24 Hours In: Lucknow

Take an early morning stroll

08.00: Wake up at the Taj Residency, Gomti Nagar, and take a stroll in the beautifully maintained grounds to work up an appetite for breakfast. Billed as a business hotel, the Taj Residency has reasonably priced rooms so makes a good base whatever your purpose.

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Sweet treat after breakfast

09.00: Sample a traditional breakfast of lentil-stuffed puri bread with a selection of spicy vegetable accompaniments at Net Ram, (00 91 268 4058), 44 Sri Ram Road. Afterwards, watch jalebi - a deep-fried, syrup-soaked batter - being made outside.

10.00: Tour the extensive ruins of the British Residency, Rani Laximibai Road, and discover the story of the 1857 Siege of Lucknow at the Residency's museum, which is home to some fascinating displays of historical artefacts.

See the Nawab's grand house

11.00: Bara Imambara, Hussainabad Trust Road, which translates as "grand residence", was built in 1784 by the fourth Nawab of Oudh, Asaf-ud-Daula. It's the city's finest example of early grandiose Nawabi architecture.

Clock Lucknow's Big Ben

11.30: Built in 1887 to mark the arrival of Sir George Cooper, first Lieutenant Governor of the United Province of Awadh, the 67m-high Hussainabad Clock Tower, Hussainabad Trust Road, is often referred to as Lucknow's answer to Big Ben.

Join the locals for lunch

12.00: In-the-know locals, including doctors from the nearby hospital, gather outside the unassuming Idris Biryani, Chowk Sabzi. Many claim it does the best biryani in the city. The delicately spiced lamb and rice dish is cooked over charcoal in the traditional Nawab style of dum pukht, which means to cook in a sealed pot.

Find souvenirs at the market

13.00: Go "ganjing" - a local word for ambling - around Lucknow's Hazratganj Market, off Mahatma Gandhi Road. This is the best place to pick up clothes, furniture, antiques, souvenirs and numerous handicrafts.

Pick up stitching at a handy store

15.00: Chikan embroidery is Lucknow's most famous craft. There's an astonishingly wide selection of the intricately hand-embroidered cotton and silk clothing at Chikan Pvt Ltd, (00 91 391 9021) Mahaveer Complex, 36 Cantt Road.

Look up a little piece of France

16.00: Visit La Martiniere College (00 91 522 223 5415; lamartiniere lucknow.org). First called Constantia, this school was built by Claude Martin, French soldier-adventurer, in the late 18th century as a country home. Contact the college in advance to take a tour of the imposing building and its grounds.

Kebabs at dinner-time

20.00: Don't leave Lucknow without eating at the Tundey Kebab (00 91 2625946), Aminabad Road. The dining room would not win any awards for its tatty décor, but come here instead for thefinely textured spicy meat pattiescooked on giant griddles. And at the front of the restaurant, you can watch flatbread being prepared to order.