Qutub Minar Ticket and Timings: A Complete Guide

The Qutub Minar, also spelled Qutab or Qutb Minar, is the soaring victory tower in Mehrauli, South Delhi, the tallest brick minaret anywhere in the world and one of the great and most-visited monuments of India, a UNESCO World Heritage Site set in a beautiful, atmospheric complex of early Islamic ruins, mosques and tombs. Planning a visit is easy once you know the ticket prices, the timings and how to book your tickets in advance. This guide from Delhi Agra Tour Packages sets out the full Qutub Minar ticket and timings, the entry fees by nationality, the evening light show, the online booking and what to see in the complex, ideal alongside our New Delhi tour.

I was born in Delhi and in more than 11 years guiding the Golden Triangle for Experience My India I have taken countless travellers to the Qutub Minar. Here is the clear, practical guide. Please note that entry fees and timings are set by the authorities and can change, so always reconfirm the current rates before you travel.

Qutub Minar tickets and timings at a glance

About the Qutub Minar

Before the practical details, it helps to know what you are visiting. The Qutub Minar is a magnificent, soaring tower of red sandstone and marble, rising high above the gardens and ruins around it, begun in the late twelfth century by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate and completed over the following decades by his successors, especially Iltutmish and, later, Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who repaired its upper storeys. At well over seventy metres tall, in five distinct tapering stories, it is the tallest brick minaret in the world, covered all over in beautiful, intricate carving and bands of flowing Arabic inscription from the Quran, a masterpiece of early Indo-Islamic art.

Around the tower lies the fascinating Qutub complex, full of early monuments. There is a great deal to see:

• The Qutub Minar itself: the great five-storey tower, best admired from the ground as you walk around its base, taking in the carving and the changing shape of each storey; do note that visitors are not able to climb the minaret, as the narrow staircase inside has long been closed to the public for safety reasons, so the tower is enjoyed from the outside.

• The Iron Pillar: the famous and mysterious ancient iron pillar that has stood in the courtyard for over 1,600 years without rusting, a genuine wonder of early Indian metallurgy that still puzzles scientists today.

• Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque: one of the very earliest mosques built in India, raised using pillars and stone taken from older temples, with beautifully carved columns, arches and screens.

• Alai Darwaza: the exquisite, perfectly proportioned domed gateway built by Alauddin Khalji, widely regarded as a true gem of early Indo-Islamic architecture.

• Alai Minar and the Tomb of Iltutmish: the great unfinished stump of a second, even larger tower that was begun by Alauddin Khalji but never completed and the fine, richly carved early tomb of the Sultan Iltutmish nearby.

The whole complex, set among green gardens, old trees and weathered ruins, makes for a wonderful, peaceful and atmospheric visit, quite apart from the busy city around it, so do allow plenty of time to wander among the monuments, admire the carving up close and take it all in at an unhurried pace.

Qutub Minar timings

The Qutub Minar is open every day for daytime visits, with the complex also open for evening visits and a light show.

• Day entry: the Qutub Minar is open daily for daytime visits from 7 AM to 6 PM, every single day of the week, with no weekly closing day.

• Evening visits and lighting: the complex also remains open for evening visits until around 9 PM, when the great tower and the ruins around it are beautifully floodlit against the night sky, with the entry gates typically closing a little before that, around 8 to 9 PM.

• Light and Sound show: an evening projection and light show runs after sunset, bringing the history of the monument to life, with slots usually starting around 7:30 to 8 PM. Helpfully, no extra ticket is needed for it, as it is included in your standard entry pass.

The early morning, soon after the 7 AM opening, is lovely and quiet for a daytime visit, before the crowds and the heat build up, while the evening, with the floodlighting and the light show, is a special and atmospheric way to see the monument in a quite different mood. The cool season, from October to March, is the most comfortable time of year to visit Delhi and the Qutub Minar, avoiding the fierce summer heat.

Qutub Minar entry fees

The Qutub Minar entry fee depends on your nationality, with a small discount for booking online rather than paying cash at the counter.

At the time of writing, Indian, SAARC and BIMSTEC citizens pay ₹35 per person when booking online or ₹40 at the cash counter at the gate. Foreign nationals pay ₹550 online or ₹600 in cash. Children up to 15 years of age enter completely free, though a valid ID may be required to confirm their age at the gate. Booking online therefore saves a little on the fee itself, as well as saving you time in the ticket queues, so it is well worth doing in advance. As always, these rates are set by the authorities and can change from time to time, so it is wise to reconfirm the current fees on the official portal before you travel.

