North India Tours
A Luxury Journey of Palace on Wheels
A Luxury Journey of Palace on Wheels is an 8-day, 7-night circuit aboard India's original luxury train, sweeping you out of Delhi and across the length and breadth of Rajasthan before finishing at the Taj Mahal in Agra. In one seamless loop you sleep in your own wood-panelled cabin while the train carries you overnight between Jaipur, Ranthambore, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bharatpur — unpacking only once, waking each morning in a new royal city.
Tour overview
The Palace on Wheels was conceived to recreate the private railway carriages once used by the maharajas of Rajputana, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British viceroy. Every saloon is styled after a former princely state, with hand-painted ceilings, en-suite cabins, two dining cars and a lounge bar. The genius of the journey is its rhythm: you tour a city or a national park by day, return to the train for dinner and a nightcap, and cover the distances while you sleep — so a vast, week-long sweep of Rajasthan never feels rushed.
This is a fixed circular route rather than a private car tour, and the classic departure runs on a Wednesday from Delhi's Safdarjung station. Era Tours handles your reservation, cabin category, off-train excursions and the Delhi and Agra arrangements at either end, and we can extend your holiday before or after the train with time in the Golden Triangle, the wildlife parks or the palaces of Rajasthan. The day-by-day plan below follows the train's established schedule; timings are set by the railway and may be adjusted.
Sleep once, wake in seven cities
Your cabin is your base for the whole week. The train runs overnight between destinations, so you gain full days of sightseeing without the fatigue of packing and re-checking into hotels.
Tigers, forts and lakes in one loop
From a dawn safari in Ranthambore to Udaipur's Lake Pichola, the mighty Jaisalmer dunes and Jodhpur's Mehrangarh, the itinerary strings together Rajasthan's greatest hits.
Dining fit for a maharaja
Meals span the two on-board restaurants and grand off-train settings — lunch at Amber Fort, a dune dinner with folk performers in Jaisalmer and a cultural evening at Chittorgarh.
Day-by-day itinerary
8 daysCheck-in formalities begin in the late afternoon at Delhi's Safdarjung Railway Station, where you are welcomed aboard with traditional fanfare. The train departs in the early evening for Jaipur, and your first dinner is served on board as the royal saloons roll south into the night. Overnight on the train.
The train reaches Jaipur before dawn and, after breakfast on board, a traditional welcome greets you at the station. A full day explores Rajasthan's capital — the honeycombed Hawa Mahal, the City Palace and the hilltop Amber Fort, where lunch is served within the ramparts. There is time in the famous bazaars before you rejoin the train, with a grand farewell dinner at the Jai Mahal Palace. Overnight on the train to Sawai Madhopur.
- Amber Fort
- — Hilltop fort-palace of the Kachhwaha rulers, with the mirrored Sheesh Mahal.
- Hawa Mahal
- — The five-storey "Palace of Winds" and its 953 latticed windows.
- City Palace
- — The royal residence at the heart of the walled Pink City.
An early arrival at Sawai Madhopur puts you inside Ranthambore National Park for a dawn jungle safari, one of India's best places to see the wild Bengal tiger, followed by breakfast at a forest lodge. The train then carries you on to Chittorgarh, where you tour the vast hilltop fort — the largest in India and a byword for Rajput valour — before an evening light-and-sound show and a cultural dinner. Overnight on the train.
- Ranthambore National Park
- — Former royal hunting reserve, now a celebrated tiger habitat.
- Chittorgarh Fort
- — Sprawling UNESCO-listed fort synonymous with Rajput sacrifice and honour.
Leaving Chittorgarh overnight, you arrive in Udaipur, the romantic lake city of the Mewar dynasty. After breakfast, off-train excursions take in the sprawling City Palace and other lakeside sights, with a heritage-hotel lunch, before an unforgettable boat ride on Lake Pichola past the island palaces. You return to the train for tea as it sets off for the desert and Jaisalmer. Overnight on the train.
- City Palace, Udaipur
- — Rajasthan's largest palace complex, rising above Lake Pichola.
