11 Nights / 12 Days Fully Guided Tours Private Car
Delhi - Jaipur - Ranthambore - Chittorgarh - Udaipur - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Bharatpur - Agra - Shimla - Chandigarh - Delhi
Two railways could hardly be more different. One is a broad-gauge royal train that crosses the deserts and lake cities of Rajasthan in a week of dinners, guides and palace visits. The other is a narrow-gauge mountain line, barely wider than a garden path, that twists through more than a hundred tunnels on its way up to the old summer capital of British India. The Palace on Wheels with Shimla Toy Train joins them in a single twelve-day holiday built for travelers who love trains as much as the places they reach.
The first chapter is seven nights on the Palace on Wheels, a royal-themed train that Rajasthan Tourism and Indian Railways have run together for over four decades. Each saloon honors an old Rajput kingdom, and the loop calls at Jaipur, Ranthambore, Chittorgarh and Udaipur, then Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and finally Agra, covering most of the distance after dark. After returning to Delhi, you ride the morning express to Kalka at the foot of the Himalayan foothills and change onto the Kalka Shimla toy train, part of the Mountain Railways of India UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a slow, scenic five-hour climb to Shimla at about 2,000 meters.
Two nights in Shimla give you time to walk the pedestrian Mall and the open Ridge, visit the grand stone Viceregal Lodge and breathe cool pine-scented air after the warmth of the plains. Top Indian Holidays, a Jaipur-born independent company working with the Ministry of Tourism's approval since the late nineties, secures your Palace on Wheels cabin through the operator and books your seats on both trains to the hills, your hotels in Delhi and Shimla and a private car and driver for every transfer and touring day. The Palace on Wheels runs from September to April. Shimla is crisp and clear in autumn and spring and can see snow in midwinter, so we tailor clothing advice to your dates.
After landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport, you are met by our representative in the arrivals hall and escorted to a private air-conditioned car for the drive to your hotel. Allow 40 minutes at night and up to an hour in the day. The Palace on Wheels with Shimla Toy Train starts slowly by design: tonight there is nothing to do except rest, and the train does not board until tomorrow afternoon, so even a late landing leaves plenty of time to recover from the flight.
If you arrive in the morning and would like a short outing, consider the Qutub Minar complex in south Delhi, a soaring tower of red and buff sandstone from the early Delhi sultanate, surrounded by ruined mosques, carved columns and an iron pillar that has not rusted in many centuries. A visit takes about an hour and a half, and late afternoon is the most pleasant time. Otherwise, a swim and a nap at the hotel are the best cure for jet lag. Comfortable shoes are helpful on the uneven stone paths.
In the evening, our team meets you to hand over your documents and talk through the trip. Because this tour ends in the hills, packing needs a little thought: light clothes for Rajasthan days, a warm jacket for dawn safaris and desert nights, and a proper woolen layer for Shimla, where evening temperatures can fall close to freezing in midwinter. We also explain the luggage limits on the toy train, which has small carriages, so we arrange for larger cases to travel by car. The car meets you at Shimla station on arrival.
The morning is yours to enjoy at a gentle pace. Late breakfast, a walk in the hotel gardens or a spa session are all good ways to fill the time. Check-out is normally at noon, and we keep your bags safe or arrange a late check-out if needed. Around half past three your car sets off for Safdarjung, because guests of the Palace on Wheels need to be on the platform by 16:00. The station is small and calm, quite unlike the main Delhi terminals, which makes boarding easy.
Staff in traditional dress greet you with music and garlands, and your papers are checked over a welcome drink. Your cabin attendant then leads you to your carriage. Each one is decorated with motifs and colors linked to its princely state, from Bundi to Dholpur, and there is often a friendly debate among guests about whose carriage is the prettiest. Unpack fully on this first evening, since you will sleep in the same cabin for seven nights and will want everything in its place. Your attendant will also explain the call button and safe.
The train departs at about 18:30. As Delhi slips away, dinner is served in one of the restaurant cars, with a choice of Indian and continental dishes and the chance to meet your fellow travelers. The lounge bar is open after dinner for a nightcap, and the steward can prepare herbal tea for anyone who prefers an early night. Ask your attendant to wake you with tea and biscuits about an hour before arrival, as the first day in Jaipur begins soon after sunrise. Set your watch to Indian time tonight if you have not already.
