11 Nights / 12 Days Fully Guided Tours Private Car
Delhi - Udaipur - Delhi - Jaipur - Ranthambore - Agra - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Delhi
Candles on the balconies of a lake palace on Christmas Eve, and fireworks of a different kind as the year turns on a moving train in the heart of India: the Christmas & New Year Luxury Train Tour India is built around two celebrations in two very different settings. It opens in Delhi on 22 December, flies you to Udaipur for three nights over Christmas, and then places you aboard the Maharajas' Express on its Indian Panorama departure of 27 December, which returns to Delhi on 2 January after a week of palaces, tigers, Mughal tombs and river temples.
The timing is the point. Late December brings the best weather of the year to North India, with clear blue days around 20 to 24 degrees Celsius and crisp nights. Udaipur's palace hotels dress their courtyards with lights and garlands, serve festive dinners by the water and arrange carols and music for guests from around the world. On the train, New Year's Eve falls on the day you visit Orchha and Khajuraho, and the celebration takes place on board that night. New Year's Day is spent in Varanasi, a city that has greeted the sunrise beside the Ganges for thousands of years.
IRCTC operates the Maharajas' Express, which the World Travel Awards have more than once ranked as the finest luxury train on earth. Its accommodation climbs from Deluxe Cabins to a Presidential Suite as long as a whole coach, and each guest is looked after by a butler. Holiday departures carry a festive surcharge and sell out early, so cabins are best reserved many months ahead. Your train cabin, the Udaipur and Delhi hotels, the internal flights and all private drivers and guides are reserved by Top Indian Holidays, a Ministry of Tourism approved firm that has operated independently from Jaipur since the late nineties.
Beyond customs at Indira Gandhi International Airport, a smiling member of our team holds up your name and leads you to a chauffeured, air-conditioned car; the run to your central Delhi luxury hotel lasts 40 to 60 minutes. Late December is peak season in the capital, and hotels are busy with weddings, holiday travelers and festive events, so our team confirms early check-in in advance wherever possible. Keep a warm layer handy, since Delhi nights in December can drop to 5 to 8 degrees Celsius.
The day is free to rest after your flight. Many central hotels put up Christmas trees and decorations in their lobbies, and afternoon tea in a hotel lounge is a gentle first activity. If you would like to stretch your legs, Lodhi Garden is a short drive away, with old tombs, shady paths and families out for a winter stroll. Morning fog is common in Delhi at this time of year, and it can occasionally delay flights, which is one reason we build a full day here before Udaipur.
Dinner tonight is at your hotel or at a restaurant reserved by our team. North Indian winter cooking is rich and warming, with slow-cooked lentils, clay-oven breads, grilled skewers and dishes made with seasonal carrots and mustard greens. Our team will confirm the time for tomorrow's transfer to the domestic terminal for the morning flight to Udaipur. Keep your bags light if you can, as domestic flights in India usually allow 15 kilograms of checked luggage in economy, though extra weight can be pre-booked. A good night's sleep is the best preparation.
After breakfast, your driver takes you to the domestic terminal for the flight to Udaipur, which takes about one hour and twenty minutes. Clear winter skies often give fine views of the Aravalli hills as the plane comes in to land. On arrival at Maharana Pratap Airport, your driver meets you for the 40-minute drive into the city, past farmland, marble workshops and small villages. The air here is cleaner and calmer than in Delhi, and daytime temperatures in late December sit around 24 degrees Celsius.
Your home for the next three nights is a lake palace hotel, such as the Taj Lake Palace on its island in Lake Pichola or The Oberoi Udaivilas on the lake shore, depending on availability and your preference. Both are among the most celebrated hotels in India, with courtyards, pools and terraces facing the water. Check-in is usually from about 14:00, and at the island hotel guests arrive by private boat from a jetty on the shore, which makes a memorable start to Christmas week.
Spend the afternoon settling in, then head to a terrace at sunset, when the city's white palaces and temples turn gold and pink above the lake and the Aravalli hills fade into blue silhouettes. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel, where festive decorations and candles fill the courtyards during Christmas week. If you prefer to dine in town, our team can reserve a rooftop table with views over the lake. Ask the hotel about its Christmas program, as each one arranges different events.
