Introducing Palace on Wheels
On the Palace on Wheels, relive the pomp and pageantry of Indian royalty in an eight-day luxurious train ride across India. Discover the desert forts and sumptuous lakeside palaces of historic Rajasthan and the Taj Mahal at Agra.
Rail itinerary
From Delhi to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur, also taking in the Taj Mahal at Agra and the tiger sanctuary at Ranthambore National Park.
About the Palace on Wheels
Decorated with beautiful paintings, comfortable furniture and wall-to-wall carpeting, the cream coloured Palace on Wheels creates a palace-like atmosphere. Each of the 14 fully air-conditioned deluxe coaches is named after former Rajput states and match the aesthetics and interiors of the royal past.
Each coach features a lounge, mini pantry and a 24 hour personal service from friendly attendants, or khidmatgar. The train only travels at night, allowing plenty of time during the day to explore the sights.
Accommodation
Refurbished in 1995, the fully air-conditioned deluxe coaches offer 56 polished wood-panelled twin or double-bed cabins. The coach facilities include a shower, hot and cold water, modern toilets, channel music, intercom, a satellite phone system and wall-to-wall carpeting.
Dining
Two restaurants cars – the Maharaja and the Maharani – offer delicious and mouth-watering traditional Rajasthani, Indian, continental and Chinese cuisine.
Dress code
Casual and elegant attire is worn by guests aboard the Palace of Wheels.
Other amenities/activities onboard
A separate lounge attached at the end of each coach provides passengers with a relaxing ambience and stunning views of the passing Indian countryside. Equipped with a library of books and newspapers as well as a colour television and CD player, the lounge also hosts a well-stocked bar with 24 hour bar service.
Other facilities include a gift shop with local handicrafts, a beauty salon, luggage collection, mineral water and laundry services (on request) as well as an onboard mailbox facility.
Price inclusion
The price is inclusive of all meals, tea, coffee and bottled mineral water, sightseeing tours in deluxe coaches, entrance fees for monuments and palaces and entertainment programs including a boat ride at the Lake Palace Hotel at Udaipur and a camel safari at Jaisalmer.
Best time to journey on the Palace of Wheels
The Palace on Wheels operates during the cooler months of September to April when the temperature averages 33˚C. If outdoors at night, you’ll probably need a jacket or thick jumper.
Highlights en route
Discover India’s rich history and be seduced by its everyday images of extravagant palaces, forts, finely carved temples, great mosques and lively and colourful bazaars.
Jaipur
Enjoy this city of broad avenues and stunning architectural harmony that produces a mystical glow at sunset. Jaipur is known as the ‘pink city’ because of the ochre-pink hue of its old buildings and crenellated city walls.
The Rajputs, who associated the colour pink with hospitality, reputedly painted the city in celebration of the visit of Britain’s Prince Alfred in 1853. Don’t miss the photogenic Palace of the Winds or the nearby spectacular Amber Palace, a large fortress with massive thick walls and gateways.
Jaisalmer
Explore the imposing Jaisalmer fort, an architectural marvel of imposing crenellated sandstone walls some 9m high. Built in 1156 AD by the Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal, the world’s only liveable fortress is home to around 25 per cent of the city’s population, who live in the laneways that snake throughout the building. The fort is on the World Monuments Watch list of 100 endangered sites worldwide. Take a camel safari into the desert and enjoy dinner under a moonlit sky.
Jodhpur
Towering majestically above the blue-painted old city of Jodhpur stand the stunning ramparts of Rajasthan’s showcase fortress. Discover the treasures on display within its museum – from solid silver howdahs (elephant seats) and palanquins, to daggers and photos of the maharajas’ coronations.
Marvel at a 250-year-old pure silk tent seized during a raid on the Moghul court in Delhi. Pictures of dancers, deities and rulers look out from the walls and wooden ceilings of the Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), a dancing hall used for the entertainment of the maharaja and his guests.
Ranthambore National Park
Take a jeep safari from Sawai Madhopur to explore the Ranthambore National Park, one of the most famous tiger reserves of India. Watch for tigers prowling through the decaying, creeper-covered Rajput palace or ambling past the ruined 10th-century Chauhan fort. Ranthambore is world renowned for its ‘friendly tigers’, unperturbed by humans.
In addition to tigers, Ranthambore is home to chital, nilgai, jackals, panthers, jungle cats and a wide array of birds, including crested serpent eagles, paradise flycatchers, peacocks and painted storks.
Udaipur
Take time to tour some of the memorable palaces, forts and temples in this city of lakes. Don’t miss the Jag Niwas (Lake Palace) and the Jag Mandir, which appear to rise from the blue waters of Lake Pichola.
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur
Watch flocks of rare saras crane, painted storks, darters, spoonbills, pink flamingos, white ibis, grey pelicans and around 30 species of birds of prey, among them vultures, marsh harriers, peregrine falcons and ospreys, at India’s most famous bird sanctuary. More than 300 species of bird life inhabit this amazing wetland sanctuary, which is made up of 29km² of swamp and lakes. Cycle around the sanctuary’s quiet shady paths, looking out not only for the exotic birds, but also for deer, lizards and pythons.
Fatehpur Sikri
The elegant former imperial 16th capital of the great Moghul emperor Akbar now lies deserted on a ridge near Agra. Almost perfectly preserved, this architectural sandstone masterpiece fuses Hindu and Muslim artistic traditions and stands as a powerful testimony to Moghul grandeur. See the Buland Darwaza – the largest gateway in the world, the Jama mosque and the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti, a famous Sufi saint of India.
Taj Mahal, Agra
Discover a poignant monument to love: this spectacular white marble mausoleum was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Maha, who died in childbirth in 1631. Devastated by her death, the Shah set out to create an unsurpassed, eternal monument to her memory.
The monument is beautiful at any time of day, but is most impressive at sunset when the white marble first takes on a rich golden sheen, before slowly turning pink, red and finally blue as the light changes. It is also stunning at sunrise when the building seems to come alive with the morning light.
Delhi
India’s capital, New Delhi is a modern city with wide leafy avenues and spacious parks. In contrast, ‘Old’ Delhi is several centuries old and crammed with narrow winding streets, temples, mosques and bazaars. Stroll around the impressive Red Fort and nearby Jama Masjid, both built at the height of the Moghul Empire. |