PALACE ON WHEELS

The Palace on Wheels takes you on a pulsating journey of Rajasthan. Travel in style and explore this royal land. Experience the romance of the desert as you travel through the hinterland of desert. This is the land that sports a perfect combination of the ancient and the modern, the commonplace and the regal. Intertwined with mud-houses are majestic palaces where kings and queens wove their fairy tale stories. The Palace-on-Wheels stops at each of these majestic places, just for you. Besides, the ambience of this train lets you enjoy yourself to the full. Sit in these beautiful carriages and look out at the dunes, the endless sand, the caravans of camels, women gathered at village wells, children playing cricket…. And finally, the immaculately maintained stations, through which you will be travelled.

Relish the lifestyles of the kings of yore on board the Palace on Wheels, while listening to the silent tales of glory and valor told by the majestic forts and splendid palaces of Rajasthan. The journey takes you to a vibrating journey to the royal land of sand dunes and regal palaces. Visit the majestic expanse where Royal Rajputs lived in a grand style. Explore this imperial land on the Palace on Wheels, the luxurious train that carries with it an intrinsic ambience that goes perfectly well with the majestic charm and beauty spread so lavishly here and there in Rajasthan.

Welcome aboard the legendary Palace on Wheels, a weeklong cruise recreating the ambience of the glorious past through the heart of Rajasthan. Feel like royalty on board this centrally air conditioned and completely self sufficient train. There are four coupes in each coach, with wall to wall carpeting, a lounge car with a well stacked bar and two restaurant cars, the Maharaja & Maharani serving Continental. Indian and Rajasthani cuisine. All of which make your journey a memorable experience.

The elegant interiors of this train, with its delectable cuisine and personalized service, exudes an exclusive old world charm. Each saloon has its own personal attendants or 'Khidmatgars' who ensure that your journey is comfortable and enjoyable.

The two restaurant cars, the Maharaja and Maharani serve a range of Indian, Continental, and Chinese cuisine. The diverse menu aboard the Royal Palace changes seasonally.

The journey starts with colorfully attired men and women garland the guests and accord a ceremonial welcome at the Delhi Cantonment Railway Station from where the journey starts. For the next seven days, the guests live in regal splendor as the train winds its way to the Pink City of Jaipur, historical Chittaurgarh and the Lake City of Udaipur, fascinating Sawai Madhopur, the magical desert cities of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, one of the world's seven natural wonders.

Travel Itinerary Day 1, Wednesday
Delhi. Dinner at Delhi Cantonment Station between 19.30 and 22.30. Departure 22.45.

Day 2, Thursday
Jaipur. Arrival 08.30. Breakfast on board. Sightseeing trip round town followed by lunch in hotel. Cultural show and dinner at Nahargarh Citadel, a former royal fort, or in Man Singh Hotel. Jaipur, the first stopping place, was built at the beginning of the 18th century by the Maharajah Jai Singh II. The "pink" city is surrounded by a town wall with many gates. The town palace and the Sawai-Man-Singh Museum directly beside it are well worth looking at. The Jantar-Mantar Observatory still astonishes with the precision of its layout. The jewel of Jaipur is the Palace of the Winds, a stone facade with an immense number of finely sculptured lattice panels.
The festival palace of Amber lies 8 miles from Jaipur and is visited on the backs of elephants. Amber’s rooms are famous for the variety of their decoration and the beautiful Hall of Mirrors.

Day 3, Friday
Chittorgarh/Udaipur. Arrival 07.30. Breakfast on board. Visit to Chittorgarh Fort followed by bus journey to Udaipur to the Lake Palace Hotel on Lake Pichola, originally the summer palace of the Maharana of Udaipur. Boot trip followed by lunch at the Lake Palace Hotel. Sightseeing in Udaipur. Evening meal on board train.

Chittorgarh Fort on a 180 m high hill, was the strongest of the Rajput forts. The tall and finely chiseled Victory Tower and the Tower of Fame are undamaged and reach up into the sky from the surrounding ruins.

Udaipur was founded in 1559 on the banks of Lake Pichola by the Maharana Udai Singh. The town palace is raised high above the lake and contains among others a hall of mirrors, a roof garden with a pond and a peacock court, named after its peacock mosaic.

Day 4, Saturday
Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambor). Arrival in Sawai Madhopur at 06.30. Travel to Ranthambor to the well known game park with its tigers, leopards, crocodiles, deer, gazelles, nilgais and hyenas. Depart at 12.00. Ranthambor lies 82 miles from Jaipur. The area is 150 sqare miles and lies between the Aravali and Vindhya mountains. The best time for seeing many animals is between October and April.

Day 5, Sunday Jaisalmer
Arrival 10.00. Breakfast on board, followed by sightseeing in town. Lunch on train or in tourist bungalow. Visit to the cenotaphs of famous heroes and rulers which are beautifully decorated with fine stonemason's work. Camel rides to experience the real desert. Dinner at the Moomal Tourist Bungalow, then on with the train to Jodhpur.

Jaisalmer, a fairy tale town in the Thar desert was founded about 800 years ago by Rajah Jaisal. The town is surrounded by mighty walls which seem to grow up out of sunbleached desert sands. In the town centre the buildings provide evidence of the Indian stonemasons’ unsurpassed art. In narrow, twisting streets you can visit havelis, the houses of rich merchants with their finely carved filigree facades.

Day 6, Monday
Jodhpur. Arrival 09.00. Breakfast on board. Sightseeing in town. Lunch at Umaid Bhawan Palace Hotel, originally the Royal Palace of the Maharajas of Jodhpur. Evening tea and dinner on board.

Jodhpur, the southernmost of the legendary cities of the desert. The high walls of the massive fort form a delightful contrast to the elegant sandstone facades with their fine carvings inside the palace. Departure 17.00.

Day 7, Tuesday
Bharatpur - Fatehpur Sikri - Agra. Arrival 07.15. Breakfast in Bharatpur bird sanctuary and boat trip. By coach to Fatehpur Sikri and Agra. Lunch at hotel. Sightseeing in Agra and tea at Taj Restaurant, Agra or on board. Dinner on board.

Bharatpur is an enormous bird sanctuary. The flat marshes attract resident and migratory birds in their thousands. More than 500,000 birds of 325 species have been counted in winter. From Bharatpur it is 14 miles to Fatehpur Sikri. The climax of the trip will surely be the visit to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, one of the seven modern wonders of the world.

Day 8, Wednesday
Delhi. Breakfast on train and end of journey. Arrive Delhi 7.30.