Following breakfast, your guide leads the way into the City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan's biggest royal complex, its tiers of pale towers and balconies stacked above Lake Pichola's eastern bank. Built over about four centuries by the rulers of Mewar, it contains mirrored rooms, painted walls and peacock mosaics made of colored glass. The Crystal Gallery holds furniture, chandeliers and tableware of cut glass ordered from England by a nineteenth-century ruler, including a crystal bed. Allow about two hours. Arrive early to beat the holiday crowds.
Later, a private boat carries you across Lake Pichola, gliding past the Lake Palace, the island palace of Jagmandir and bathing steps where local families wash and pray. The lake is calm and still in winter, and the boat ride gives the best views of the city's palaces and temples rising from the water. Return to your hotel for lunch and a rest, or spend an hour in the old city lanes, where miniature painters and textile workshops sell their work. Udaipur is lively at Christmas, with many visitors in town.
Christmas Eve at a lake palace hotel is a special occasion. Most hotels host a gala dinner with live music, carols or a dance performance, often by candlelight in a courtyard or on a terrace by the water. Dress is usually smart, and a jacket or shawl is wise as evenings by the lake are cool. Our team can arrange transport to a midnight service at one of the city's churches if you would like to attend, and your driver will wait to bring you back afterward.
Christmas Day begins at your own pace with a long breakfast by the lake. Most hotels offer a festive brunch or lunch, often with roast turkey, plum pudding and Indian dishes side by side, and many add small touches such as gifts for guests and decorated trees in the lobby. There is no fixed program until the afternoon, so this is a good moment to book a spa treatment, swim in the heated pool or read on your balcony while boats drift past on the lake.
In the late afternoon, your driver and guide take you to Saheliyon Ki Bari, an eighteenth-century garden built for the royal ladies of the court, with lotus pools, marble elephants and fountains that are said to work through the pressure of water from the lake. Then drive up to the Monsoon Palace on a hilltop west of the city, built in the late nineteenth century to watch the gathering monsoon clouds. The road climbs through a wildlife sanctuary, and the drive takes about 30 minutes.
From the terraces of the Monsoon Palace, the sunset view over the lakes, hills and city is one of the finest in Rajasthan, and it makes a lovely Christmas Day moment. Bring a light jacket, as the hilltop is breezy and cools quickly after dark. Return to your hotel for a festive dinner, which may be a Christmas buffet or a private meal arranged by our team on a lakeside terrace. Pack your main bags tonight, as tomorrow's flight back to Delhi is in the late morning.
After breakfast, take a last look at the lake before your driver collects you for the drive to Udaipur airport. The flight to Delhi takes about one hour and twenty minutes. Back in the capital, a driver is waiting to take you to a central Delhi luxury hotel for a single night. The timing allows a buffer in case of winter fog delays, which can affect morning flights into Delhi in late December. If you arrive early, the rest of the day is free. Our team tracks the flight and adjusts the pickup if needed.
If you would like a gentle afternoon outing, our team can arrange a guide for Humayun's Tomb, the sixteenth-century garden tomb of red sandstone and marble that inspired the Taj Mahal, which you will see later in the week. The gardens are particularly pleasant in the winter afternoon sun. Alternatively, Khan Market is a small, upscale shopping district with bookshops, designer boutiques and cafes, about 15 minutes from most central hotels, and good for any last festive gifts. Your driver stays with you all afternoon, so there is no need to worry about taxis or directions in the busy holiday traffic.
In the evening, have a light dinner and an early night, as tomorrow's departure on the Maharajas' Express begins at dawn. Repack your luggage so that the clothes you will need for the next week are easy to reach: warm layers for the safari, smart outfits for dinners on board, and something festive for New Year's Eve. Our team will confirm the pickup time, usually around 06:45, for the short drive to Safdarjung station. Keep your passport in your hand luggage for registration. A wake-up call is arranged for you.
Our driver collects you from your hotel in the early morning for the short drive to Delhi Safdarjung station, where guest registration opens at about 07:30. The platform is decorated for the holiday departure, and staff welcome you with garlands, music and a hot or cold drink while your luggage is taken to your cabin. The atmosphere on a holiday departure is warm and celebratory, as many guests are traveling as families or groups of friends to mark the end of the year together. Children and grandparents often travel together.