Qutub Minar ticket price, in short

Here are the Qutub Minar entry fees, at the time of writing:

• Indians, SAARC and BIMSTEC citizens: ₹35 per person online or ₹40 at the cash counter.

• Foreign nationals: ₹550 per person online or ₹600 at the cash counter.

• Children under 15: free entry, with a valid ID to confirm age if required.

• Online discount: booking online gives a small saving, of about ₹5 per ticket, compared with the cash counter.

The evening light show is included in your standard entry pass, so there is no separate ticket to buy for it, which is a nice bonus for an evening visit. Do remember that these rates are set by the authorities and can change from time to time, so it is always wise to reconfirm the current fees on the official portal before you travel.

How to book Qutub Minar tickets online

You can buy your Qutub Minar ticket in person at the counter at the gate or book it online in advance to save both time in the queues and a little on the fee. Tickets and visitor guidelines are available through the Delhi Tourism Qutub Minar page and the official Archaeological Survey of India ticketing website, which handles online ticketing for the monument. Here is the simple step-by-step online process:

• Open the portal: go to the official ASI ticketing website or an authorised partner platform. Official Website for Qutub Minar tickets Booking.

• Select the monument: choose Delhi as the city and select the Qutub Minar from the list of monuments.

• Choose your date and slot: pick your preferred date of visit and an available time slot.

• Enter visitor details: provide the full name, age, gender, phone number and email for all visitors; foreign nationals must provide valid passport details.

• Complete payment: pay the entry fee online by UPI, credit card, debit card or net banking, with the small online discount applied.

• Download your ticket: receive the QR-code e-ticket by email or download it from the confirmation screen and present it at the gate.

Keep the QR-code e-ticket saved on your phone, as a screenshot or in your email and carry the original government ID used in the booking, as both the ticket and the ID may be checked at the entrance gate before you go in.

Tips for visiting the Qutub Minar

• Go early or in the evening: come soon after the 7 AM opening for a quiet, cool daytime visit or in the evening for the floodlighting and the atmospheric light show after dark.

• You cannot climb the tower: the minaret itself is not open to climb, so simply admire it from the ground, along with the rest of the wonderful complex.

• See the whole complex: do not miss the famous Iron Pillar, the ancient Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the beautiful Alai Darwaza and the other ruins and tombs around the tower.

• Book online: booking in advance through the official portal saves time in the queues and a little on the fee.

• Carry your ID: bring the original government ID used in your booking and some ID for older children if their age may be queried at the gate.

• Allow a good hour or more: the complex is large, green and atmospheric, so give yourself plenty of time to explore it properly and unhurried.

Our best time to visit Delhi guide covers the seasons for your trip to the capital.

The Qutub Minar and the Golden Triangle

The Qutub Minar is one of the great historic highlights of Delhi, the first city of the classic Golden Triangle, along with Agra and Jaipur. Many travellers see it as part of a wider circuit that also takes in the magnificent Taj Mahal in Agra and the grand forts and palaces of Jaipur, so it pairs beautifully with those great monuments on a single trip, as our Taj Mahal ticket price and timings and Amber Fort ticket and timings guides cover those two in full, with their own fees and timings.

To see how the Qutub Minar and Delhi fit a wider trip, our one week North India itinerary guide maps out the whole week across the three cities.

Planning your Delhi visit

A Delhi visit is easiest and most rewarding when the tickets, the timing and the transport are all handled for you, especially as part of a wider trip across the Golden Triangle. That is exactly what we do, your Qutub Minar and other monument tickets and the best timing all sorted, a knowledgeable local guide to bring the long history to life and the rest of the capital and the wider circuit covered, so you can simply relax and enjoy this magnificent monument and all of Delhi.

Tell us your dates and group size and we will price it honestly around your standard rather than a fixed figure. See the capital's best on our Delhi day tour or include it in the classic circuit on our Golden Triangle tour. We can build it all within our wider Delhi Agra Tour Packages.

Plan your trip with us

Want the Qutub Minar and the best of Delhi, with the tickets, timings and a guide all sorted, as part of a wider Golden Triangle trip? Message us on WhatsApp and Experience My India will build it for you, honestly priced and expertly timed.

Start with the classic circuit on our Golden Triangle tours, which includes Delhi, the Taj Mahal and much more.

Related guides

• Old Delhi tour: the Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk.

• Sunrise Taj Mahal tour: the Taj at its most beautiful.

• Agra overnight tour from Delhi: Agra at a relaxed pace.

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.