlines, domestic Indian Airlines main office: Safdarjang Airport tel 011/462 2220, open 24hr; general enquiries tel 141, prerecorded information tel 142, departures tel 143; booking offices: PTI Building, Sansad Marg (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; tel 011/371 9168; Malhotra Building, Janpath (daily except Sat 10am-5pm; tel 011/331 0517; Kanchenjunga Building, Barakhamba Road (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; tel 011/331 3732. Archana Airways, 41A Friends Colony East, Mathura Road tel 011/684 2001. Jagson Airlines, 12E Vandhana, 11 Tolstoy Marg tel 011/372 1593. Jet Airways, main office: Jetair House, 13 Community Centre, Yusuf Sarai tel 011/651 7443; booking offices: N-40 Outer Circle, Connaught Place tel 011/685 3700. Sahara Indian Airlines, Ambadeep Building, Kasturba Gandhi Marg tel 011/332 6851. UP Air, A2 Defence Colony tel 011/464 6290.

Airlines, international Aeroflot, Tolstoy House, 15-17 Tolstoy Marg tel 011/372 3241; Air Canada, 1st floor, ALPs Building, 56 Janpath tel 011/372 0014; Air France, 7 Atma Ram Mansion, Scindia House, Connaught Place tel 011/331 7054; Air India, Jeevan Bharati Building, opposite Palika Bazaar, Connaught Place tel 011/373 1225; Air Lanka, Room 1, Hotel Janpath , Janpath tel 011/332 6843; Air Ukraine, C-37, Hauz Khas tel 011/686 7545; Alitalia, 2H, DCM Bldg, 16 Barakhamba Rd tel 011/372 1006; American Airlines, 105 Indra Prakash Building, Barakhamba Road tel 011/332 5876; Bangladesh Biman, World Trade Centre, Babar Road, Connaught Place tel 011/335 4401; British Airways, 1A DLF Centre, Sansad Marg tel 011/332 7428; Cathay Pacific, Ashoka Estate tel 011/332 3332; Egypt Air, GF-I, Ansal Bhawan, Kasturba Gandhi Marg tel 011/335 4493; El-Al Israel Airlines, 7th floor, Prakash Deep Building, Tolstoy Marg tel 011/335 7965; Emirates, Kanchenjunga Building, 18 Barakhamba Rd tel 011/332 4665; Ethiopian Airlines, GF-I, Ansal Bhawan, Kasturba Gandhi Marg tel 011/335 4491; Gulf Air, G-12 Marina Arcade, Connaught Place tel 011/332 7814; Japan Airlines, 36 Chandralok Building, Janpath tel 011/332 7104; KLM, 7 Prakash Deep, Tolstoy Marg tel 011/332 4489; Kuwait Airways, 2C, DCM Building, 16 Barakhamba Rd tel 011/335 4373; Lufthansa, 56 Janpath tel 011/332 3310; Malaysia Airlines, 10th floor, Ashoka Estate Building, Barakhamba Road tel 011/331 3448; Qantas Airways, Mohandev Building, 13 Tolstoy Marg tel 011/332 9027; Royal Jordanian, G-56 Connaught Place tel 011/332 7418; Royal Nepal Airlines, 44 Janpath tel 011/332 1164; SAS, Amadeep Building Kasturba Gandhi Marg tel 011/335 2299; Saudi Arabian Airlines, Hansalaya Building, 15 Barakhamba Rd tel 011/331 0464; Singapore Airlines, G-11 Connaught Place tel 011/335 6281; Swissair, DLF Centre, Sansad Marg tel 011/332 5511; TAROM, 16 GF Antrikash Building, 22 Kasturba Gandhi Marg tel 011/335 4422; Thai Airways, Park Royal Hotel , American Plaza, Nehru Place tel 011/623 9988; Uzbekistan Airways, 3 Prakash Deep Building, 7 Tolstoy Marg tel 011/335 8687.

Banks and currency exchange You can exchange money at the international airport, at the 24hr State Bank of India or Thomas Cook, but there are no facilities for withdrawing money on a credit card. Changing money in the city is far easier than a few years ago, with several banks (Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, Sat 10am-noon or 1pm) sporting ATM machines which accept Visa and Mastercard; try Standard Charter Grindlays (Visa encashments and ATM), 10 E-Block, Connaught Place; Andhra Bank, 35 M-Block, Connaught Place; Bank of Baroda (Visa encashments); and the State Bank of India, Sansad Marg. Thomas Cook is located in the Hotel Imperial on Janpath (Mon-Fri 9.30am-8pm, Sat 9.30am-6pm) and American Express on A-Block, Connaught Place (Mon-Sat 9.30am-6.30pm). Hong Kong Bank (ECE House, Kasturba Gandhi Road) has a 24hr ATM cash machine that takes Visa and Mastercard. In addition, you can change money at the DTTDC office, Middle Circle, Connaught Place, and all major hotels have exchange facilities. Numerous authorized exchange bureaux are available, particularly in Paharganj, including Cheque Point, just past the Star Palace Hotel on Main Bazaar (daily 9.30am-8.30pm). For money transfers, the Western Union office is at Sita World Travel, F-12 Connaught Place tel 011/331 1122; it also has a forex counter.

