What is Palace on Wheels train in India

The Palace on Wheels is a luxury train operated by Indian Railways specially for tourists visiting India and wanting to see the most popular tourist destinations in North India popularly known as the Indian Golden Triangle tourist places.

The idea of a Palace on Wheels Maharaja trains was born because after India's Independence, the Indian Railways got possession of some exotic railway carriages which belonged to the old Maharaja's of India and the legendary Nizam of Hyderabad, who in those days was considered the richest man on earth. There were also the carriages of the British Viceroy or Governor of India and other Coaches meant for the British royalty when they visited India.

The Indian Railways had no idea what to do with these lavishly decorated ultra-comfortable railway carriages which were in their possession until they hit upon the idea of having an ultra-luxury tourist train and appropriately called it the 'Palace on Wheels' and 'Maharaja Trains'.

Ever since its inception in 1982, the Palace on Wheels grabbed world headlines and has been constantly on the list of the world’s best luxury trains. The Palace on Wheels was so successful that it was the precursor to more Ultra luxury tourist trains in India like the Maharaja Express, Golden Chariot and so on. On the present day Palace on Wheels, the original coaches of the Maharaja's have been replaced with brand new modern versions of those pompous luxury coaches. The whole aim of the Palace on wheels is to make you feel like a Maharaja for the few days that you journey on the Palace on wheels.

Is the price of Palace on Wheels train worth it?

The cost of travel on the Palace on wheels is very expensive, exorbitant in fact. You are talking about US $ 47,000- list price for a weeks trip for 2 in the Presidential suite of the Palace on wheels, down to about $10,000- on standard, though very comfortable cabins. Whether the price on the Palace on Wheels train is worth it, depends on the persons involved. But those that have done the trip on the Palace on Wheels are generally very happy that they took the trip on the exotic Palace on wheels.

Timings of Palace on Wheels journey

Palace on Wheels journey starts every Wednesday in Safdarjang Railway Station, New Delhi in the evening and you return back to New Delhi the following Wednesday in the morning. The timings and route of the Palace on wheels are as follows:

The Palace on Wheel starts from Delhi and proceeds to the wonders of Rajasthan in the ancient cities of Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur and Udaipur. The train then proceeds to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and later to Bharatpur to visit Fatehpur Sikri and Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary now a world heritage site Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary. A more detailed day wise schedule of the Palace on wheels is as follows

Day 1
Ceremonious Welcomed on board Palace on Wheels Train. Overnight journey to Jaipur. Dinner is served on board.

Day 2
Jaipur: Breakfast on board. Jaipur is known as the pink city of India. Here visit the famous 'Hawa Mahal' which means Palace of Winds, elephant ride in Amber Fort, Lunch at Ram Bagh Palace. Visit Jantar Mantar, the olden days observatory with the astronomical instruments made of masonry. Have dinner on board. Overnight journey to Jaisalmer

Day 3
Jaisalmer: Breakfast on board the train. Visit the famous Havelis of Jaisalmer renowned for its carved latticed windows and balconies. An exciting camel ride on the sand dunes of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Evening visit Moomal Palace where dinner is served. Overnight journey to Jodhpur.

Day 4
Jodhpur: Breakfast on the train. Visit Amber castle, Mehrangarh fort. Have lunch in the Umaid Bhawan Palace. Overnight journey to Sawai Madhopur and Dinner on board the train.

Day 5

Sawai Madhopur: Breakfast on board as usual. Visit Ranthanbore National Park for a jeep safari to see tigers in the wild. Visit Chittorgarh Fort. Overnight journey to Udaipur with dinner on board.

Day 6
Udaipur: Sightseeing in Udaipur. This is the city of lakes and palaces. Lunch at the Lake Palace Hotel. Visit Lake Palace, City Palace, Lake Pichola. Overnight journey to Agra.

Day 7
Agra: Visit Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and journey to Bharatpur to see Fatehpur Sikri and later to the world heritage Keoladeo Ghana National Park one of the best bird sanctuaries in the world. Overnight journey to Delhi

Day 8
Arrive back in NewDelhi

What is the Golden Triangle tour of India

Golden Triangle India map
Golden Triangle India map

The Golden Triangle tour destinations of India are Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan. The name Golden Triangle of India came to be used because the locations of these most popular tourist destinations in India, New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan are like a triangle on a map. We have a Map of Golden Triangle India here. The Palace on Wheels tour route is along these Golden Triangle tourist spots of India.

Other pages in our website www.IndiaEnjoy.com

Below are links to all the pages on this website and we hope you will make full use of all the great information about India. So please 'Enjoy India' through our website IndiaEnjoy.com