Peter Greenberg: Seeing India by Train

By: Peter Greenberg | Source: AARP.org | 2009-07-20

Q: Hi Peter. I would like to travel in two or three long rail trips across India. Sights—Himalayas, Taj Mahal, and other suggestions.

–Ben
Carmel, Ind.

Here are a few ideas for trips that encompass some of the most memorable sights and geography in India. Bear in mind that these are luxury-tourist train services, which cost a bundle but allow you to travel in air-conditioned coolness and comfort. If you want a more "authentic" experience, literally rubbing shoulders with the locals, you can travel much more cheaply on India's national railway system. However, it won't be nearly as pleasant an experience.

"The Palace on Wheels" is a seven-day journey that snakes through the Rajasthan region of northern India. The trip begins in Delhi, and stops at Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai, Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur Agra, and Cantonment. The journey allows for plenty of free time off of the train, including at the Taj Mahal, which is located in Agra.

The 15-day Darjeeling Mail Tour, also known as the "Viceroy of India" tour, takes you from Bombay to Delhi, Darjeeling, and Kolkata by way of Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, and the Himalayan foothills. The itinerary includes lunch stops at beach resorts for swimming in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and a stop at the "ghost city" of Fatehpur Sikri. 

The eight-day Deccan Odyssey offers one of the best ways to see Maharashtra state. It traverses Mumbai, Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Pune, Aurangabad, Ajanta, and Ellora. The Odyssey is licensed by the ministry of tourism and is staffed and catered by Taj Hotels, Resorts, and Palaces.