Bus enquiries Delhi Transport Corporation tel 011/251 5543 & 335 4518, will also provide enquiry numbers for buses run by other state transport corporations.

Churches Church of the Redemption, Church Road; Sacred Heart Free Church, Parliament Street.

Embassies & consulates Australia, 1/50-G Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri tel 011/688 8223; Bangladesh, 56 Ring Rd, Lajpat Nagar III tel 011/683 4668; Bhutan, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri tel 011/688 9230; Canada, 7/8 Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri tel 011/687 6500; China, 50-D Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri tel 011/687 1585; European Commission, 65 Golf Links tel 011/462 9237; Indonesia, 50A Chanakyapuri tel 011/611 8642; Iran, 5 Baraljaba Rd tel 011/332 9600; Malaysia, 50-M Satya Marg, Chanakyapuri tel 011/611 1291; Nepal, Barakhamba Road tel 011/332 8191; Netherlands, 6/50-F Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri tel 011/688 4951; New Zealand, 50-N Nyaya Marg tel 011/688 3170; Pakistan, 2/50G Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri tel 011/467 6004; Singapore, E6 Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri tel 011/688 5659; Sri Lanka, 27 Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri tel 011/301 0201; South Africa, B-18 Vasant Vihar tel 011/614 9411; Thailand, 56-N Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri tel 011/611 8103; UK, Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri tel 011/687 2161; USA, Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri tel 011/419 8000.

Hospitals All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, Sri Aurobindo Marg tel 011/686 4851, 24hr emergency service and good treatment; East West Medical Centre, 38 Golf Links Rd tel 011/462 3738, good private clinic; Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/336 1014, also private; Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Hospital, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Old Delhi tel 011/323 2400, a government hospital near Delhi Gate.

Internet access Prices range from a mere Rs10 per hour to around Rs100 per hour but make sure you check your connection by surfing first. The British Council, 17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg tel 011/371 1401 & 371 0111, is by far the most reliable but there are several other good options including Cyber CafA© , N-9/II Connaught Place (daily 9.30am-8.30pm; tel 011/335 7986. A short distance away you'll find the small but friendly Bainson CafA© internet , 17/98 Scindia House, Connaught Lane. Paharganj teems with internet cafA©s, all with very competitive rates, including Cyber Station at Downtown Hotel off the Main Bazaar and close to the New Delhi station gates, while the internet cafA© at the Hotel Gold Regency is almost as lively as the streets outside.

Left luggage Left luggage counters at the railway stations cost Rs5 per day. To deposit your bags long-term ask at your hotel; most charge Rs2-5 per day. Hotels Hare Rama, Anoop and Ajay in Paharganj offer access to a 24hr lockup, for a maximum period of six months.

Maps The Survey of India Map Sales Office, in Janpath, sells guide maps of a number of cities and states, some of which are grossly out of date and lack detail.

Mother Teresa hostels The orphanage inspired by Mother Teresa close to Qudsia Gardens north of Old Delhi accepts voluntary help with teaching, which should be prearranged. Contact Missionaries of Charity, 12 Commissioner's Lane, Shishu Bhavan, Delhi 110054, or call 011/251 8457.

Motorcycles The Karol Bagh area is known for its many good motorcycle shops specializing in new or secondhand Enfields. The most reliable and recommended of these is Inder Motors, 1744/1755 Hari Singh Nalwa St, Abdul Aziz Road tel 011/572 8579, while Lucky Auto Accessories, 53/1767 Shri Kishan Dass Rd tel 011/73 8815, also offers excellent renovations of secondhand (ex-army) Enfield Bullets.

Opticians Bon-Ton Opticians, 13 Janpath Market, and Lawrence & Mayo, 76 Janpath, both offer good, expensive glasses and sunglasses; Medikos Opticians, 1588 Main Bazaar, Paharganj, has cheap computerized eye-tests, prescription lenses and sunglasses made up in half a day.

Pharmacies Nearly every market has at least one pharmacy. Those in Super Bazaar, Connaught Place, and the All India Medical Institute, Ansari Nagar, Sri Aurobindo Marg, are open 24hr.

Photographic studios Delhi Photo Company, 78 Janpath, for high-quality developing, printing, and slide processing, is second only to Kinsey Brothers beneath the India Today offices at 2-A Block, Connaught Place.

Police tel 100 (national number). If you have any problem that needs to involve the police, your hotel reception or the Government of India tourist office will direct you to the appropriate station.

