Time travel: Heritage Transport Museum

The sleepy town of Taoru in Haryana has become an unlikely addition to our list of must-see places for anyone visiting Delhi. And it’s got everything to do with it being home to the beautiful Heritage Transport Museum that opened its doors in December last year. The museum is the first of its kind in India and is the brainchild of Delhi-based Tarun Thakral who’s been passionately collecting all that’s on display here since 1994. He wanted a place to exhibit his collection, but the larger goal was to showcase the evolution of transportation in India.

You get the impression that this is not your average museum even before you make your way to the exhibits. After all, how many museums have you seen that have motorcycle handlebars as door handles and lights in the shape of oversized automotive bulbs? Or a reception desk carved out of a Morris Minor?

Inside, you’ll find everything from classic cars, bikes, scooters and buses to bullock carts, horse carriages and palkis. There’s even an immaculately restored Jodhpur Saloon railway coach from 1930 that sits on its own period-themed platform. And you just can’t miss the 1940 Piper J3C Cub aircraft that’s suspended from the roof.