11 Nights / 12 Days Fully Guided Tours Private Car
Delhi - Jaipur - Ranthambore - Chittorgarh - Udaipur - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Keoladeo - Agra - Delhi - Amritsar - Delhi
Gold leaf on the dome of a Sikh shrine catches the last light over a still pool, and a few days earlier you were watching the same evening glow settle over the sand of the Thar Desert. The Palace on Wheels with Amritsar Golden Temple links two very different faces of north India in twelve days. The first part is a full seven-night circuit of Rajasthan on India's original luxury train, and the second takes you north to Punjab for two nights in Amritsar, home of the Golden Temple and a short drive from the border with Pakistan.
The Palace on Wheels, run by Rajasthan Tourism together with Indian Railways, first rolled out of Delhi more than four decades ago, and its carriages still carry the names of the old princely states of Rajasthan. Over seven nights it stops at Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur for Ranthambore, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra, so you wake almost every morning in a new city with a guide waiting. The train runs between September and April, which matches the most comfortable months for both Rajasthan and Punjab.
Amritsar brings a change of mood after the palaces. Here you join pilgrims around the holy pool of the Golden Temple, watch the nightly procession that carries the sacred book to its resting place, stand in the stands at Attari for the flag-lowering ceremony at the border and spend a quiet hour in the Partition Museum. Top Indian Holidays, a Ministry of Tourism approved travel company that has worked out of Jaipur since the late nineties, secures your cabin through the train's operator and handles every transfer, your hotels in Delhi and Amritsar and a private guide for the Punjab portion. Nights before and after the train are spent in luxury hotels, and a private car with driver handles every road journey.
Your Palace on Wheels with Amritsar Golden Temple tour begins at Indira Gandhi International Airport, where someone from our team stands at the arrivals exit holding a card with your name. The ride to your hotel in central or south Delhi takes roughly 40 to 60 minutes depending on the hour, and most long-haul flights from Europe and North America land late at night or very early in the morning. We request early check-in wherever possible so that you can sleep properly before the train journey begins the next afternoon.
If you arrive in daylight and feel rested, a gentle afternoon is best. Lodhi Garden, a short drive from most luxury hotels, has fifteenth-century tombs set among lawns where Delhi families jog and picnic, and it is a calm place to adjust to the warmth and noise of the capital. Our local representative can meet you at the hotel to go through your travel documents, confirm your cabin details and answer questions about clothing, phone connections and the daily rhythm on board the train, including the dress code for dinners.
For dinner, the hotel restaurants in Delhi are some of the best in the country, and our team can reserve a table for Mughlai or modern Indian cooking if you would like to begin with something special. Keep the evening short, though. Tomorrow you board at four in the afternoon, so pack a small overnight bag for the first night on the train and leave larger suitcases ready for the porters. We recommend changing some money into small notes for tips, which are welcome on train excursions.
The morning is free in Delhi, so sleep in, enjoy a slow breakfast and keep your energy for the evening. Check-out is usually at noon, and the hotel can hold your luggage or extend the room for a few hours if needed. At about 15:30 our driver collects you for the short drive to Delhi Safdarjung station, where reporting time for the Palace on Wheels is 16:00. On a platform set aside for the train, staff hang marigold garlands around your neck, hand you a cold drink and play folk tunes as you arrive.
Once your passports are checked, a cabin attendant escorts you to your carriage. Each one is named after a former princely state such as Bikaner, Jaisalmer or Kishangarh, and carries painted motifs and colors linked to that region. Spend the first hour unpacking and learning how the cabin works, since the space is compact and you will want everything within reach. The attendant assigned to your carriage stays with you for the week, bringing tea in the morning and helping with anything from laundry to wake-up calls.
The train pulls out at around 18:30 and runs south-west through the night toward Jaipur. The evening meal is laid out in the twin dining cars, named Maharaja and Maharani, with a mix of Indian and continental dishes. Afterwards the lounge bar fills with travelers swapping stories about where they have come from. Turn in early if you can: arrival in Jaipur is in the early morning, and the first full day of sightseeing is a long one with plenty of walking on uneven stone, so lay out comfortable shoes tonight.
Breakfast is served as the train eases into Jaipur, and the program begins with the Jantar Mantar, the open-air astronomical yard that Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II set up in the early eighteenth century, now protected by UNESCO. Its giant masonry instruments measure time, track stars and predict eclipses. The largest sundial casts a shadow that moves about a hand's width every minute, and your guide will show you how to read the local time from it to within a couple of seconds, something that never fails to impress.
