Indian Panorama by Maharajas’ Express

Six nights on the Maharajas’ Express, and the train does the moving while you sleep. Days are spent off it: a dawn canter through Ranthambore’s Zone Three, the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri before…

Length: 7 days, 6 nights
From: ₹6,95,000 per person
Pace: Balanced
Stops: 6
Best months: October to April

The route

6 stops over 7 days

Delhi
Jaipur
Ranthambore
Fatehpur Sikri
Agra
Delhi

Dawn canter safari in Ranthambore’s Zone Three
Taj Mahal at sunrise, before the gates fill
Private butler and a panelled cabin for six nights
Amber Fort by jeep, then lunch at Rambagh Palace
Fatehpur Sikri’s red sandstone courts in late afternoon light

Day by day

What actually happens

Length: 7 days
Stops: 6
Pace: Balanced
From: ₹6,95,000

1

Delhi

Arrive in Delhi

You land at Indira Gandhi International, where a Tripfizz representative meets you past customs and drives you to Lutyens’ Delhi. The rest of the day is yours. If jet lag allows, walk the Lodhi Garden paths at five, when the parakeets come in to roost over Sikandar Lodi’s tomb, and eat early.

Night: The Imperial, New Delhi
2B D

Delhi

Boarding at Safdarjung

Morning for Humayun’s Tomb, whose gardens are usually empty at eight, and for the spice lanes of Khari Baoli. By four you are at Safdarjung station, where the platform is carpeted and a drummer plays. Your cabin has burr walnut panelling and a proper bath. Dinner is in the Rang Mahal as the train pulls south for Jaipur.

Night: Overnight on board
3B L D

Jaipur

Jaipur: Amber and the City Palace

The train stands at Jaipur Gandhi Nagar. Jeeps climb to Amber for the Sheesh Mahal and the Ganesh Pol, then the City Palace and Jantar Mantar’s great sundial, which keeps time to two seconds. Lunch at Rambagh Palace under the fans. Late afternoon, an elephant ride or a gem-cutting workshop in Johari Bazaar, before dinner on board.

Night: Overnight on board
4B L D

Ranthambore & Fatehpur Sikri

Ranthambore at dawn, Fatehpur Sikri after

Out at 6.15 into Sawai Madhopur’s cold air for a canter safari: sambar barking, peacocks, and if the day is kind, a tigress on the Rajbagh lake road. Back for a late breakfast as the train runs north. Afternoon at Fatehpur Sikri, the Buland Darwaza, Panch Mahal, and Salim Chishti’s marble screens, still hung with prayer threads.

Night: Overnight on board
5B L D

Agra

The Taj before the crowds

The Taj at 6.30, when the marble is still pink and the reflecting pool has no wind on it. Agra Fort afterwards, and the octagonal tower where Shah Jahan spent his last years looking downriver at what he built. Lunch at the Oberoi Amarvilas. Afternoon free for a marble inlay workshop, or the Safari Bar and a long nap.

Night: Overnight on board
6B L D

On board

A day on the rails

A day given to the train itself. Breakfast late, then the Rajah Club’s armchairs while the Chambal country slides by: mustard fields, brick kilns, egrets riding the buffalo. There is a small gym, a card table, and a bar that stays open. The farewell dinner is black tie if you want it; the train reaches Delhi by ten.

Night: Overnight on board
7B

Delhi

Delhi, and home

Breakfast on board at Safdarjung, then the platform and a car. A day room at The Imperial is held until your flight, which for most Europe and Gulf departures leaves late. If you have hours to fill, the Crafts Museum on Bhairon Road is ten minutes away and almost always quiet. Transfer to the airport and your onward flight home.

Night: Day use room, The Imperial, New Delhi