8 stops over 8 days

Delhi
Jaipur
Ranthambhore
Chittorgarh
Udaipur
Jaisalmer
Jodhpur
Agra

Jaisalmer’s living fort and the Sam dunes at sunset
Dawn canter safari through Ranthambhore’s fog and grass
Chittorgarh’s Vijay Stambh, nine storeys of carved stone
Mehrangarh, Jaswant Thada and mirchi vada at the clock tower
The Taj Mahal in late afternoon, marble turning apricot

Day by day

What actually happens

Length: 8 days
Stops: 8
Pace: Active
From: ₹4,55,000

1L D

Delhi

Arrive Delhi, board the train

You arrive at Indira Gandhi International and are met inside the terminal. Lunch and a room to shower at a hotel near the airport, then Safdarjung station at four, where the Palace on Wheels waits with a red carpet, a tilak and a garland. Cabin, tea, a safety briefing, and dinner in the Maharaja restaurant as the train leaves for Jaipur.

Night: Overnight on board
2B L D

Jaipur

Jaipur: fort, palace, bazaar

Elephants climb the Amber ramp at nine, though a jeep is kinder to them and gets you there first. The Sheesh Mahal, then the City Palace armoury, then Jantar Mantar. Lunch at a heritage haveli. Free afternoon for Johari Bazaar, where you should look for lac bangles and blue pottery, or the shops of C-Scheme. Back on board by seven.

Night: Overnight on board
3B L D

Ranthambhore & Chittorgarh

Ranthambhore at six, Chittorgarh at four

Canters leave Sawai Madhopur at 6.30 into fog and langur alarm calls; tiger or not, the ruined Rajbagh palaces standing in the grass are worth the early start. The train runs south through the afternoon. Chittorgarh at four: the Vijay Stambh’s nine storeys of carving, Rani Padmini’s water palace, and the terrible arithmetic of three jauhars.

Night: Overnight on board
4B L D

Udaipur

Udaipur and Lake Pichola

Udaipur City station, then straight down to the lake. The City Palace’s Mor Chowk peacocks are glass mosaic, thousands of pieces each. A boat to Jagmandir, where Shah Jahan hid as a rebel prince. Afternoon at Sahelion ki Bari, or the miniature painting studios near Chandpole. The train leaves at seven for the desert.

Night: Overnight on board
5B L D

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer and the Sam dunes

Golden sandstone all day. Sonar Qila is still inhabited, some ninety families, so you walk past doorways and cooking smells to reach the Jain temples inside. Patwon ki Haveli’s carved screens after. At five, out to the Sam dunes for a camel ride and a Manganiyar kamaicha player, then dinner under canvas before the train pulls out.

Night: Overnight on board
6B L D

Jodhpur

Jodhpur under Mehrangarh

Mehrangarh from below is a cliff with windows. Go up early for the Moti Mahal and the small, sad handprints of Maharaja Man Singh’s widows by the Loha Pol. Jaswant Thada next, then down into the old city for mirchi vada at the clock tower. Lunch at Umaid Bhawan Palace, the Art Deco half that is still a hotel.

Night: Overnight on board
7B L D

Agra

Keoladeo, then Agra

An hour at Keoladeo in Bharatpur first, by cycle rickshaw along the causeways: painted storks, spoonbills, sarus cranes standing in pairs. Then Agra, the Taj in the afternoon when the marble turns cream and then apricot, and Agra Fort’s Musamman Burj. Farewell dinner on board tonight, and the last run north to Delhi.

Night: Overnight on board
8B

Delhi

Delhi, and departure

The train berths at Safdarjung early. Breakfast on board, then disembark and hand your bags to the driver. A day-use room at The Lodhi is held for as long as you need it. Late morning at the National Museum’s Harappan gallery if you have the appetite, then the airport for your flight home.

Night: Day use room, The Lodhi, New Delhi