Next comes a photo stop at the honeycomb facade of Hawa Mahal and a visit to the City Palace, before the coach climbs out of the city to Amber Fort. The approach winds past Maota Lake, and the fort's ochre walls rise in tiers above the water. Inside, look up in the Hall of Victory to see thousands of small mirrors set into the plaster ceiling. Wear shoes with good grip, because the ramps and stairways are polished smooth by centuries of footsteps and can be slippery.
As the day cools, you are free to roam the old walled city, whose shopping streets are still divided by craft. Johari Market is the place for jewelers and gem cutters, while Bapu Market is better for printed textiles and leather slippers. Bargaining is normal in small shops but not in showrooms with marked tags. A palace dinner is often arranged in Jaipur before the train departs at about 20:00. Once on board, ask your attendant to set an early alarm, because tomorrow begins before five, and a warm jacket should be ready by the cabin door.
Sawai Madhopur comes up in the dark at roughly 04:45, and your attendant brings a hot drink before you climb down into the chill. Safari vehicles collect guests at the station for the morning drive in Ranthambore National Park, starting at roughly 06:30 in October and from February, or about 07:00 in the winter months. In the three coldest months the thermometer can sit in the single digits Celsius at that hour, so a down vest, a woolen hat and a blanket from the train are welcome.
Tigers are the reason most people come, and Ranthambore gives good odds, but the forest repays attention to smaller things too. Listen for the sharp alarm bark of spotted deer, watch for crocodiles basking on the lake shores and look out for crested serpent eagles perched on dead branches. The ruined walls of Ranthambore Fort sit on a ridge above the jungle, and pavilions and old gateways appear among the trees in a way that makes the park unlike any other tiger reserve in India. Keep voices low and phones on silent so that the animals stay relaxed.
Back on board, breakfast and a long rest carry you through to Chittorgarh, where the train arrives in the middle of the afternoon. The fort spreads across a high plateau, and your guide brings you to the nine-story Vijay Stambh, the Tower of Victory, carved inside and out with Hindu deities. Nearby stands the palace of Rani Padmini, whose legend of courage is still told across Rajasthan. As darkness falls you stay inside the fort for the sound and light show, which narrates the history of the site with lighting on the old walls.
Udaipur appears around 07:00, and the city looks soft and pale after the dry plateau of Chittorgarh. The morning begins at Saheliyon Ki Bari, a garden of fountains and lotus pools laid out for the ladies of the royal court, before moving on to the City Palace of Udaipur, a long white complex that rises straight from the edge of the lake. Its courtyards are decorated with peacock mosaics in colored glass, and the views over the water from the upper balconies are excellent. Come with a light scarf, as the breeze off the lake can be cool.
Today we suggest lingering in the Crystal Gallery inside the Fateh Prakash Palace, a collection of crystal furniture, chandeliers, tableware and even a bed, ordered from England by a nineteenth-century ruler and left unpacked for decades. Few visitors give it the time it deserves. Photography is not allowed inside, so simply take it in. The gallery overlooks the grand Durbar Hall, one of the largest of its kind in India, with heavy chandeliers and portraits of the Mewar rulers lining the walls, and the room is still used for royal family occasions.
Before lunch you board a boat on Lake Pichola for a gentle circuit past the bathing steps, the island palace that is now the Taj Lake Palace hotel and the garden island of Jag Mandir. The midday light reflects strongly off the water, so sunglasses and a hat are useful even in winter. Lunch is taken in the city, after which the train departs at about 16:00 for its longest overnight run, heading north-west toward Jaisalmer and the edge of the desert. The lounge bar is a pleasant place to watch the scenery change.
Pulling into Jaisalmer around 08:30, you notice the color straight away, even from the window of your cabin: almost every building is cut from the same honey-yellow sandstone. The morning begins at Gadisar Lake, an old reservoir lined with small temples and arched gateways, before you climb into Jaisalmer Fort, one of the very few forts in the world where people still live, run shops and raise families inside the walls. Narrow lanes twist between houses, and the Jain temples inside are carved with remarkable delicacy, so allow time to look closely at the ceilings.