Postal services Poste restante (Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm) is available at the GPO on the roundabout at the intersection of Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Ashoka Road (known as Gole PO) and the Foreign Post Office, nearby on Bhai Vir Singh Marg, about fifteen minutes' walk from Connaught Place. You must show your passport to claim mail, and check the register for parcels. Letters sent to "Poste Restante, Delhi", rather than to New Delhi, may end up in Old Delhi GPO, north of the railway line on Mahatma Gandhi Road. You can also have mail sent to the Government of India tourist office, 88 Janpath, who pass any parcels to the main Gole GPO. Other post offices are on Janpath, Sansad Marg and A-Block, Connaught Place; all have a speed post service, and you can guarantee next-day delivery of parcels and papers to all international destinations with Overnite Express Pvt Ltd, whose office is in Kanishka Shopping Plaza, Janpath.

State tourist offices Andaman and Nicobar Islands, F105 Curzon Road Hostel, Kasturba Gandhi Marg tel 011/378 2904; Andhra Pradesh, Andhra Bhavan, 1 Ashoka Rd tel 011/338 1293; Arunachal Pradesh, Arunchal Bhawan, Kautilya Marg tel 011/301 3915; Assam, State Emporia Complex, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/336 5897; Bihar, 216 Kanishka Shopping Plaza, 19 Ashoka Rd tel 011/372 3371; Goa, Goa Sadan, 8 Amrita Shergill Marg tel 011/462 9967; Gujarat, A6 State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/373 4015; Haryana, Chandralok Building, 36 Janpath tel 011/332 4911; Himachal Pradesh, Chanderlok Building, 36 Janpath tel 011/332 5320; Jammu & Kashmir, 202 Kanishka Shopping Plaza, 19 Ashoka Rd tel 011/332 5373; Karnataka, C4 State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/336 3862; Kerala, Information Centre, 219 Kanishka Shopping Plaza tel 011/336 6541; Madhya Pradesh, 204-205 Kanishka Shopping Plaza tel 011/332 1187; Maharashtra, A8 State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/336 3773; Manipur, C7 State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/336 4026; Meghalaya, Meghalaya House, 9 Aurangzeb Rd tel 011/301 5503; Mizoram, Mizoram Bhawan, Circular Road, Chanakyapuri tel 011/301 5951; Nagaland, Government of Nagaland, 29 Aurangzeb Rd tel 011/301 5638; Orissa, B4 State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/336 4580; Punjab, 214-215 Kanishka Shopping Plaza tel 011/332 3055; Rajasthan, Bikaner House, near India Gate tel 011/338 9525; Sikkim, New Sikkim House, 14 Panch Sheel Marg, Chanakyapuri tel 011/301 5346; Tamil Nadu, C1 State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/336 3913; Tripura, Tripura Bhavan, Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri tel 011/301 4607; Uttar Pradesh, Chanderlok Building, 36 Janpath tel 011/332 2251; West Bengal, A/2 State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg tel 011/373 2840.

Swimming pools Most luxury hotels are making it impossible or prohibitively expensive for non-residents to use their pools with fees in the region of Rs700. The city's main public swimming baths are the NMDC Pools, in Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri, and the Talkatora Pool on Talkatora Road.

Telephones and faxes Making international telephone calls from Delhi is easy with STD booths, marked with yellow signs, sporting direct-dialling facilities and LCD displays showing the length and cost of each call. Several will allow you to receive incoming calls, usually for a small charge. Most STD booths now have fax machines and the booths in Paharganj operate round the clock and store incoming faxes until collection. You can also send faxes from post offices and outlets in Connaught Place. Rates are usually Rs30 per page plus the cost of the call, with around Rs10 charged for incoming faxes.

Visa extensions and permits For visa renewal and permits for restricted states, go to the Foreigners' Registration office, Hans Bhavan, Mathura Road, near Tilak Bridge railway station (Mon-Fri 9.30am-1.30pm & 2-4pm; tel 011/331 9489 & 331 9781, with four passport photographs. Be sure to wait in the right queue - to pay either in rupees (backed up by exchange certificates), or foreign currency - and take plenty of change. For longer renewals, you'll have to first liaise with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market (Mon-Fri 10am-noon; tel 011/467 7648. If you've been in India more than 120 days, you'll need to get a tax clearance certificate before you can leave, from the foreign section of the Income Tax Office, Indraprastha Estate (Mon-Fri 10am-1pm & 2-5pm; tel 011/331 7826) in the Central Revenue Building next to the FRO; bring bank certificates.

Yoga centres Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Nataraja Centre, A41 Kailash Colony tel 011/648 0869. Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, 9 Padmini Enclave, Hauz Khas tel 011/651 3400. Yoga Shakti Mission, 14-20 Ajit Arcade, Kailash Colony tel 011/641 2379; Yoga Vishwatayan, Ashoka Road tel 011/371 8866. Yoga and Natural Health Care Centre tel 011/619 2687.