Jantar Mantar Delhi Timings: Opening Hours, Entry and Visitor Guide

Jantar Mantar in Delhi is open every day from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with no weekly closure, which makes it one of the easier monuments in the city to fit into a plan. The observatory is small and central, on Sansad Marg near Connaught Place, and most visitors spend under an hour among its giant stone instruments. Mornings and late afternoons are the pleasantest, with softer light and thinner crowds. Below you will find the full timings, entry details, how to reach it, what to see and how long to allow.

I was born in Delhi, and in 11 years showing visitors around the city for Experience My India I have walked countless travellers through Jantar Mantar, usually as a quick, rewarding stop between Connaught Place and the wider sights. It is one of those places that looks like abstract sculpture until you understand what each instrument does, and then it becomes fascinating. Here is everything you need to plan your visit. 

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Jantar Mantar Delhi at a glance

Jantar Mantar Delhi timings

Jantar Mantar Delhi is open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It stays open all seven days of the week, including weekends, with no fixed weekly closing day, which sets it apart from several Delhi monuments and museums that shut one day a week. Because it is an open-air site of sun and shadow instruments, daylight hours are when it makes sense to visit, and the earlier or later you go, the softer the light and the smaller the crowds.

Best time to visit Jantar Mantar

The best time of day is early morning, soon after opening, or late afternoon before closing, when the light is gentle and the site is quiet. Across the year, the cool months from October to March are the most comfortable for standing out among the instruments, while summer midday is hot and better avoided. Since a visit is short, it slips easily into either end of a Connaught Place day.

Entry fee and tickets

Jantar Mantar charges a modest entry fee set by the Archaeological Survey of India, with a lower rate for Indian and SAARC visitors and a higher one for foreign nationals, and children under 15 enter free. Tickets can be bought at the gate or online in advance, and the online ticket is usually a little cheaper. Carry a physical photo ID that matches your booking, as it may be checked at entry. The ASI revises these fees periodically.

How to reach Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar sits in the heart of New Delhi on Sansad Marg, a short walk from Connaught Place, so it is easy to reach by metro, auto or taxi. The nearest metro station is Patel Chowk on the Yellow Line, about a 10 minute walk, with Rajiv Chowk and Janpath also close by. Autos and app cabs reach it directly, and if you are arriving in Delhi as part of a wider trip, our Delhi Agra Mathura map shows how the city connects to Agra and the Braj towns.

What to see at Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar is a set of thirteen large masonry instruments built to track time and the movements of the sun, moon and planets. The star of the site is the Samrat Yantra, a giant sundial that tells the time with remarkable accuracy, alongside the Jai Prakash Yantra, the Ram Yantra and the Misra Yantra, which marks the longest and shortest days of the year. The instruments were deliberately built on a huge scale, because larger devices gave finer, more reliable readings than the small telescopes of the age. An audio guide on site helps make sense of how each one works.

The observatory was built in 1724 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur, commissioned by the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah to correct the astronomical tables of the day, and it was the first of five such observatories Jai Singh built across India. One point worth clearing up: it is Jai Singh's Jantar Mantar in Jaipur that carries the UNESCO World Heritage listing, not the Delhi one, though the Delhi observatory is the older, first-built of the group.

How much time do you need at Jantar Mantar?

Plan for about 45 minutes to an hour, which is enough to walk the whole site, read the instrument panels and take photographs. It is a compact monument, so it pairs perfectly with the shops and cafes of Connaught Place next door and the food nearby in our famous street food places in Delhi guide.

Nearby attractions and fitting it into your Delhi day

Jantar Mantar's central location makes it easy to combine with the rest of New Delhi. Connaught Place, India Gate and the museums are all close, so a short stop here slots neatly into a fuller day out; see our places to visit in Delhi guide for the sights nearby and our shopping in Delhi guide for the markets around CP. If you want a base in the centre, our where to stay in Delhi guide lists the best areas.

Tips for visiting Jantar Mantar

A few small things help. Go early or late for the best light and the fewest people, carry water and sun cover in the warmer months since the site is open with little shade, and take the audio guide or a guide to bring the instruments to life. Food and drink are not allowed inside, but there is plenty around Connaught Place. Want it woven into a guided Delhi day? Message us on WhatsApp and Experience My India will arrange it.

Plan your Delhi trip with us

We build private Delhi days that fold in quick, rewarding stops like Jantar Mantar alongside the big sights, with a car, a driver and licensed guides. Browse our Delhi Agra Tours or compare durations across our Golden Triangle tours, and for the classic Delhi, Agra and Jaipur circuit see our Golden Triangle tour and its Golden Triangle tour itinerary.

Experience My India has personally hosted 50,000+ travelers and the service he leads is rated 4.9 from 2,600+ reviews, operating since 2015. Delhi Agra Tour Packages is a unit of Experience My India.