The day opens in the Pink City with a visit to the City Palace of Jaipur, where our tip is to look closely at the Mubarak Mahal, a reception hall now used as a textile museum. It displays royal robes, shawls and a famously large garment worn by a ruler who was said to be over two meters tall. The four painted gates of the Pritam Niwas courtyard, each representing a season, are another highlight. Members of the old ruling house still occupy one wing, and their banner is raised over the roof whenever they are at home.
After a walk past the Albert Hall Museum, the Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar, the coach climbs to Amber Fort, a palace complex of red sandstone and white marble that sits above Maota Lake. From the courtyard of the Ganesh Pol, a gateway painted with delicate floral designs, you enter the royal apartments. The fort is busiest from mid-morning to early afternoon, so your guide times the visit to avoid the largest crowds, and a bottle of water and a hat are welcome on the open terraces.
Later in the day you are free to browse the shopping streets inside the old walls. Tripolia Market is known for bangles and brassware, while the shops near the City Palace sell quilts, bedspreads and tablecloths in hand-block prints. If shopping is not for you, our representative can arrange a quiet tea at a heritage hotel instead. The train leaves Jaipur at about 20:00, and dinner is often served at a palace hotel in the city before you return on board for the overnight run south. Carry small notes, since many market stalls take cash only.
A wake-up call comes early, as the train reaches Sawai Madhopur at about 04:45. Wrapped in warm layers, you climb into an open safari vehicle for the morning drive in Ranthambore National Park, which starts at around 07:00 from November to January and about 06:30 in October and from February. The air is crisp, mist hangs over the lakes and the forest is still waking up, with the calls of peacocks echoing off the rocky hillsides around the old fort. A blanket is provided in each vehicle, but gloves are your own to bring.
Ranthambore is one of the best places in the world to see a wild tiger, but leopards, sloth bears and striped hyenas also live here, along with large herds of spotted deer and large brown deer. Stay patient and still when the vehicle stops; the naturalist may be listening for a distant alarm call. Photographers should bring a zoom lens of at least 300 millimeters, and everyone benefits from a scarf to keep the dust out of their face on the forest tracks. Sightings are never guaranteed, which makes each one all the sweeter.
After breakfast on board, the train runs west to Chittorgarh, arriving in the middle of the afternoon. Inside Chittorgarh Fort, our recommendation today is the ruined palace of Rana Kumbha, a vast and atmospheric ruin of courtyards and stables, and the Gaumukh reservoir, a deep tank fed by a spring that flows from a carved cow's mouth in the rock. Monkeys gather around the water's edge. The evening ends with the sound and light show, a dramatic retelling of the fort's history under the stars.
Your train arrives in Udaipur at about 07:00, and the city seems to float on its lakes. The first stop is Saheliyon Ki Bari, a peaceful garden of fountains and marble elephants designed for the ladies of the royal court. Then comes the City Palace of Udaipur, a long white complex stretching along the bank of Lake Pichola. Our suggestion today is to linger in the Zenana Mahal, the former women's quarters, where portraits and painted wall decorations give a glimpse of courtly life in Mewar.
The visit continues to the Crystal Gallery, with its glittering chandeliers and crystal furniture, and then down to the jetty, where a launch takes you out onto Lake Pichola. Once afloat, the whole palace front stretches before you, along with bathing steps, temples and the white Taj Lake Palace hotel on its island. The boat circles the garden island of Jag Mandir, where pavilions and stone elephants stand at the water's edge. A light jacket is useful, as the breeze on the lake can be cool in winter.
Lunch is taken at a hotel in town, and the train departs at about 16:00 for the long overnight run to Jaisalmer. This is the best afternoon of the week to rest, so take a nap, read a book in the lounge or watch the landscape change as the train enters the drier parts of Rajasthan. As darkness falls, the steward announces dinner, and many guests gather in the bar to share photographs from the first days of the journey. The bar staff are happy to mix a nonalcoholic cocktail on request.
The train pulls into Jaisalmer at around 08:30. Our tip today is to give Gadisar Lake proper time in the morning light. The ornate gateway of Tilon Ki Pol stands at the water's edge, small pavilions rise from the lake, and the stone steps are often lined with cormorants drying their wings. It was once the main source of water for the town, and the calm here contrasts with the busy lanes of the fort above. Morning is also when the stone steps are least crowded, and the reflections of the gateway in the water are at their clearest for photographs.
