09 Nights / 10 Days Fully Guided Tours Private Car
Delhi - Jaipur - Ranthambore - Agra - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Delhi
Six nights in a butler-served cabin and three in one of Delhi's grandest hotels make up the India Ultra Luxury Rail Journey, a ten-day trip built for travelers who want the classic sights of North and Central India without a single compromise on comfort. You arrive in the capital and rest in an ultra-luxury hotel such as The Leela Palace, then board the Maharajas' Express on its Indian Panorama route through Jaipur, Ranthambore, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho and Varanasi, before returning to Delhi for two final nights.
The design is simple and generous. On the train, the timetable is set for you: guides, coaches, jeeps and safari vehicles wait at each stop, and the cabin moves with you overnight so you never pack and unpack. In Delhi, a private chauffeur-driven car and an English-speaking guide take care of everything, from a first-evening drive past the grand boulevards of New Delhi to a full day in the Mughal and imperial city before you fly home. Rest is built into the schedule too, with free hours for the spa, shopping or simply a long lunch.
IRCTC runs the Maharajas' Express, a repeat winner of the top luxury train title at the World Travel Awards. Accommodation ranges from Deluxe Cabins up to a single Presidential Suite spread across a whole coach, and a personal butler looks after each guest. Indian Panorama departures from Delhi in 2026-27 are all on Sundays: October 4, November 1, November 29, December 27, January 24, February 21 and March 21. Top Indian Holidays, an independent Jaipur operator recognized by the Ministry of Tourism, reserves the cabin, hotels, guides and cars together as a single itinerary.
From the instant you pass immigration at Indira Gandhi International Airport, your India Ultra Luxury Rail Journey is under way. A member of our team holding your name greets you outside, and a chauffeured luxury car drives you to The Leela Palace in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic district, or a hotel of the same standard, about 30 to 45 minutes away. The hotel is asked to have your room ready on arrival, and a butler or guest relations manager will be on hand to help you settle in after a long flight.
Take the afternoon to rest, swim or book a massage in the hotel spa. Delhi is a huge city, and the first day is better spent adjusting to the time difference than rushing to monuments. Hydrate well, eat lightly, and if you can, step outside for a short walk in the hotel gardens to reset your body clock. Between November and February, Delhi afternoons are mild and sunny, but the temperature drops sharply after dark, so keep a light jacket close. A light dinner and an early night help most of all.
In the early evening your driver takes you on a panoramic drive through New Delhi, the capital designed by British architects in the early twentieth century. You pass India Gate, a war memorial arch lit up at night, and drive along the broad ceremonial avenue toward Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, and the circular Parliament House. The tour ends with dinner at one of the city's acclaimed restaurants, reserved in advance by our team. Tomorrow's start is early, so your driver will have you back at the hotel in good time.
The Maharajas' Express leaves early, so your driver collects you from the hotel just after sunrise for the short drive to Safdarjung station, a small station in south Delhi used for special departures. Guest registration opens at about 07:30. As you step onto the platform, staff welcome you with garlands, music and a cool drink, while your bags are taken straight to your cabin. Have your passport handy for the registration desk, and keep a light jacket and sunglasses in your day bag. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes at that hour.
The train departs at about 08:30, and the first hours are a chance to get to know your cabin and your butler. Ask about the in-cabin safe, the minibar, the shower and the call button, and let your butler know your coffee preferences and wake-up time. Lunch is laid in Mayur Mahal or Rang Mahal, the train's pair of dining cars, both styled after royal dining halls. The bar car, Safari Bar, and the Rajah Club lounge are open throughout the journey for afternoon drinks.
The train reaches Jaipur in the early afternoon, and at about 15:00 you set off with a guide for the City Palace, the royal seat of the Kachwaha dynasty since the early eighteenth century. Its courtyards, gateways and galleries hold royal robes, weapons and paintings, and the Chandra Mahal at its heart is still home to the former ruling family. In the evening, you drive to Rambagh Palace, once the royal residence and now a Taj hotel, for a grand dinner on its terraces before returning to the train.
After breakfast in your cabin or the restaurant car, you set off at about 08:30 for Amber Fort, which crowns a ridge about 11 kilometers north of the city. The jeep ride up the winding road saves a steep climb and brings you straight to the fort's main courtyard. From the top, the old city walls snake along the hills in every direction, and Maota Lake lies directly below. Morning is the ideal time to visit, before heat builds on the sandstone and visitor numbers rise.
Within the walls, the guide shows you the pillared audience hall, the Ganesh Pol entrance covered in painted flowers, and the private apartments of the rulers. The most famous room is the Mirror Palace, its walls and ceiling covered in thousands of tiny pieces of convex mirror set into plaster, designed to reflect a single candle into a starry sky. Look closely at the carved marble panels of flowers and butterflies near its entrance, some of the finest work in the fort. Allow about two hours for the full visit at an easy pace.