Our tip for today is to give extra time to Patwon Ki Haveli, a cluster of five merchant mansions built side by side by a wealthy family of brocade and opium traders. Every facade is covered in stone carved as finely as lace, with tiny balconies and screened windows. Climb to the rooftop for a view across the town to the fort. The nearby Nathmal Ji Ki Haveli is equally beautiful, carved by two brothers who each worked on one half, which explains why the sides do not match exactly.
As the sun drops, a vehicle takes you out past the town to sand hills where a string of camels stands ready for a short sunset ride. Desert nights are cold from December to February, so bring a warm layer for the return. Dinner is served at a five-star hotel in Jaisalmer, with folk musicians playing the long-necked string instruments of the desert. The train leaves at about 23:00, so there is time for a coffee before the late departure for Jodhpur. Shake the sand out of your shoes before boarding; the attendant will thank you.
Arrival at Mandore station on the edge of Jodhpur is around 07:00. Mehrangarh Fort dominates the skyline from a sheer rock outcrop, and the visit begins with the long climb through a series of gates, one still marked with cannonball scars. The museum inside holds an outstanding collection of canopied elephant seats, palanquins and miniature paintings. A lift saves the steepest section, though walking down the ramp afterward gives you the best views of the indigo-washed houses of the old city. Morning light from the eastern ramparts is the best for photographs.
Many itineraries rush the next stop, but Jaswant Thada deserves an unhurried half hour. This white marble memorial, built for Maharaja Jaswant Singh II in the late nineteenth century, is carved from stone so thin that it glows when the sun is behind it. Small lakes and terraced gardens surround it, and on most mornings a local musician plays near the entrance. It is also the quietest place in Jodhpur, and many guests find it a welcome pause after the crowds at the fort, and the red rocks around it make a striking contrast with the pale marble.
The final visit is to the museum wing of Umaid Bhawan Palace, a vast domed residence in the Art Deco style, part of which is still home to the former royal family and part a luxury hotel. The museum displays vintage cars, clocks and photographs of royal life in the early twentieth century. You return to the train for lunch, and departure is at about 16:30. The afternoon is a good time to book a massage on board, where offered, or simply watch the desert scrub turn to farmland.
Bharatpur arrives at around 05:00, and after tea you head for Keoladeo National Park, a UNESCO-listed wetland that was once a duck-hunting reserve of the local rulers. Between November and February it fills with migratory birds from Central Asia and Siberia, including several kinds of ducks, geese and storks. Inside the park, guests travel along the raised paths by bicycle or by small electric cart with a naturalist, stopping wherever a kingfisher or a painted stork appears. Bring binoculars and a light jacket, as mist often hangs over the marshes until the sun is up.
The train continues to Agra, arriving at about 11:00. Before lunch your guide takes you around Agra Fort, the Mughal stronghold of red stone that guards a bend in the Yamuna. Make sure to stop at the Musamman Burj, the eight-sided marble pavilion from which, tradition says, the imprisoned Shah Jahan gazed at his wife's tomb in his final years. The view from its marble terrace, with the Taj Mahal hazy on the horizon, sets the scene for the afternoon perfectly. The fort's Diwan-i-Khas and the white marble Pearl Mosque are also worth a look on the way out.
After lunch comes the Taj Mahal, visited in the afternoon when the marble turns from bright white to warm cream as the sun drops. Security at the gates is strict: food, tripods, chargers and large bags are not allowed, so carry only a phone, a camera and a small bottle of water. Shoe covers are provided for the main platform. The monument is closed on Fridays, which the train schedule takes into account. You reboard for a farewell dinner, and the train leaves Agra at about 20:45.
The Palace on Wheels reaches Delhi Safdarjung at about 02:30 while you sleep, and the train stays at the platform until morning. Breakfast is served on board, and guests check out by about 07:30. A driver from our team is waiting beside your carriage to carry your bags to the car. The morning express train to Amritsar leaves New Delhi at about 07:20, which is too tight after checkout, so we book a late-morning flight instead, with a hotel room available for a rest before the drive to the airport if needed.
The flight to Amritsar takes a little over an hour, and our Amritsar driver and guide meet you outside arrivals. The drive to your hotel takes about 30 minutes. Amritsar feels different from Rajasthan the moment you arrive: the food is richer, the Punjabi greeting is warmer and louder, and turbans of every color fill the streets. After checking in, take an hour to rest and change into clothes that cover your shoulders and knees, ready for the evening ahead. Comfortable socks are useful, since you will walk barefoot on marble.
