|
Luxury Train Travel
Luxury Train Travel
60,000 kms and over of rail track laid between 7,000 stations with more than 11,000 locomotives - thats Indian Railways, serving people of the land and visitors from abroad.
Erstwhile Indian Rajpootana's fancy with luxury even involved the trains. Saloons of Royal families always used to be expensive displays of comfort and luxury. With the end of the princely rule in India, this could no longer be anyone's personal belonging. But the bits of what was left of those times were rejoined by the government thereby conceptualizing the idea of providing the same age-old royal palaces on rails.
These tours provides guests a life time experience visiting Palaces, Forts & Museums, Temples and Hills, mixing with the people of the land during the day & resting in 'Royal Saloons" of the train at night. A week or even four days on the train gives an idea of the varying topography of the land - fertile plains to rugged hills and desert to forest.
"The Palace on Wheels", "The Royal Orient" and "The Fairy Queen" cover interesting historic cities and quaint towns in India.
Palace on Wheels
It's a journey worthy of kings. No wonder the experience is labelled the Palace on Wheels. The 14 coaches of the Palace On Wheels are named after former Rajput states. The names are romantic, mesmerizing... Kota, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Alwar, Sirohi, Kishangarh, Bundi, Dungarpur, Bharatpur, Jhalawar and Dholpur. It has been rated one of the ten best luxurious train journeys in the world. Offered on board are a series of restuarants, a library, a bar, lounges, individually designed saloons with en-suite bathrooms, personal attendants and a lot more. Traditional royal welcome at every station you visit!
Official site of Palace on Wheels
Royal Orient
The older, fully air-conditioned "palace on wheels" which had to be abandoned due to gauge conversion in Rajasthan is currently being operated by Gujarat Tourism. Obviously, its saloons, food and ambience reflect strong Gujarati flavour - another rich culture in India. This weeklong, fully packaged train journey will transport you to palaces and forts steeped in legends of heroism and chivalry. One can feel the spirituality of an ancient Jain Temple city. Soak the feet in warm waters of the Arabian sea and laze on the beach. Safari in jungles to see the only lions outside Africa. Shop for exquisite handicrafts as old as history.
The Fairy Queen
A two-saloon train makes a short journey from Delhi to Alwar. The Fairy Queen which finds mention in the "Guinness Book of World Records" is the oldest running steam locomotive in the world. For an idyllic weekend trip between Delhi and Alwar, the Fairy Queen comes to the rescue of those bored with the same old blase ways of traveling around the place. The Fairy Queen with the privileged ones abroad reaches the picturesque town of Alwar in Rajasthan the same day, from where the guests will be taken to Sariska Tiger Reserve for an overnight stay.
|