Palace on Wheels – The Luxurious Train Journey through Rajasthan

Day 1: Delhi (Wednesday)
We all gathered at the Ashok Hotel in Delhi, one day prior to the start of the journey. The evening of the day was spent at the Qutub Minar and the Humayun’s Tomb witnessing the glory of these monuments. The next morning we visited the Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s House) and the Mughal Gardens. The royal treatment meted out at the Rashtrapati Bhawan raised the bar of expectations higher for the upcoming journey. The train departs from Delhi in the evening to take us to Jaipur. With a grand welcome at the Safdarjung Railway Station to a proper band-baaja ceremonial start, we started to feel the vibes of the luxury we were about to hop on.

Day 2: Jaipur (Thursday)
The train reached Jaipur the next day morning where we got a grand welcome again with the band-baaja, local folks dancing and a beautifully decorated elephant. The day was to explore Jaipur by visiting the historic and monumental places in the city like the Hawa Mahal, the City Palace and Amber Fort along with others. The lunch was served to us at 1305AD, the luxurious restaurant at Amber Fort. We returned to the train by the evening and headed out to the next destination.

We had a quick visit to the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve early morning for the jungle safari. You may get lucky if you spot a tiger, we were the luckiest to spot a tigress moving right at the start of the safari. The excitement was sky high as it was the first live tigress spotting for most of us. The safari started as early as 5:30 in the morning and the breakfast was served once we were back onboard. From Ranthambore the next stop for the Palace on Wheels was Chittorgarh. A city famous for the Chittorgarh Palace and now the movie Padmavat, this place speaks volumes about the valor and courage of the kings of the past. The tourists of the train got to enjoy a light and sound show on the rich history of Chittorgarh before returning to the train.

Day 4: Udaipur (Saturday)
The city of lakes is one beautiful place in Rajasthan that cannot be missed. The train gave us an entire day to explore Udaipur. This city is so artistically designed around a water body that it symbolizes peace at its best. The fun part of visiting Udaipur was enjoying a tuk-tuk ride in the bylanes of the city to the Udaipur World Music Festival. The World Music Festival hosted a participation of 150 artists from over 16 countries from around the world. The plethora of artists and music takes Udaipur on a different note celebrating music. The other attractions included the City Palace, Lake Pichola Hotel and Saheliyon ki Bari, etc. A shopping mecca for miniature paintings, the local bazaar of Udaipur is definitely worth a visit.

On the 5th day of the journey, the Palace on Wheels took us to the land of sand dunes, Jaisalmer. The welcome at the Jaisalmer Railway Station was grand and artistic. The Rangoli of Palace on Wheels at the platform and the camels greeting us gave a perfect start to the day.  We went to the Gadisar Lake to begin our day. Known as the Golden City, Jaisalmer has the Jaisalmer Fort as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jaisalmer Fort was the only fort after Chittorgarh where the people lived inside the fort.

The Jain Temples at Jaisalmer had an awesome architecture and should not be missed. The camel safari in the Thar Desert followed by a lavish dinner at Gorbandh Palace with cultural performances, dance and music made it a perfect day in the itinerary.

Day 6: Jodhpur (Monday)
Known for its calm and peaceful lifestyle, this blue city of Rajasthan has a lot to offer to the photographer in you. There was a grand welcome by Mehrangarh Fort Band at the Mandor junction on our arrival  The colorful turbans gifted to us on arrival made us all look like one of the locals. Padharo Mahare Des!

The bylanes of the city with the blue painted houses are a treat to the eyes. The aerial view of the city from the majestic Mehrangarh Fort showcases the beauty of this city perfectly. The Umaid Bhawan Palace shows the artifacts of the Maharaja of Jodhpur and the grand history of his family. We were taken to Ajit Bhawan, a palace resort in Jodhpur for a grand lunch. We returned to the train post lunch.

Reaching a bird sanctuary for bird spotting is mostly done early morning. Thus, the Palace on Wheels reached Bharatpur early morning where we got to enjoy a rickshaw ride through this UNESCO World Heritage Site spotting the various species of local and migratory birds.  

The 7th day on Palace on Wheels marks a visit to one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. As we reached Agra from Bharatpur, the most awaited part of the journey for almost every traveler on the train came close. A visit to the Agra Palace followed by a visit to the Taj Mahal checked it off the bucket list to see the majestic white marble architecture.

Day 8: Delhi (Wednesday):
After a visit to the Taj Mahal and getting some pictures clicked with it. it was time for us to return to base and we reached Delhi’s Safdarjung Railway Station again early morning. The journey concluded here post breakfast and goodbye sessions with the fellow travelers.

The Coaches:
The Palace on Wheels had 13 Deluxe Coach and 1 Super Deluxe Coach. Named after the princely states of Rajasthan, the coaches are soaked in luxury and lavishness. Each coach has 3 twin bedded cabins offering modern facilities. The cabins are available on a single occupancy and double occupancy basis. Each of the cabins has an attached washroom along with a small cupboard and a writing desk.

The interiors of the coaches are done with utmost richness and will give you a homely feeling for the stay. Each coach/salon had 3 rooms, Ruby, Pearl and Diamond with a personalized attendant and a salon captain. We stayed at Ruby which had the decor color as Ruby Red. Keith was the salon captain and Rajinder was our salon attendant they helped us in the best way possible throughout our journey.

The train houses 2 multi-cuisine restaurants namely Maharaja and Maharani. The food served in both the restaurants is a best of Indian, Continental, Italian and Mughlai dishes. The staff and the service of the restaurant are impeccable and they ensure you have the most comfortable dining experience every time you visit it.

All you need to do is just go and sit and the staff takes care of the rest. They serve you with utmost love and present each dish prepared to you. Both the restaurants have a bar to serve amazing cocktails and mocktails as per your need.

Gym, Spa and Other Amenities:
The Palace on Wheels takes care of all your health needs and provides you an in-house gym along with the spa. The spa facilities are chargeable additionally and help you rejuvenate completely during the course of the journey. The train also has an onboard wi-fi connectivity to keep you stay connected while on the move.

Some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Palace on Wheels:

This was our first blog post on Palace on Wheels and we shall be writing more in detail on the places visited, the fun we had on this amazing journey and the memories generated for the lifetime soon.

Do shoot your questions on the Palace on Wheels in the comments section below.