The Palace on Wheels: 8-Day Luxury Train Journey Through Rajasthan and to the Taj Mahal

Board the Palace on Wheels in Delhi

Check in at Delhi's Safdarjung railway station in the afternoon, where you are welcomed aboard with garlands and a traditional ceremony. Settle into your saloon, each named after and decorated in the style of one of Rajasthan's former princely states, and meet the attendant who looks after your carriage for the week.

Most international flights reach Delhi late at night or early in the morning, so we strongly recommend a night in a Delhi hotel before you board. It gives you a buffer against flight delays and a chance to sleep off the journey. We arrange the hotel and a private transfer to the station, timed so you are not waiting on the platform. Keep a small bag with what you need for the first evening and morning to hand.

Spend the first hours getting to know the train. The lounge bar is the natural place to meet your fellow passengers, many of whom you will share excursions with over the coming week. Dinner is served in one of the two restaurant cars, the Maharaja and the Maharani, as the train leaves Delhi overnight for Jaipur. Turn in early if you can, as the sightseeing days start soon after breakfast.

• AfternoonCheck-in and welcome at Safdarjung station
• EveningDinner on board; overnight to Jaipur

OvernightAboard the Palace on Wheels.

Jaipur, the Pink City

Arrive in Jaipur, founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and painted pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales. Drive out to Amber Fort, the hilltop palace of the Kachwaha kings, with its Hall of Mirrors and views over Maota Lake.

Return to the city for the City Palace, still home to the former royal family, and Jantar Mantar, Jai Singh's 18th-century observatory of giant stone instruments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At Jantar Mantar, look for the Samrat Yantra, a giant sundial whose shadow still tells local time to within a few seconds. Pause for photographs at the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Winds, and leave time for the bazaars, famous for gems, block-printed textiles and blue pottery.

Amber involves ramps, steps and uneven stone, so wear comfortable shoes and go steadily. If there is a moment for a snack in the old city, try a pyaaz kachori, a flaky pastry filled with spiced onion that Jaipur is known for. Buy gems only from established shops that give a written certificate. In the evening the train departs for Sawai Madhopur, the gateway to Ranthambore.

• MorningAmber Fort
• AfternoonCity Palace, Jantar Mantar, the Hawa Mahal and the bazaars
• EveningTrain to Sawai Madhopur

OvernightAboard the Palace on Wheels.

A tiger safari in Ranthambore

Head into Ranthambore National Park at first light on a shared canter safari. Once the hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur, Ranthambore is one of the best places in India to see wild tigers, in a landscape of dry forest, lakes and ruined pavilions below a 10th-century hilltop fort. Leopards, sloth bears, sambar deer, crocodiles and many birds live here too.

Safari routes are divided into zones allotted by the forest department, so no two drives are quite the same. Your guide and driver read alarm calls from deer and langur monkeys and look for pugmarks in the dust, which is often how a tiger is found. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the park's scenery makes the morning memorable regardless.

Dress in layers. From November to February the open canters are cold at dawn, then warm quickly once the sun is up. A scarf against the dust, a hat and binoculars are useful, and keep voices low near animals. Return to the train for lunch as it continues towards Chittorgarh, with the afternoon free to rest, read or watch the countryside of eastern Rajasthan pass by from the lounge.

• DawnShared canter safari in Ranthambore
• AfternoonTrain to Chittorgarh

OvernightAboard the Palace on Wheels.

Chittorgarh Fort and the lakes of Udaipur

Visit Chittorgarh Fort, the largest fort in India, spread over a plateau more than 3 km long and part of the UNESCO-listed Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Its towers of Victory and Fame, palaces and temples tell the story of the Rajputs of Mewar, who chose death over surrender three times rather than yield the fort.

Look for the nine-storey Vijay Stambha, raised by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century and carved inside and out with Hindu deities, and the older Kirti Stambha, a slender Jain tower. Near a pool stands the palace linked to the legend of Rani Padmini. The fort is large, so you move between the main sites by vehicle, with short walks over worn stone at each stop.

Continue to Udaipur, the City of Lakes, founded by the Mewar rulers after they left Chittorgarh. Visit the City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, and take a boat on Lake Pichola past the white Lake Palace, which seems to float on the water, and the island palace of Jag Mandir. The palace museum has many stairs and narrow passages, and the late-afternoon light on the lake is the best of the day for photographs.

