Every international flight at Delhi uses Terminal 3, and you can rest there without an Indian visa: the Holiday Inn Express transit hotel rents cabins by the hour, and Encalm's lounges sell walk-in entry. With a visa, Nap and Shower in arrivals and the hotels at Aerocity are options too.
Can you sleep at Delhi airport during a layover?
Yes, without an Indian visa. The Holiday Inn Express transit hotel inside Delhi's Terminal 3 rents cabins for 1 to 24 hours to passengers flying on from Terminal 3, with bags checked through; it doesn't publish its prices. The Encalm Privé lounge in departures has sleeping pods and showers, at ₹5,150 for 2 hours (seen November 2026). With a visa, Nap and Shower in arrivals sells cabins from ₹5,000 for 3 hours.
Hotels in and next to the terminals
At Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), the only rooms you can use without an Indian visa are in the Holiday Inn Express transit hotel inside Terminal 3. Everything else is after immigration, so you need a visa that lets you into India: see visa and transit rules.
| Hotel | Where | Who can use it | How you get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express transit hotel, international wing | Inside Terminal 3 | Passengers changing between international flights; no Indian visa needed | Inside the terminal, without passing immigration |
| Holiday Inn Express transit hotel, domestic wing | Inside Terminal 3 | Travellers already in India, by road or by air, with a flight from Terminal 3 within 24 hours | Inside the terminal |
| Nap and Shower by Encalm | Terminal 3 arrivals, Meet and Greet area | Landside: anyone past immigration | In the arrivals hall |
| Novotel, Pullman, Andaz Delhi, Roseate House | Aerocity, 3 to 4.5 km from Terminal 3 | Landside: anyone past immigration | A short cab ride; the Airport Express also stops at Delhi Aerocity (₹21) |
The transit hotel rents private cabins for 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 or 24 hours, booked on the airport’s website. Only passengers with a departing flight from Terminal 3 can stay, which covers every international flight. You need the boarding pass for your next flight, and your bags must be checked through to your final destination, so bring only what you’ll carry on. Once you’ve checked in you can’t leave the airport, and the longest stay is 24 hours. The hotel doesn’t publish its prices.
Bring your passport for check-in. The hotel’s general rules ask foreign guests for a visa too, so if you have no Indian visa, make sure your booking is for the international wing; if you booked through another site, call the hotel on +91 11 45252000 to confirm.
Aerocity is the hotel district next to the airport. Plan on a cab to reach it, or the Airport Express one stop to Delhi Aerocity while the trains run. Its hotels suit a night layover when you have a visa and want a full hotel room, or an early start into town.
Day rooms
Two places at Terminal 3 sell rest by the hour.
| Where | Slots | From |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express transit hotel, inside Terminal 3 | 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 or 24 hours | Not published |
| Nap and Shower, Terminal 3 arrivals | 3 or 6 hours | ₹5,000 single or ₹6,000 double for 3 hours; ₹8,500 or ₹9,500 for 6 |
Nap and Shower’s prices were seen in November 2026. It’s in arrivals, after immigration, so it’s for travellers with a visa, or for a rest before heading into town.
Lounges you can pay for
Encalm runs the walk-in lounges at Terminal 3, past security in international departures. These are its prices for 2 hours, including tax, seen November 2026:
| Lounge | Where | Adult | Child, 6 to 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encalm Lounge | Terminal 3 international departures | ₹4,150 | ₹2,900 |
| Encalm Privé, with showers, sleeping pods and nap rooms | Terminal 3 international departures, level 3 | ₹5,150 | ₹3,600 |
| Xenia, first-class lounge | Terminal 3 | ₹12,000 | ₹8,400 |
- Children under 6 go free.
- Opening hours aren’t published, so ask at the door when you arrive.
- Passes and memberships such as Priority Pass: check your card’s app for Delhi before you rely on it; otherwise, pay at the door.
Showers
- Nap and Shower, in Terminal 3 arrivals after immigration, sells a 30-minute shower for ₹1,050 (seen November 2026).
- Airside, without passing immigration, Encalm Privé lists showers among its facilities, with entry at ₹5,150 for 2 hours.
Fast Track
There’s no paid fast track through arrival immigration for foreign passports at Delhi. The automated Trusted Traveller lanes at Terminal 3 are for Indian citizens and OCI cardholders.
Left luggage
The cloakroom is in the metro building at Terminal 3, the same building as the Airport Express station, and opens 24 hours. You can leave bags for a few hours or up to 30 days; bring your boarding pass and photo ID. It’s landside, so it suits travellers going into town, and anyone back early before the terminal lets them in. Prices seen November 2026:
| Bag | First 2 hours | Each hour after that | Over 8 hours, up to 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small, under 7 kg | ₹150 | ₹50 | ₹500 |
| Medium, 7 to 20 kg | ₹200 | ₹80 | ₹800 |
| Large, over 20 kg | ₹230 | ₹100 | ₹1,000 |
Connections, money and Wi-Fi
- Changing planes. Between international flights you stay in Terminal 3: follow the orange transfer signs to your airline’s transfer counter, then go through security to the departure level.
- Wi-Fi. Free: join “GMR FREE WIFI”. With an Indian mobile number you get a code by text; otherwise, show your passport at an information desk or kiosk for a login.
- Data. Set up an India eSIM before you fly, and you’ll have data from the moment you land.
- Money. Terminal 3 has foreign exchange counters. Carry some rupees in small notes for the metro ticket machines and snacks; the monuments take cash or online payment.
- With children. Terminal 3 has baby care rooms, a play area and free pushchairs to borrow.
- Getting back in. The terminal lets in passengers with a ticket from about 6 hours before an international flight. Keep your boarding pass or e-ticket and your passport on you.