Compare Luxury Trains
Over centuries the legendary stories of wealth and powerful kings of India have fascinated the world. The term “Maharaja” has been used to describe an extremely rich & powerful Hindu King who has a huge army at disposal and to whom number of smaller kingdoms had to pay regular monetary tribute. The wife of the Maharaja was called a “Maharani”. The court of Queen Victoria & later British Raj further romanticized this title for purpose of ensuring loyalty to the British Crown. The Marketing of former Palaces in Rajasthan, now converted into luxury spa hotels, have further added to this aura.
To facilitate the guests who wants to visit famous forts & palaces in desert state of Rajasthan, the Indian Railways in collaboration with Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, launched a train tour using private saloon carriage of former Maharajas, Nizams and British Viceroy, in 1984. A bygone era was recreated, for perhaps first time in India, where the concept of butler service on a commercial Tour was introduced with fixed day group excursions. This train tour was called Palace On Wheels, which is soon rated amongst the top ten journeys in the world. However, these carriages had to be replaced by A/C saloons, running on metre gauge tracks and the original saloons that were formally used are preserved at the Rail Museum, New Delhi. The present Air conditioned Carriages of Palace on Wheels train running on broad gauge tracks were introduced in 1996 and each saloon is named after a former royal province of the State of Rajasthan, bearing the royal crest on the outside with the interior work related to that particular region.
The first luxury Train –The Palace on Wheels started operations way back in 1982 & since then numerous luxury Train Tours have been introduced. Currently ,there are four such luxury train tours operating in India viz Palace on Wheels ,Deccan Odyssey, Maharajas Express & the fourth -luxury train called Golden Chariot Train is under renovation work.
- Travel in Private AC sleeping Chambers with attached bathroom
- Freshly cooked Meals served in on-board Dining Saloons OR in luxury hotels
- Package costs includes pre-arranged group sightseeing tours & excursions with facility ofEnglish speaking guides ,in each tourist town visited
- Concept of personalized service combined with professional touch.
- Operate on a seasonal basis between September to April (no service from May to August)
Comparison of all Luxury Train Tours in India
Luxury Train Tour Name | Rating | Train Operator | Operational Months | Number of Circuits | Types of Cabins | Does it cover Taj Mahal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Palace on Wheels | A Royal Experience | Tourism Dept of Rajasthan (RTDC) |
From first week of September till last week of April |
One Circuit | TWO (Deluxe & Super Deluxe) | YES |
The Deccan Odyssey | Luxury Experience | Currently outsourced to Coxs & Kings |
From Last week of September till Mid May |
Six Different Circuits (all of 7 nights duration each) | TWO (Deluxe Cabin & Presidential Suite) | Two of 6 circuits cover Taj Mahal |
The Maharajas Express | Ultra Luxury Experience | IRCTC (Commercial Wing of Indian Railways) |
From Last week of September to first week of April |
Four Different Circuits (Three of 6 nights duration each & one of 3 Nights) | FOUR (Deluxe Cabin, Junior Suite, Suite & Presidential Suite ) | All 4 Circuits cover Taj Mahal |
The Golden Chariot | UNDER RENOVATION | Tourism Dept of Karnataka (KSTDC) |
Details awaited | Details awaited | Details Awaited | NO (Since operates in South India) |