Why kings travelled by rail
Our elders remember the stories: a maharaja's carriage shunted into a siding so its owner could sleep undisturbed, with cooks and musicians in the carriage behind.
The princely railways: when the railways reached Rajasthan in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, several princely states built their own lines.
Across the desert: Jodhpur and Bikaner ran a railway together.
- Nights
- Eleven: Delhi 1, a week on board, Jawai 3
- Pace
- Brisk on the train, then three slow nights
- Best months
- The cool months, roughly October to March
- Good for
- Unpacking once and seeing the royal cities in a week
- Starts
- Delhi
- Ends
- Jawai, then Udaipur or Jodhpur airport
- Private saloons: rulers travelled to Delhi, Bombay and each other's weddings in their own carriages attached to ordinary trains.
- The Palace on Wheels: launched on 26 January 1982 as a joint venture between the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways.
- From royal saloons: it first used old royal carriages, and later purpose-built ones decorated in the princely manner.
- Named coaches: its carriages carry the names of the former states of Rajputana, so you may sleep in Jaipur, Bikaner or Udaipur before you arrive there.
- The model: it became one of the most famous trains in the world, and the pattern for every Indian luxury train that followed.
- The Maharajas' Express: came in 2010, built and run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, IRCTC.
- Heritage or polish: the Palace on Wheels leans into Rajasthani heritage. The Maharajas' Express aims at a grand hotel's polish, with larger suites, two dining cars and a lounge bar.
- The shared idea: you sleep while the train travels mostly by night, wake in a new city, step off to sightsee and return to a made-up cabin and dinner.
- Not for everyone: we are a family who mostly travel by road, and we will tell you honestly that a train does not suit every traveller.
- For the right traveller: you unpack once, cross Rajasthan in a week, and see the desert at first light, a village well and a peacock on a fence post from the window.
The two great trains, side by side
- Palace on Wheels
- Since 1982, a week-long loop from Delhi
- Maharajas' Express
- Since 2010, run by IRCTC
- Express dining
- Rang Mahal and Mayur Mahal
- Express lounge
- The Rajah Club
- Schedules
- Change by season, always check
The Palace on Wheels
The original: still the train most closely tied to Rajasthan.
The classic loop: about a week from Delhi, calling at Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur for Ranthambore, Chittorgarh and Udaipur.
- Then west and back: Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra, before returning to Delhi.
- On board: compact but prettily furnished cabins, dining cars serving Rajasthani and continental food, and a lounge bar where guests gather in the evenings.
- A long life: the train has been refurbished several times, and it paused during the pandemic before returning to service.
- Changing arrangements: its operating arrangements have changed more than once, and its season, departures and order of stops can change from year to year.
- We check first: we always confirm the current season's schedule before we suggest it.
The Maharajas' Express
More modern, more expensive: IRCTC's train carries a limited number of guests across deluxe cabins, junior suites, suites and a Presidential Suite that takes up an entire carriage.
Dining and lounge: two restaurant cars, the Rang Mahal and the Mayur Mahal, and the Rajah Club lounge.
- Itineraries change by season: recently they have included week-long journeys between Delhi and Mumbai through Rajasthan's royal cities.
- Further afield: a longer loop that reaches Varanasi and Khajuraho.
- Short and sweet: a journey of three nights covering Agra, Ranthambore and Jaipur.
Choosing between them
The Palace on Wheels: if your heart is set on Rajasthan itself, and you like a train with a long history and strong regional character.
- The Maharajas' Express: if you want the most space and polish on board, or your journey continues to Mumbai or the holy cities of the Ganges.
- Neither: if you want a lot of time in one place, or a fixed group timetable would frustrate you.
- How we build around each: our Palace on Wheels and beyond and Maharajas' Express and beyond journeys.
What a day on a luxury train is really like
Dinner in a dining car decorated like a palace hall, with the dark country sliding past the windows, is a very particular kind of romance. On some nights there is music or dance, and on others only quiet conversation in the bar as the train rocks on into the desert.
The rhythm: the train moves mostly at night and in the early morning.
After breakfast: you step down onto the platform, where coaches and guides wait to take guests to the day's sights.
- Lunch: at a hotel or back on board.
- By late afternoon: you return to the train, rest, dress for dinner, and the train moves on while you sleep.
- Long, full days: wake-up calls can be early, and the sightseeing is planned for the whole train, in groups, with set times.
- The trade-off: you see the great monuments of each city, but not always at the quiet hours we would choose, and without the freedom to linger.
- Love it or find it brisk: some guests love the structure and the company of fellow travellers. Others find it hurried. Read the day-by-day programme before you commit.
- Cosy cabins: even the best suites are smaller than a palace hotel room.
- Bathrooms: private and well kept.
- The service: attentive, with staff assigned to each carriage. Many guests come home talking about their cabin attendant as much as any palace.