- Lake Pichola
- — The serene lake dotted with the Jag Mandir and Lake Palace islands.
The train reaches Jaisalmer, the honey-coloured fortress city rising from the Thar Desert. A morning tour explores the living fort, its Jain temples and carved merchant havelis. In the afternoon you head into the sand dunes for tea, a camel ride and, as the sun sets, a royal desert dinner with a colourful folk programme under the stars. Overnight on the train to Jodhpur.
- Jaisalmer Fort
- — A rare "living fort" of golden sandstone, still home to residents and temples.
- Sam sand dunes
- — Classic Thar Desert dunes for camel rides and a sunset dinner.
A morning arrival in Jodhpur brings you to the great Mehrangarh Fort, towering over a sea of blue-washed houses. After breakfast on board you tour the city's forts, palaces and bazaars, with lunch at a deluxe resort. You return to the train in the afternoon to relax as it rolls on towards Bharatpur, with dinner served on board. Overnight on the train.
- Mehrangarh Fort
- — One of India's largest forts, perched 120m above the blue city.
At dawn you visit Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur, a UNESCO-listed wetland famed for its birdlife, before the train continues to Agra. The afternoon is devoted to the Taj Mahal — Shah Jahan's incomparable white-marble mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal — along with Agra's bazaars and a light-and-sound show. A final dinner precedes the overnight run back to Delhi. Overnight on the train.
- Keoladeo Ghana National Park
- — World-renowned bird sanctuary, a haven for resident and migratory species.
- Taj Mahal
- — One of the Seven Wonders of the World, in luminous white marble.
The Palace on Wheels arrives back at Safdarjung Railway Station in the early morning. After a final breakfast on board you complete check-out and farewell formalities, ending a week of royal travel. We can arrange your onward flight or extend your stay in Delhi, the Golden Triangle or beyond. Tour ends.
This itinerary is a suggested flow and is fully customisable — hotels, pace and sightseeing are tailored to you. Ask us to adjust it →
Places on this tour
What's included
- Seven nights aboard the Palace on Wheels in your chosen cabin category
- All meals on board and at designated off-train venues as per the schedule
- Daily sightseeing and off-train excursions with local guides
- Camel ride at the Jaisalmer sand dunes and boat ride on Lake Pichola
- Jungle safari at Ranthambore and bird-park visit at Bharatpur
- On-board hospitality, cultural performances and evening entertainment
Not included
- Monument entry fees and camera/video charges where not specified
- Drinks, tips and personal expenses
- Any airfare, visa or travel insurance
- Pre- and post-tour hotel stays in Delhi or Agra unless arranged
- Single-cabin supplement for single occupancy
- Anything not mentioned under inclusions
Ideal for: Couples, honeymooners and first-timers who want to see Rajasthan in comfort and style.
FAQ
A Luxury Journey of Palace on Wheels — your questions answered
The Palace on Wheels is an 8-day, 7-night journey. You board in Delhi and travel a full loop through Jaipur, Ranthambore, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bharatpur, finishing at the Taj Mahal in Agra before returning to Delhi.
It covers the highlights of Rajasthan plus Agra in a single week. The route takes in Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur for Ranthambore, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bharatpur, then Agra for the Taj Mahal on the way back to Delhi.
Yes, you sleep on the train throughout the journey. Each cabin is a private en-suite room, and the train travels overnight between destinations so you wake up in a new city each morning without repacking or changing hotels.
The Palace on Wheels operates in the cooler season, roughly September to April, with the classic departure leaving Delhi on a Wednesday. It does not run during the hot summer months, so we recommend booking your preferred date well in advance.
Yes — the itinerary includes a dawn safari in Ranthambore National Park, one of India's finest tiger reserves. Sightings can never be guaranteed in the wild, but Ranthambore is among the best places in the country to spot a Bengal tiger.
The train itself runs a fixed circular route shared with other guests, but Era Tours arranges everything around it for you privately — your cabin booking, the Delhi and Agra arrangements, and any extensions before or after the journey, all tailored to your plans.
