The Palace on Wheels luxury train takes you on a scintillating journey into the royal land of sand dunes and regal palaces. Voted as the 4th best luxury train in the world, the Palace on Wheels train carries with it an intrinsic ambience that goes perfectly well with the majestic charm and beauty spread so lavishly across the Indian terrain.
The journey to the hinterland of the desert starts every Wednesday evening from New Delhi and ends the following Wednesday early in the morning, back at the same station. In 7 Nights/8 Days, the train traverses over 3000 Kilometres (or 1850 miles).
On the Palace on Wheels, your journey is full of exuberance and luxurious feeling. It's a perfect chance to relive the era when kings and queens ruled when royalty spelled magic, and when charm and mysticism were in the air.
There are 39 Deluxe Cabins and 2 Super Deluxe Cabins on the Palace on Wheels train (with a total capacity of 82 passengers).
The train is completely self-sufficient and fully air-conditioned. Each cabin has attached toilets, specially facilitated for the global luxury traveler, with all modern amenities such as Wi-Fi, a mini pantry, a music channel, a safe, wall-to-wall carpeting, etc. Each saloon also has a personal attendant, also known as khidmatgars, at your service.
The basic concept of India’s first luxury train tour, which still exists today, is overnight travel in comfortable AC sleeping chambers on the train and pre-arranged group sightseeing in the day by AC buses.
The basic concept of India’s first luxury train tour, which still exists today, is overnight travel in comfortable AC sleeping chambers on the train and pre-arranged group sightseeing in the day by AC buses.
On rolling back the wheels of time, we find the rulers of the princely states of Rajputana Gujarat, the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the Viceroy of British India traveled by these luxurious coaches. After independence, these coaches were parked and remained in this state for a quarter of a century until 1981-82, when the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways launched a special heritage tourist train to provide a unique, memorable experience to the tourists visiting Rajasthan.
The name Palace on Wheels was derived from the royal background of the coaches. Gradually, many infrastructural changes were brought about in the coaches while keeping the same aesthetics of the interiors alive, matching the interiors of the royal state. In the late 1980s, the original passenger saloons of Ex Maharajas were replaced by the Metre Gauge train, which had AC Cabins with shared bathrooms. Then, in 1996, due to rail track conversion in India, a Broad Gauge version of the Palace on Wheels train was introduced, where all the cabins had private attached bathrooms.
In September 2017, new, more spacious train carriages were introduced on the Palace on Wheels luxury train, and now guests have the option to book Deluxe or Super Deluxe Cabins.
In 2022-23 Season, the Indian luxury train’s operations have switched hands, from Rajasthan State Government to private parties i.e. Easy Toll & Cube Construction, ushering in a new era of hospitality with more refurbishments to the cabins & other saloons, along with an enhancement of experiences.