• MorningChittorgarh Fort
• AfternoonCity Palace and a boat on Lake Pichola, Udaipur

OvernightAboard the Palace on Wheels.

Jaisalmer, the Golden City

Arrive in Jaisalmer, deep in the Thar Desert near the border with Pakistan. Its honey-coloured sandstone fort, built in 1156 and part of the UNESCO-listed Hill Forts of Rajasthan, is one of the few in the world still lived in, with houses, temples and shops inside its walls. Inside are a group of Jain temples carved between about the 12th and 15th centuries; shoes come off, and leather items such as belts and wallets are not allowed inside.

Walk through the old city to the havelis of the merchants who grew rich on the camel caravan trade, especially Patwon ki Haveli and Nathmal ki Haveli, carved like lace in yellow stone. The lanes are narrow and shared with cows and scooters, so watch your step. Desert cooking is simple and filling: look for ker sangri, a tangy dish of dried desert beans and berries, and dal baati churma.

In the late afternoon, ride a camel in the sand dunes as the sun sets over the desert. The sand turns from gold to rose as the light goes, and the temperature drops quickly afterwards, so take a warm layer between November and February. The train leaves overnight for Jodhpur.

• MorningJaisalmer Fort
• AfternoonThe merchant havelis
• SunsetCamel ride in the dunes

OvernightAboard the Palace on Wheels.

Jodhpur, the Blue City

Visit Mehrangarh Fort, one of the largest and most impressive forts in India, rising sheer from a rock 120 metres above the city. Rao Jodha, who founded Jodhpur, began it in 1459. Inside are richly decorated palaces, including the gilded Phool Mahal and the mirrored Sheesh Mahal, and one of the best museums in Rajasthan, with royal palanquins, howdahs, paintings and arms.

On the way up, look for the small handprints beside the Loha Pol gate, left by royal widows. The approach is steep, but there is a lift for part of the climb. From the ramparts you look down over the old city, its houses washed in indigo blue.

Visit Jaswant Thada, the white marble cenotaph of the royal family, built in 1899, whose thin marble panels glow in the sun. If time allows, see the Umaid Bhawan Palace, completed in the 1940s and part museum, part royal residence, part hotel. Jodhpur's street snacks include mirchi bada, a stuffed and fried green chilli, and the thick, creamy makhaniya lassi. The train departs in the evening towards Bharatpur.

• MorningMehrangarh Fort and its museum
• AfternoonJaswant Thada and Umaid Bhawan Palace
• EveningTrain to Bharatpur

OvernightAboard the Palace on Wheels.

Keoladeo bird sanctuary and the Taj Mahal

Ride through Keoladeo National Park by cycle-rickshaw, with a naturalist. These former duck-hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Bharatpur are now a UNESCO-listed wetland and one of the finest bird sanctuaries in Asia, with more than 350 species recorded, including painted storks, sarus cranes and, in winter, migrant ducks and geese from Central Asia. The rickshaw pullers are licensed by the park and many know the birds well. November to February is the best time for migrants.

Continue to Agra, about 55 km away, for the journey's high point: the Taj Mahal, built by the emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, ideally seen in the late-afternoon light. Look closely at the white marble, inlaid with flowers of semi-precious stone, and the Quranic calligraphy around the arches. Security is strict: carry only a small bag, with no food, tripods or large electronics. Visit Agra Fort, the red sandstone citadel of the Mughal emperors, before returning to the train. (The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays; the operator plans around this.)

• MorningKeoladeo National Park by cycle-rickshaw
• AfternoonThe Taj Mahal and Agra Fort

OvernightAboard the Palace on Wheels.

Journey's end in Delhi

Breakfast on board as the train makes its way back to Delhi, arriving at Safdarjung station in the morning. Use the last hour to pack, settle any extras and swap contact details with the friends you have made on board.

We meet you with a private transfer to the airport or your hotel. In December and January, fog around Delhi can delay trains by a few hours, so if you are flying home the same day, an evening or night flight is safest. We can also arrange a Delhi tour or an extension to Varanasi, Ranthambore or the Himalaya.

• MorningArrive in Delhi; private transfer