Our sample journey around a week on the rails
- Train start
- Delhi, in the evening
- Train ends
- Delhi, in the morning
- After the train
- Short flight to Udaipur or Jodhpur
- Udaipur to Jawai
- About three hours by road
- Jodhpur to Jawai
- About the same
Day 1: arrive in Delhi
Land, sleep and recover: in a calm hotel such as The Leela Palace, New Delhi or The Imperial.
- Arrive early? Take a late-afternoon walk through the gardens of Humayun's Tomb.
- Board rested: not jet-lagged, because the days that follow are full.
- An extra day: our Delhi guide suggests what to see.
Days 2-8: a week aboard the train
In general terms: the order and details of each train's programme change, so treat this as a sketch.
Jaipur first: on the Palace on Wheels' classic loop, you board in Delhi in the evening and wake in Jaipur, with a day for Amber Fort, the City Palace and Hawa Mahal.
Tigers and a fort: Sawai Madhopur for a safari in Ranthambore, often paired with the vast fort at Chittorgarh, where the stories of Rani Padmini and the Rajput sieges are told on the ramparts.
- The lakes: Udaipur, with the City Palace and Lake Pichola.
- Across the Thar: the long run west to Jaisalmer, where the golden fort and carved havelis fill a day, and an evening on the dunes often ends it.
- The blue city: Jodhpur brings Mehrangarh.
- East again: Bharatpur and its bird sanctuary, then Agra for the Taj Mahal, before the train returns to Delhi.
- On the Maharajas' Express: the cities overlap, though the order, stops and start and end points differ by itinerary.
- Briefed in advance: whichever train you choose, we tell you what each day holds, and can arrange private guides at selected stops.
Day 9: from the station to the granite hills
Off in Delhi: the train returns in the morning.
- Not straight home: take a short flight to Udaipur or Jodhpur, where your driver meets you for the drive of about three hours to Jawai.
- The timetable stays on the platform: by late afternoon you are on a terrace among granite boulders, watching the light change.
Days 10-11: leopards and the Rabari
Where no luxury train reaches: that is why we send you to Jawai.
The leopards: they live in the caves of these granite hills, alongside the villages and temples of the Rabari herders, and are often seen on the rocks at dawn and dusk.
- Drives: at first and last light with expert naturalists, and very little in the middle of the day.
- SUJAN JAWAI: a camp of luxurious tents among the rocks. Stay at SUJAN JAWAI, where meals are often outdoors and evenings by the fire are long.
- Home: on your last day, drive back to Udaipur or Jodhpur for your flight.
- Meeting the herders: our page on the Rabari herders of Jawai explains how to do it respectfully.
Before you board and after you step off
What a train can't give: a second morning in the same old city, a long lunch with a family in their fort, an evening when nothing is planned.
Our advice: at least two nights before or after the train, and preferably both.
Before: a night or two in Delhi lets you recover from your flight and see the Mughal city.
- Starting or ending in Mumbai? We arrange a night there too.
- After, somewhere the train doesn't go: Jawai is our favourite for wildlife.
- A family fort: Rohet Garh gives you Marwari horses and Bishnoi villages.
- A family palace: Deogarh has a palace hotel still run by its family.
- Painted rooms: Samode, an hour north of Jaipur, has one of the most richly painted palaces in Rajasthan.
- Go back to your favourite: many guests return to Udaipur after the train for three nights on Lake Pichola at the Taj Lake Palace or The Oberoi Udaivilas, at their own pace.
Where you'll stay off the train
In Delhi
Grand and cocooned: the Leela Palace in Chanakyapuri.
- The most history: the Imperial on Janpath.
- By the golf course: The Oberoi, New Delhi, close to Humayun's Tomb.
- Very early departures: the hotels in Aerocity beside the airport save time.
In Jawai
The best known camp: SUJAN JAWAI, with a firm line on ethical safaris.
- A heritage building instead: Rawla Narlai, an old hunting lodge of the Jodhpur royal family about an hour away, with a leopard drive on the side.
- What we look for: our guide to wildlife lodges.
Palaces for a longer stay
- The grandest: Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur and Rambagh Palace in Jaipur.
- Compare them all: our page on palace hotels.
When the trains run, and the best weeks to go
The cooler season: both trains run broadly from autumn to spring, and pause through the hottest months and the monsoon.
Dates change by season: their first and last departures change from year to year, and occasionally a special journey runs outside the usual season. We check the current calendar first.
- Season
- Broadly autumn to spring
- Paused
- The hottest months and the monsoon
- Most comfortable
- November and February
- Fog risk
- December and January, around Delhi
- Dates
- Change year to year, we check
- November and February: perhaps the most comfortable months, with clear skies and pleasant days.
- December and January: cooler, sometimes cold at night in the desert.
- Fog around Delhi: it can delay the start or end of a journey, so we never book a tight connection on those days.
- October and March: can be warm in the afternoons.
