Imagine walking into a train that looks and feels like a royal palace - silk drapes, carved teak, a butler already knowing your name. The royal trains of India do not just cover distance. They carry you through the last century of the subcontinent's grandest hospitality.
Every state once had its own. Rajasthan, Hyderabad, Gwalior. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala famously had one fitted with a teak dining car and a ballroom on wheels. After Independence, many of these carriages were preserved for tourism - restored, re-staffed, and put back on the tracks with modern comforts added underneath the gilding.
“These trains are the epitome of luxury travel - a seamless blend of history and comfort.”
There are five still worth the journey. The Palace on Wheels, the king of the Rajasthan circuit. The Maharajas' Express, the most modern of them all - Wi-Fi, panoramic windows, private Taj Mahal tours. The Deccan Odyssey, which pairs a wellness spa with the Ajanta-Ellora caves. The Golden Chariot, the only one heading south - Hampi, Mysore, Coorg's coffee plantations. And Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, which adds Varanasi and the Ganga aarti to the Rajasthan loop.
Onboard, the days have a rhythm. Guests are welcomed with garlands and tilaks - the old royal welcome. Cabins are small by palace standards but big by train standards, and every one of them finds a way to hide the last century's engineering behind embroidery. Silver service at dinner. Kathak and puppet shows in the lounge car. Somewhere around the third night you stop remembering you're on a train.
Food is the other reason people come back. Dal baati churma and Hyderabadi biryani, both done the way they were meant to be done, served on plates heavier than any airline's. The chefs know their routes the way sommeliers know their regions.
“The Palace on Wheels was an experience of a lifetime. From the hospitality to the excursions - everything was flawless.”
A practical note: the season is October to March. Anything outside that, and the Indian sun has opinions. Packages include meals, guided tours and monument entries. Bring light cotton for the day, something dressy for dinner, and a camera that handles low light - most of the best interiors are lit like they would have been a hundred years ago, because that is the point.