You have the afternoon to yourself. If you like, we provide a car and guide to see the Hawa Mahal and the old city markets, or a visit to a respected gemstone house, since Jaipur is a world center for cutting emeralds, rubies and sapphires. If you prefer to rest, the train's spa offers massages and beauty treatments. In the early evening the train leaves Jaipur for Sawai Madhopur, a short run of a few hours, and dinner is served on board. Ask your butler for an early wake-up and warm layers for the morning drive.
The day starts in darkness with tea in your cabin before a short drive to Ranthambore National Park. In an open safari vehicle, with a naturalist and a park driver, you enter one of the finest tiger reserves in India. Drives leave near 06:30 in October, February and March, and nearer 07:00 between November and January. In midwinter the open jeep can feel bitter at first light, with readings of roughly 6 to 9 degrees Celsius, so wrap up in a woolen hat, gloves and a thick jacket.
The reserve covers dry deciduous forest, grassland, rocky hills and lakes, framed by the walls of the ancient Ranthambore Fort on its ridge. The resident tigers are famously relaxed around vehicles, which gives Ranthambore a strong reputation for sightings, though nothing in nature can be promised. Leopards, sloth bears, striped hyenas, large brown deer, spotted deer and crocodiles all live here, as do more than three hundred species of birds, from tiny sunbirds to large crested serpent eagles. Your naturalist will name each bird and animal you see and explain how the reserve is protected.
Back on board, breakfast is followed by lunch as the train travels north-east. At about 15:30 you reach Fatehpur Sikri, the fortified capital Akbar raised toward the end of the sixteenth century and left empty within a short span of years. Its red sandstone palaces, courtyards and audience halls remain almost perfectly preserved. Pilgrims still come to the gleaming marble shrine of Salim Chishti, the Sufi holy man, admired for its lace-like stone screens. Back on the train, the evening has a themed dinner with music and regional dishes.
You leave the train while it is still dark for the Taj Mahal, timing your arrival for the gates opening at sunrise. Early morning is the most peaceful time to visit, when the white marble shifts from soft gray to pale pink and then bright white, and mist sometimes hangs over the Yamuna River behind it. Your guide tells how the grieving emperor Shah Jahan honored his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and describes the skill of the craftsmen who spent about two decades building the tomb. Remember that the monument closes every Friday.
After the visit, breakfast is served at a luxury hotel with a direct view of the Taj Mahal from its terraces and many of its rooms. This is a relaxed moment to watch the monument from a distance, with coffee in hand, as visitors stream through the gardens. Cameras are fine across the gardens and the raised marble terrace, though not in the burial chamber, and drones, tripods and large bags are not permitted on site. Morning light also makes the reflection in the water channel especially clear.
After lunch aboard, the afternoon belongs to Agra Fort, the riverside sandstone stronghold that housed the Mughal court. Inside its high walls are the Hall of Public Audience, the marble mosque and the octagonal Musamman Burj, where Shah Jahan spent his last years looking toward the Taj Mahal. Alternatively, the afternoon is free for a spa treatment or rest after the early start. The train leaves Agra in the evening and travels south into the forests of Bundelkhand, a region of rocky hills, small lakes and old fortified towns that few foreign travelers ever reach.
After breakfast on board, the train pulls in at Orchha, a quiet former Bundela royal seat beside the Betwa River. Your guide leads you across a stone bridge to the fort complex, where the Jahangir Mahal rises in layers of domes, pavilions and latticed balconies, built to honor the Mughal emperor Jahangir on his visit in the early seventeenth century. The upper terraces give wide views across forest, temple spires and the river, with barely a modern building in sight, so bring a camera with a wide lens for the panorama.
A ride through the village takes you past the Chaturbhuj Temple, whose soaring spires were built to be seen from far across the plains, and the Ram Raja Temple, where the god Rama is worshiped as a king. On the riverbank stands a row of royal cenotaphs, sandstone memorials to the Bundela rulers, where Egyptian and long-billed vultures still nest. Orchha sees only a small number of foreign visitors, so it feels peaceful and intimate after the crowds of Agra. Take a moment on the old bridge to watch the river and the morning light on the spires.
The train continues to Khajuraho, home to a UNESCO-listed group of temples built by the Chandela kings between the tenth and twelfth centuries. In the afternoon your guide leads you around the Western Group, where the Kandariya Mahadev, Lakshmana and Vishvanatha temples are carved with gods, goddesses, dancers, soldiers, animals and scenes of courtly life. For the evening, choose between a recital of classical dance and the temple light show, before dinner on board as the train heads north-east through the night toward the Ganges and the holy city of Varanasi.
The train arrives in Varanasi after breakfast, and you are driven through the busy streets to a luxury hotel for lunch. Next, a 10 kilometer drive takes you to Sarnath, the place where the newly enlightened Buddha first shared his teaching. The site holds the massive Dhamek Stupa, a domed Buddhist monument, the ruins of monasteries and a small museum whose prize exhibit is the lion capital of the emperor Ashoka, now the national emblem of India. Pilgrims from across Asia come here to pray and meditate. The museum is closed on Fridays, so the guide arranges the visit accordingly.