- Each month: our best time to visit Rajasthan guide.
- Festivals: the train's programme will not always stop for them. For the Jaisalmer Desert Festival or the Pushkar Camel Fair, add nights by road before or after.
Make the rail journey yours
A shorter version
- Three nights on board: the Maharajas' Express has run a short itinerary through Agra, Ranthambore and Jaipur.
- A complete week: add two nights in Delhi and two in Udaipur.
A longer version
- A week by road after: through the places the train passes too quickly.
- How: our private chauffeur journeys show how a car and driver reach the villages, forts and desert camps no railway touches.
For couples
Wonderfully romantic: couples often choose the larger suites.
- Afterwards: three nights on Lake Pichola or a desert camp near Jaisalmer.
- More ideas: our Rajasthan honeymoons page.
For families
About ten and older: children usually love the trains.
- Younger ones: may find the long days and the group programme hard.
- Instead: a family journey by road, with shorter days and pools at the end of them.
For train lovers
No luxury train needed: if you love trains for their own sake.
- Fast and comfortable: the Vande Bharat and Shatabdi services between Delhi and Jaipur.
- Slow and beautiful: the old metre-gauge line through the Aravallis near Deogarh.
- The options: our guide to trains in Rajasthan.
What you see from the window
Leaving Delhi: the land is flat, green and crowded with wheat and mustard.
South to Sawai Madhopur: the Aravalli hills rise, low and broken, and the dry forest of the tiger country begins.
Towards Chittorgarh and Udaipur: the hills close in, with lakes in their folds and white temples on the ridges.
- Peacocks
- Near Bharatpur and eastern farmland
- Blackbuck, chinkara
- Desert scrub
- Khejri trees
- Standing alone in the west
- Best hour
- The first hour after sunrise
- Heading west: the country empties, the fields shrink, the khejri trees stand alone, and at dawn the sand along the tracks is pink before it turns gold.
- Station life: even small ones have a chai seller with a brass kettle, porters in red shirts and a stationmaster with a whistle and a flag.
- Wave first: the passengers on the platform will wave back.
- At the crossings: camels and their drivers in the desert, women with water pots walking the embankment, and boys racing the train on bicycles.
- Bring binoculars: peacocks are common along the tracks, especially near Bharatpur and in the farmland of eastern Rajasthan.
- Desert wildlife: you may see blackbuck or chinkara grazing in the scrub.
Things worth knowing before you board
Pack light: cabin storage is limited, and a soft bag fits far better than a large hard suitcase. Leave the rest with us or at your Delhi hotel.
Bring layers: desert mornings and evenings can be cold in winter, the middle of the day is warm, and the air-conditioning on board can be cool.
- Luggage
- A soft bag, not a hard case
- Clothing
- Layers for cold desert mornings
- Temples
- Shoulders and knees covered
- Hand luggage
- Medicines and earplugs
- Daypack
- Water, sunscreen, hat, scarf
- Dress modestly for temples: covered shoulders and knees, and shoes that slip off easily.
- A small daypack: for sightseeing days, with water, sunscreen, a hat and a scarf for dust and sun.
- Medicines in hand luggage: and earplugs if you sleep lightly.
- Early starts: on some mornings, especially for the Ranthambore safari and the Taj Mahal. Plan to rest in the afternoons.
- Read before you go: our guides to what to pack for Rajasthan and etiquette and dress.
How we look after you
Honest advice: on which train, which itinerary and which cabin suits you, after one conversation.
Checked with the operator: we confirm the current season's schedule and availability before we plan.
- Before you board: airport meetings in Delhi, a calm hotel, and a transfer to the station at the right hour.
- Private guides: at selected stops, if you want a deeper look than the group programme.
- After the train: flights and transfers, with a private car and driver for the nights beyond the railway.
- Your own planner on WhatsApp: from first idea to last morning.
- No fares here: train prices and our arrangements around them vary by season and cabin, so we quote clearly once we know what you want. Start with plan my journey.
Who will love a luxury train, and who should not book one
A lot in a week: you will love a luxury train if you want to see a great deal of Rajasthan without packing a suitcase every morning.
Company at dinner: if you enjoy other travellers.
- Love it
- Unpack once, a lot in a week
- Also
- First-timers, nervous travellers, couples
- Think twice
- If you want privacy and control
- Better by road
- Light sleepers, limited mobility
- Romance of the rails: if you have a weakness for railways, and are happy to follow a well-planned programme.
- Who it suits: first-time visitors, travellers a little nervous of India who want everything arranged, and couples celebrating something.
- Think twice if: you want privacy and control over every hour, because sightseeing is mostly in groups and on a timetable.
- Others who should choose differently: light sleepers, travellers who would struggle with steps onto platforms and coaches, and anyone who likes to linger.
- Better for them: a private chauffeur journey, or our signature Royal Rajputana journey, which covers the same cities with two nights or more in each.