Next comes Jaisalmer Fort, built of golden sandstone on Trikuta Hill and still home to many families. Your guide leads you through its gates and narrow lanes to the palace of the former rulers and to the carved merchant mansions of the town. At Nathmal Ji Ki Haveli, look for the carved stone elephants that guard the entrance and the details of bicycles and steam engines that the carvers added after seeing pictures of them, without ever having seen the real things. Your guide also knows which rooftop cafes give the best views over the town.
Toward sunset a jeep runs you out to the sand hills beyond town, and a camel then carries you to a crest to watch the light go. The temperature drops quickly after dark, so bring a fleece or shawl. The evening meal takes place at a five-star property in town, accompanied by singers and dancers from the desert villages. The train leaves at about 23:00, and you fall asleep to the steady rhythm of the wheels as it heads east toward Jodhpur. Shake the sand from your shoes before reboarding.
Around 07:00 the train halts at Mandore, a small stop just north of Jodhpur. The day begins at Mehrangarh Fort, which rises sheer from a rocky outcrop above the old city. Our recommendation today is the fort's Phool Mahal, the Palace of Flowers, a reception hall decorated with gold leaf, painted panels and stained glass windows. The fort's museum also holds a superb collection of royal palanquins and silver elephant seats. From the ramparts, the blue-painted houses of the old city spread out below. Allow at least two and a half hours for the fort and museum.
Next is Jaswant Thada, a white marble memorial built for a ruler of Jodhpur and set among gardens and small lakes. The thin marble panels glow in sunlight, and the site offers a lovely view back toward the fort. It is calm and rarely crowded, a good place to pause. Then you drive to the museum at Umaid Bhawan Palace, where photographs, clocks and vintage cars recall the lifestyle of the Jodhpur royal family in the early twentieth century. Our guides call it the most photogenic stop of the day.
The train departs at about 16:30, and the rest of the day is spent on board. This is a good time to write postcards, sort photographs or enjoy a drink in the lounge as the sun sets over the fields. Dinner tonight is a lively affair, with guests trading stories from the desert. Ask your attendant for an early wake-up call tomorrow, as the train reaches Bharatpur before dawn and the birds are most active in the first hours of light. The kitchen also prepares lighter dishes if you would like a simple meal.
The train arrives at Bharatpur at about 05:00, and you head into Keoladeo National Park shortly after dawn. In winter, the wetlands fill with migratory birds, and our tip today is to look for the tall gray cranes, the tallest flying birds on earth, which usually stand in pairs in the open marsh. You also see painted storks, pelicans, eagles and kingfishers. A pair of binoculars makes a big difference here, and your naturalist can lend a spotting scope for the more distant birds. Mornings are misty and cool, so wear a light jacket.
Agra comes into view around 11:00, and the first stop is Agra Fort, the great red sandstone fortress of the Mughal emperors, where your guide points out the Diwan-i-Am, the hall of public audience with its long rows of arches, and the marble pavilions overlooking the river. Lunch follows at a hotel in Agra, and there is time to rest before the afternoon visit to the most famous building in India. Look too for the marble Musamman Burj, the tower where Shah Jahan spent his final years gazing toward the tomb of his wife across the river. Sunglasses are useful, as the red stone glares at midday.
After the rest comes the Taj Mahal itself. Today, ask your guide to take you around to the red sandstone mosque on the west side of the tomb and its matching guest house on the east, built purely for symmetry. Few visitors pause here, yet the view of the white dome framed by these red arches is one of the finest at the site. Bear in mind the Taj does not open on Fridays. Back on board a farewell dinner is served, and the train pulls away from Agra around 20:45.
The Palace on Wheels reaches Delhi Safdarjung at around 02:30 and waits quietly at the platform. Because the Kalka Shatabdi Express leaves New Delhi station at about 07:40, today requires an earlier start than other guests. Your attendant wakes you at about 05:45, and our driver meets you on the platform at about 06:15 for the short drive across the city. Packing the night before makes this easy, and breakfast is served on the express train, so there is no need to eat before leaving.
The Kalka Shatabdi is a fast, air-conditioned day train that reaches Kalka at about 11:40, after a journey of roughly four hours across the plains of Haryana and Punjab. Kalka sits right at the foot of the hills, and here you change onto the Kalka Shimla toy train. The Himalayan Queen departs at about 12:10 and reaches Shimla at about 17:20. Our representative helps with the transfer between platforms, and your main luggage travels up by car. Snacks and tea can be bought at Barog station during the halt.