In the late afternoon, your guide takes you through the narrow lanes of the old city toward the riverfront, past tiny shrines, sweet shops, tea stalls and the occasional wandering cow. You may stop at a silk workshop, where weavers still produce the famous Varanasi brocades on hand looms, sometimes taking weeks to finish a single piece. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and wear comfortable shoes that can handle uneven stone and the odd puddle. Your guide keeps the group together in the crowds and knows quiet corners where you can pause for a cup of tea.
At nightfall a private rowing boat carries you out onto the Ganges in Varanasi, holding position offshore while the evening fire ceremony starts on the stone steps, usually at about 18:00 in winter. Priests wave large brass lamps in time with chanting and bells, while small candle-lit leaf boats drift past on the current. Many guests find the scene deeply moving, and the boat lets you watch it without the crush on the steps. Back on board, a farewell dinner with the other guests is served as the train begins the night journey to the capital.
Breakfast is served on board as the train makes its way across the plains of Uttar Pradesh. This morning is your chance to thank your butler and the crew, settle any extra charges, and swap contact details with fellow travelers. The Maharajas' Express arrives at Safdarjung station at about 12:00, and our chauffeur meets you on the platform to collect your luggage and drive you back to The Leela Palace or a similar ultra-luxury hotel. Your luggage is loaded for you, and the drive to the hotel takes about 20 to 30 minutes from the station.
The afternoon is completely free, which after six busy days on the train feels like a real treat. You might book a long spa treatment, enjoy afternoon tea in the lobby lounge, or browse the luxury boutiques at the hotel and in the nearby shopping arcades. If you still have energy, our team can arrange a visit to Khan Market, a small, upscale district of bookshops, designer boutiques and cafes, about 15 minutes from the hotel. Lodhi Garden, with its tombs and shaded lawns, is close by too and perfect for a gentle late-afternoon walk before dinner.
In the evening we are happy to book you into a leading Delhi restaurant, where chefs use modern techniques to reimagine regional Indian cooking. Alternatively, an optional farewell dinner can be arranged in a private dining room at the hotel. Tomorrow's full-day tour of Delhi begins after breakfast at a relaxed hour, so there is no need for an early night. Your guide will confirm the meeting time and give you an idea of what to wear for the mosques and temples. Light layers are fine for the day.
After breakfast, your guide and chauffeur meet you at the hotel for a full-day private tour of the capital. The day opens in Old Delhi at the Jama Masjid, the grandest mosque of the Mughal era, finished around the middle of the seventeenth century. Its vast courtyard holds thousands of worshipers on Fridays and festivals. Shoes are removed at the gate, and robes are provided for visitors who need to cover their arms and legs. From its steps you see the walls of the Red Fort across the road.
A short ride in a bicycle cart through Chandni Chowk, the old main street of the Mughal capital, takes you past spice merchants, wedding shops, sweet sellers and silver dealers, in lanes that have barely changed in centuries. Your guide points out the Sikh Gurdwara Sis Ganj and the old Jain and Hindu temples that sit side by side. Later, you drive to Humayun's Tomb, a sixteenth-century garden tomb whose design of red sandstone and white marble later inspired the Taj Mahal. The rider pedals slowly so you can take it all in.
In the afternoon, you visit Qutub Minar, a soaring tower of fluted red sandstone and marble begun in the late twelfth century, with carved bands of calligraphy and a courtyard holding an iron pillar that has resisted rust for about sixteen centuries. Return to your hotel to relax, and in the evening enjoy dinner at one of the hotel's restaurants or a final meal in the city. Pack tonight and confirm your flight time with our team so the airport transfer can be set. Your guide will share tips for the day ahead.
After a leisurely breakfast, your chauffeur takes you to Indira Gandhi International Airport for your flight home. The drive from Chanakyapuri usually takes around 30 to 45 minutes, but traffic can be heavy at peak hours, so we allow extra time. For international departures, aim to be at the terminal at least three hours before your flight. Since many flights to Europe and North America leave late at night, we can extend your checkout or reserve a room for the day, giving you somewhere to relax and shower.
Before leaving, double-check that you have your passport, e-Visa printout and any receipts for valuable purchases, such as gemstones or carpets, as customs officers may ask to see them. Liquids above the hand luggage limit, such as perfume oils or local spirits, should go in checked bags. Delhi airport's international terminal has good lounges, duty-free shops and restaurants, so you can spend your final hours in comfort before the long flight. Our team can also help with packing advice for fragile items such as marble inlay and brass, and can arrange secure shipping for anything too heavy for your luggage.
Top Indian Holidays has arranged every element of your India Ultra Luxury Rail Journey, from the first airport welcome to this final transfer, and, as an independent operator with more than twenty-five years in Jaipur, we keep someone on call day and night until you land. Should India draw you back, a Kerala backwater cruise, a Central Indian wildlife safari or a Rajasthan palace hotel stay would all suit, and our team would happily put that next trip together. Simply let us know your preferred dates, and our team will take care of the details.
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