The Maharajas' Express pulls out of Safdarjung at about 08:30 and heads south-west toward Rajasthan. Your butler gives a tour of the cabin, showing the heating and lighting panels, the shower and the safe, and notes whether you prefer tea or coffee at dawn. Lunch is laid in Mayur Mahal or Rang Mahal, the pair of dining cars, whose menus blend Indian regional cooking with continental dishes. The Rajah Club lounge and the Safari Bar are good places to meet fellow guests. Tea and snacks are served in the afternoon.
By mid-afternoon the train is in Jaipur, and around 15:00 you head off to the City Palace of Jaipur, where your guide shows you the courtyards, gateways and museum halls that hold royal robes, weapons and miniature paintings. After dark a grand welcome dinner is held at Rambagh Palace, once the home of Jaipur's royal family and today a Taj hotel. The palace is beautifully lit at this time of year, and it is a fitting start to the festive week. You return to the train by about 20:30.
After breakfast on board, you leave at about 08:30 for Amber Fort, the honey-colored hilltop citadel that was home to the Kachwaha rulers before Jaipur was built. Jeeps carry you up the steep road to the main courtyard, saving a long walk. Late December mornings in Jaipur are cool and clear, around 10 to 12 degrees Celsius at the start, rising to about 22 degrees by midday, so dress in layers that you can remove as the sun warms the stone. Sunglasses and a hat are useful by late morning.
Inside, you walk with your guide past the pillared audience hall and the frescoed Ganesh Pol into the private royal quarters, where the Mirror Palace is the highlight. Its walls and ceiling are covered with thousands of tiny pieces of mirror, which sparkle when light falls on them. From the ramparts, the old defense walls run across the surrounding hills, and Maota Lake lies directly below. The fort is busy in the holiday season, which is another reason to arrive early with the train group. Allow about two hours for the visit.
You are free after lunch, and if you wish we provide a car and guide for the walled city's markets, where gemstones, block-printed fabrics, blue pottery and silver jewelry make good gifts, and the Hawa Mahal facade glows pink in the late afternoon light. Alternatively, enjoy the spa on board or rest in your cabin. Dinner is served as the train pulls out for Sawai Madhopur after dark. Request a very early call from your butler and lay out your warmest clothes for tomorrow's open safari vehicle.
Late December is the coldest time of year in Ranthambore, and the morning safari starts at about 07:00 in an open vehicle. Temperatures can fall to 6 to 9 degrees Celsius or lower, and the wind feels colder while driving, so wear a warm hat, gloves, a scarf and a thick jacket. The train team often provides blankets and hot water bottles. Your naturalist guides you into Ranthambore National Park, one of India's best-known tiger reserves, with mist hanging over the lakes in the early light.
Winter is a good season for wildlife viewing. Animals are active in the cool morning, and tigers often come out to sun themselves on rocks or tracks once the day warms. Large brown deer, spotted deer, wild boar, gray monkeys and crocodiles are common, and migratory birds from Central Asia and Siberia join the resident species on the lakes. Your naturalist reads alarm calls and fresh tracks on the dusty paths, but sightings of a tiger can never be promised on any single drive. Binoculars are a great help in winter.
Back on the train, breakfast is followed by lunch as it travels north-east. Around 15:30 you arrive at Fatehpur Sikri, the red-walled capital Akbar raised toward the close of the sixteenth century and deserted soon afterward. The palaces, the courtyards and the gleaming marble shrine of the Sufi holy man Salim Chishti survive in remarkable condition, and the late winter sun gives the sandstone a warm orange glow. In the evening, a themed dinner on board adds a festive touch with music and regional dishes.
You leave the train before sunrise to reach the Taj Mahal as its gates open. In late December, morning mist often hangs over the Yamuna River, and the tomb can appear to float in a soft white haze before the sun clears it. It is a magical sight, though on foggier days the view sharpens a little later in the morning. Your guide recounts how the emperor Shah Jahan raised the tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, then picks out the inlaid flowers, calligraphy and perfect symmetry of the complex.
After the visit, you are taken to a luxury hotel with a view of the Taj Mahal for breakfast. Sitting with a hot coffee and looking at the monument in the morning sun is one of the quiet pleasures of the week. The Taj Mahal is busier than usual during the holiday season, which makes the early start even more worthwhile. Remember that it is closed every Friday, and that tripods, drones, food and large bags are not permitted inside the complex. Ask for a terrace table if possible.