Shortly after sunset you walk to the Golden Temple, also known as the Harmandir Sahib. Leave your shoes at the free deposit, cover your head with a scarf, which is provided if you do not have one, and wade through the shallow foot-washing channel at the entrance. Walk clockwise around the marble walkway as the lights come on and the shrine glows on the water. At about 21:00 in winter, a little later in summer, the holy book is carried in a palanquin to the Akal Takht for the night, a moving ceremony with chanting and flowers.
Return to the Golden Temple before dawn if you can manage it. Between about 03:00 and 05:00 the complex is at its calmest, and early morning hymns drift across the pool from the inner shrine. Afterwards your guide leads you to the community kitchen, which serves free meals to tens of thousands of people every day. You can watch volunteers rolling flatbread and stirring giant pots, and join the rows of guests sitting on the floor for a simple breakfast if you wish. Afterwards return to the hotel to rest.
Late morning brings a visit to the Partition Museum in the old Town Hall, a short walk from the temple. Its galleries tell the story of the division of British India through oral histories, letters, refugee trunks and household objects donated by survivors and their families. Allow at least ninety minutes. The museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00 and is closed on Mondays and public holidays, so if your day falls on a Monday we swap the order of this day and tomorrow morning.
At around 14:00 our driver takes you to Attari, about 30 kilometers west, for the Wagah border ceremony. It begins at about 17:00 in the winter months and about 17:30 in spring and autumn, but you need to be through security well before. Bags are not allowed, so leave everything except your passport, phone and camera in the car. Foreign passport holders use a separate gate and seating area. The high-kicking drill of the Indian and Pakistani guards, the crowd's chanting and the final lowering of both flags make an extraordinary spectacle.
Breakfast is unhurried this morning. Afterwards your guide walks you through Jallianwala Bagh, the walled garden beside the Golden Temple where British troops opened fire on a peaceful gathering in the early twentieth century, killing hundreds of people. Bullet marks are still visible in the brick walls, and the well into which many people jumped to escape is preserved behind glass. The memorial is a quiet, sobering place, and your guide explains why it became a turning point in the movement for independence. A small gallery on site holds portraits and documents from the period.
Before leaving Amritsar, there is time to wander the old city lanes around the temple, where shops sell steel bangles, embroidered shawls, colorful turbans and the ornamental daggers carried by baptized Sikhs. Amritsar is also known for its food, and a late lunch of stuffed flatbreads baked in a clay oven with spiced chickpea stew is the classic local meal. Your guide knows the family-run kitchens that have served the same dish for generations, and can order without chili for sensitive palates. Finish with a glass of sweet, thick yogurt drink from a street-corner shop, served in a clay cup.
In the afternoon our driver brings you to the airport for your flight back to Delhi, and another driver meets you on arrival for the transfer to your hotel. The evening is free for a final dinner or for packing. If you would like to use this last night well, our team can book a table at one of Delhi's best restaurants or arrange an evening visit to the illuminated India Gate and the ceremonial avenue of Kartavya Path nearby. Both are floodlit after dark and look their best around 19:00, when the traffic thins slightly.
The final morning is free until your departure transfer. Breakfast at the hotel is a good time to look back over the trip, from the cool dawn safari in Ranthambore to the golden glow of the shrine in Amritsar. With an afternoon or night departure, there is room for a later check-out or a brief morning visit to Humayun's Tomb, the garden tomb in red sandstone and marble that is often described as a forerunner of the Taj Mahal. The gardens are calm in the morning, and the visit takes about ninety minutes including the drive.
At the time we have set together, a car picks you up for the run out to Indira Gandhi International Airport, allowing three hours before an international departure, since security queues at the terminal can be long in the evening. Keep your passport and boarding documents within easy reach, and remember that liquids bought in the market, such as rose water or pickles, must go into checked luggage. Our team monitors your flight and stays in touch until you have checked in. If your flight is delayed, call our duty manager and we will arrange a room nearby so you can rest.
Everyone at Top Indian Holidays, an independent travel firm rather than an agent of the railway, is grateful you chose us. We put together your Palace on Wheels booking, your hotels, guides and transfers so that each part of the journey flowed into the next. If you would like to return, many guests come back for the tiger reserves of central India, the palace hotels of Udaipur or the Kerala backwaters, and we will be happy to put a fresh itinerary together for you. Until then, we hope the memory of that shining shrine on the water stays with you for a long while.
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