Luxury train travel
The Palace on Wheels
India’s original luxury train, explained by the Delhi operator that books it — the 8-day royal Rajasthan route, life on board, when it runs, and how to build a larger journey around it.
Updated · Written by the Era Tours team, New Delhi
The Palace on Wheels is India's original luxury train: an 8-day, 7-night royal circuit from Delhi through Rajasthan — Jaipur, Ranthambore, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bharatpur — ending at the Taj Mahal in Agra. You sleep on board in a private en-suite cabin, the train moves overnight, and you wake each morning in a new city having unpacked exactly once. We've been booking guests onto it from our Delhi office since 1997, and this page is the honest operator's brief: what the journey is really like, when it runs, and how to decide if it's right for you. The full day-by-day plan is on our bookable Palace on Wheels tour page.
A train built to feel like a palace
Launched in 1982, the Palace on Wheels was conceived to recreate the private railway saloons once used by the maharajas of Rajputana, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British viceroy. Each saloon is styled after a former princely state, with hand-crafted interiors, en-suite cabins and an attendant — the on-board khidmatgar — looking after your carriage. There are two restaurant cars serving Rajasthani, Indian and continental menus, and a lounge bar for the hours when the desert rolls past the window. It is not a modern five-star hotel on rails so much as a piece of living heritage — the charm is in the romance of it, and guests who arrive expecting exactly that love it most.
The route, day by day
The genius of the journey is its rhythm: sightsee by day, dine and sleep aboard, and cover the long Rajasthan distances overnight. From Delhi's Safdarjung station the train reaches Jaipur for the Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and City Palace; then Sawai Madhopur for a dawn tiger safari in Ranthambore and on to the vast fort of Chittorgarh; Udaipur and a boat ride on Lake Pichola; Jaisalmer for the living golden fort and a sunset camel ride and dinner in the dunes; Jodhpur beneath Mehrangarh Fort; then Bharatpur's UNESCO-listed bird sanctuary and Agra for the Taj Mahal, before the overnight run home to Delhi. The complete schedule, inclusions and highlights are laid out on the tour page.
When it runs, and when to book
The train operates in Rajasthan's cool season — roughly September to April — with the classic departure leaving Delhi on a Wednesday. It does not run in summer, when the desert is simply too hot. October to March is the sweet spot, which is also peak season for luxury travel across India, so the best cabins on the best dates go early: we advise enquiring three to six months ahead for winter departures. For how the season fits a longer trip, see our best time to visit India guide.
What it costs — and why we don’t print a number
Fares depend on the cabin category, the season and whether you travel single, double or with children, and the operating tariff is revised each season — which is why the prices you find on old blog posts rarely match reality. Rather than publish a figure that will be wrong by the time you read it, we quote the current fare for your exact date and cabin, together with the transfers, Delhi hotels and any extension you want around the train, in one itemised proposal — usually the same day you write to us.
Is it right for you? An honest word
We book this train often, and we also talk guests out of it when it's the wrong fit. The Palace on Wheels is a fixed, shared itinerary: the schedule is set by the railway, the sightseeing is in a group, and the pace is brisk. If you want to linger two days in Udaipur or skip a fort for a bazaar, a private car-and-driver journey — like our luxury Rajasthan tours — gives you that freedom with palace hotels instead of a cabin. What the train gives you in return is the romance: the fanfare welcomes, the dune dinner under the stars, and the singular experience of crossing royal Rajasthan the way its rulers once did. Many of our guests do both — the train one year, a tailor-made return the next.
Build the journey around the train
The train starts and ends in Delhi, which makes extensions natural. Most guests arrive a day or two early to acclimatise and see Old and New Delhi; afterwards, popular additions are Varanasi's ghats, the Golden Triangle at a slower pace, a Kerala backwaters wind-down in the south, or simply a night or two at one of Delhi's great hotels before the flight home. As a New Delhi DMC we arrange the whole arc — flights met, transfers, hotels, guides — so the train sits inside one seamless trip. Honeymooners often pair it with our India honeymoon ideas.
FAQ
Palace on Wheels — frequently asked questions
The Palace on Wheels is India’s original luxury train, launched in 1982 to recreate the private royal carriages of the maharajas. Over 8 days and 7 nights it runs a circular route from Delhi through Rajasthan — Jaipur, Ranthambore, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bharatpur — finishing at the Taj Mahal in Agra. You sleep aboard in an en-suite cabin, the train travels overnight, and you wake in a new royal city each morning.
The fare depends on your cabin category, the season and the occupancy, and the operator revises tariffs each running season — so a fixed figure quoted on a webpage is usually out of date. As a Delhi operator that books the train, we quote you the current fare for your exact date and cabin, plus any Delhi or Agra arrangements around it, in one honest, itemised proposal. Berths are limited, so enquire early for peak winter dates.
The classic route is a week-long loop from Delhi: Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur for a Ranthambore tiger safari, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur’s bird sanctuary and finally Agra for the Taj Mahal, arriving back in Delhi on the eighth morning. The train covers the distances overnight, so each day is spent sightseeing rather than travelling.
The Palace on Wheels runs in Rajasthan’s cool season, roughly September to April, with the classic departure leaving Delhi’s Safdarjung station on a Wednesday. It does not operate through the hot summer months. October to March is the most comfortable window, and the most popular dates sell out well ahead, so we recommend booking months in advance.
For the right traveller, yes. In one week it delivers a sweep of Rajasthan — forts, palaces, desert dunes, a tiger safari and the Taj Mahal — that would take far longer by road, and you unpack exactly once. It is not a private tour: the train runs a fixed shared route on a set schedule. Travellers who want total flexibility are often happier with a private car-and-driver tour of Rajasthan, which we also design; many of our guests combine the two.
You can book through a registered tour operator such as Era Tours: tell us your preferred departure date, cabin category and party size, and we confirm the reservation, handle the paperwork and arrange everything around the train — airport transfers, Delhi hotels and any extension before or after. As a Ministry of Tourism–approved operator working with the train for many years, we also advise honestly on whether it suits your trip better than a private itinerary.
India has several luxury trains — the Palace on Wheels, the Maharajas’ Express, the Deccan Odyssey and the Golden Chariot — each on different routes. The Palace on Wheels is the original and the most iconic for Rajasthan: no other train packs Jaipur, Ranthambore, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and the Taj Mahal into a single week. If your dream is royal Rajasthan specifically, it remains the classic choice, and we can compare the alternatives honestly against your dates and budget.
Ready to ride the Palace on Wheels?
Tell us your preferred dates and cabin category and our Delhi team will confirm availability, quote the current fare and design everything around the train — usually the same day, no obligation.