You lunch on board and then have the afternoon to yourself. A popular optional outing is Agra Fort, the riverside sandstone stronghold where the captive Shah Jahan passed his final years gazing toward his wife's tomb. Others book a massage in the spa car or simply sleep off the dawn start in the comfort of the cabin. After dark the train pulls out of Agra and heads south into the heart of central India. The crew begins preparing for tomorrow's New Year's Eve celebration, and dinner tonight is relaxed and informal.
The last day of the year begins at Orchha, where the train arrives at about 07:00. In the cold morning light, the Bundela palaces on their island in the Betwa River look almost untouched by time. Your guide leads you through the Jahangir Mahal, with its many terraces and domes, and then takes you on a short ride through the village and past the royal cenotaphs on the riverbank, where vultures nest on the domes. Bring a warm layer, as early mornings on the river are chilly.
After breakfast on board, the train continues to Khajuraho, where the afternoon is spent among the World Heritage temples of the Western Group. Raised by Chandela rulers roughly a millennium ago, the temples are covered with carvings of gods, goddesses, dancers, musicians, warriors and animals, all in fine-grained sandstone. The winter sun is pleasant for walking around the gardens, and the soft afternoon light brings out the depth of the carvings. Allow time to sit on a shady bench and look closely at the details, and ask your guide to point out the smaller friezes.
Back on the train, the evening is given over to the New Year's Eve celebration on board the Maharajas' Express. The crew decorates the restaurants and lounge, and guests dress in their smartest outfits for a gala dinner with music and festive dishes. As midnight approaches, everyone gathers to count down to the new year together, often with dancing, toasts and the cheerful noise of a train full of travelers from many countries. It is a rare and memorable way to welcome the new year.
New Year's Day begins with a late breakfast as the train crosses the plains of Uttar Pradesh toward Varanasi, among the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. A car takes you from the station to lunch at the Taj Ganges hotel, followed by a 10 kilometer drive to Sarnath, where the Buddha first taught after his enlightenment. Here you see the great Dhamek Stupa, a domed Buddhist monument of brick and stone, the foundations of early monasteries and a museum that houses Ashoka's lion capital, adopted as India's state emblem. In winter, monks and pilgrims arrive from all over Asia.
In the late afternoon you visit a silk weaving workshop, where artisans still create the famous Varanasi brocades on hand looms. Watching the weavers at work, you see how patterns are built thread by thread, often over several weeks for a single full-length piece of cloth. There is no obligation to buy, but scarves and stoles make fine souvenirs of the trip. On New Year's Day the city is lively, with families and pilgrims visiting temples and the river to begin the year with prayers. Shipping can be arranged for larger pieces.
At sunset a boat takes you out on the Ganges in Varanasi for the evening fire ritual, which in winter starts around 18:00. Young priests swing heavy, flaming lamps through the dusk as bells ring, voices chant and conch shells sound, while thousands of people watch from the stone steps and small candle-lit leaf boats drift on the river. Seeing this on the first day of the year feels especially meaningful, and the boat gives you an unobstructed view. A farewell dinner awaits back aboard as the train turns for Delhi through the night.
On the final morning aboard the Maharajas' Express, breakfast is unhurried while frosty Uttar Pradesh farmland slides past the windows. Take time to say goodbye to your butler and the restaurant staff, settle any bar or spa bills and share contact details with the friends you have made over the festive week. Many guests find that the shared celebrations of New Year's Eve create a real sense of community among fellow travelers by the end of the journey. Tips can be left in an envelope for the crew.
Around midday, at 12:00 or so, the train reaches Delhi Safdarjung, and a driver from our team waits beside your carriage for the bags. Travelers heading home the same day should choose an overseas flight departing after 21:00; we can book a hotel room for the afternoon so you have somewhere to rest and change, and the station to airport drive then takes 30 to 50 minutes. Allow extra time, as fog and holiday traffic can slow journeys in early January. Our team monitors the train's progress.
Top Indian Holidays has looked after every part of your Christmas & New Year Luxury Train Tour India, from the first airport welcome on 22 December to this final transfer, and, as an independent Jaipur operator, we keep a team member on call at any hour until your flight departs. Should you want more time in India, a few days of winter sun in Goa or Kerala make a relaxing coda, and we would be glad to arrange it with private cars and hand-picked hotels. Simply let us know your wishes early, as holiday space fills quickly.
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