The narrow-gauge line climbs 96 kilometers through 102 tunnels and across hundreds of bridges and viaducts. The longest tunnel, at Barog, is over a kilometer long, and the train halts at Barog station for a few minutes. Pine forests, terraced fields and deep valleys pass by the window, and the air grows cooler with every tunnel. On arrival in Shimla, our driver meets you at the station and takes you to your hotel for a warm dinner and a quiet night. The hotel can light a fire in your room on cold winter evenings.
After breakfast, set out on foot through the heart of Shimla. The Mall is a long pedestrian street lined with colonial buildings, shops and cafes, and it leads to the Ridge, a wide open square with views of the surrounding hills and, on clear days, the snow peaks of the high Himalaya. Christ Church, a neo-Gothic church with fine stained glass windows, stands at one end. Mornings are clear and cool, so a warm jacket is essential from November to March. Vehicles are not allowed on the upper Mall, which keeps it calm.
In the late morning your guide takes you to the Viceregal Lodge, a grand stone building in the Scottish baronial style that was the summer residence of the British Viceroys. It now houses the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. A guided tour shows you the wood-paneled halls, the library and the room where meetings were held before the independence of India. The lawns offer wide views across the valleys. Opening days vary, so we confirm the timing before your visit. Allow about an hour for the guided tour and the gardens.
In the afternoon, you can walk or take a short car ride up to the Jakhu Temple on Shimla's highest hill, dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman and home to a giant statue visible across town. Keep sunglasses, hats and food out of sight, since the monkeys here are bold. In the evening, return to the Mall for tea at a historic cafe, browse the bookshops or simply watch local families strolling in the lamplight as the town settles into the cool night. Sturdy shoes help on the steep path up to the temple.
After a leisurely breakfast, there is time for a final walk in Shimla before your private car collects you for the drive down to Chandigarh. The road winds through pine forests and small hill towns, and the journey of about 115 kilometers takes three to four hours depending on traffic. A stop at a roadside viewpoint or a tea shop breaks the drive nicely. If you are prone to motion sickness, ask the driver to take the bends slowly and sit in the front seat.
Chandigarh is a purpose-built city designed in the mid-twentieth century by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, and its Capitol Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If time allows before your flight, your driver can take you past the Rock Garden, a quirky park of sculptures made from recycled materials, or the Sukhna Lake promenade. The flight from Chandigarh to Delhi takes about an hour, and an evening express train is an alternative for rail lovers. The city's wide, green avenues and grid of numbered sectors feel very different from the older cities you have seen on this journey.
Waiting at Delhi arrivals is a driver who brings you to the hotel for your last night in India. The evening is free for a farewell dinner, and our team can reserve a table at one of the city's acclaimed Indian restaurants. It is also a good time to repack your luggage, separating the warm clothing you needed in the hills from the lighter items for the journey home, and to keep your passport and tickets close at hand. Our team will confirm tomorrow's pick-up time with you tonight.
Your final morning in India is free until the transfer to the airport. Breakfast at the hotel is a good moment to look through the photographs of the trip, from the golden walls of Jaisalmer to the misty tunnels of the toy train. Should your flight be an evening one, we can hold your room past noon or fit in a short visit to the Crafts Museum near Pragati Maidan, where artisans from across India demonstrate traditional skills such as weaving and painting. The museum is a calm and interesting way to spend a last hour in Delhi before the journey home.
Pick-up for Indira Gandhi International Airport is timed to put you at the terminal a good three hours ahead of an international flight. Traffic in Delhi is heaviest between 17:00 and 20:00, so we build in extra time for evening flights. Keep your passport, boarding pass and any medicines in your hand luggage, and remember that liquids bought during the trip should be packed in checked baggage. Our team tracks your flight and will call if there are any delays or gate changes. Lounges at Terminal 3 offer showers, quiet rooms and food for travelers with long waits before night departures.
From the whole Top Indian Holidays office in Jaipur, thank you. As the independent firm behind this trip, we handled your Palace on Wheels booking, the two trains to Shimla, your hotels, guides and transfers so that the whole journey ran smoothly from start to finish. We hope you take home memories of royal Rajasthan and the cool hills of Himachal, and we look forward to arranging another rail adventure for you, perhaps on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Until then, safe travels and warm wishes from all of us in Jaipur.
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