Delhiites (or Dilliwallas) will tell you that Delhi is a ‘Choti India’ (Little India). You’ll hear all the languages of India spoken on its streets, and can get momos as good as those in Himachal Pradesh or dosas to rival Tamil Nadu’s whenever you choose. The city swelled massively after partition in 1947, welcoming Hindus and Sikhs from majority-Muslim Pakistan, and has continued to absorb immigrants from all over India — and, increasingly, the world — ever since.

How do you describe a city that contains a whole world? Porsches share the streets with ox-drawn carts. Wedding processions inch down roads where monkeys raid market stalls and men get roadside haircuts. Families flock to India Gate for late-night ice creams, while trendy kids hit the designer bars and clubs of Haus Khas. Markets overflow with marigolds, gems, puppets, jewellery, pashminas. The smells of incense and sizzling street food mingle with animal dung and rubbish. The food, pretty much everybody agrees, is sensational.

Nearly every tourist in Delhi heads to the Mughal Red Fort and Old Delhi in the morning, the British-era boulevards of New Delhi in the afternoon, and 13th-century Qutb Minar at the end of the day. No wonder so many people come away with negative opinions of Delhi. It covers some classic sights, but it’s a terrible route — you’ll spend most of the day in traffic.

Delhi rewards a less ambitious itinerary. Slow down and focus on one area at a time, and you’ll discover all kinds of things most tourists miss. The quiet garden next-door to Humayun’s Tomb, a hidden stepwell in the heart of the city, the outdoor hand laundry at Dhobi Ghat. You’ll also leave space for the unplanned and the unexpected — which is what Delhi does so well.

There’s no point pussyfooting around Delhi’s problems. They’ll hit you as soon as you get off the plane. The terrible traffic, the air pollution, the rubbish in the streets and children begging: these are all things you can’t ignore. But there are some remarkable things to learn from these challenges as well: the prevalence of charity and care in India, for instance, and how culture and joy can thrive in the midst of chaos. And there are escapes from the hubbub, too — a martini in a hotel bar, a walk in Lodhi Garden at dawn, or a ride on the air-conditioned Metro (an upgrade which has drastically reduced the city’s emissions). Your experience will also be dramatically affected by when you choose to travel — Delhi’s air pollution comes and goes, and it can be a different city altogether if you catch it on a clear day, in the greener, lusher months.

What we’re saying is that Delhi isn’t an easy ride. It’s confronting, it’s challenging, it can be overwhelming. But with time — and the right local guide to help you navigate it and understand it — it’s also highly rewarding. Delhi contains so many multitudes, and so much of it requires explanation. You need to hear its stories first-hand to even begin to understand it, but it’ll reward your attention tenfold if you give it half a chance.