Palace on Wheels is considered being one of the top 25 luxury trains in the world across Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand. It is ranked on lines of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, Royal Scotsman, Royal Mountaineer, Andean Explorer, Rovos Rail Pride of Africa, Sunlander, etc. to name a few. It is one of the most prestigious trains in India besides the Deccan Odyssey, Eastern and Oriental express and the Darjeeling Himalayan Toy Train.
The origin of the Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan dates back to the early era of the Rajputana of Gujarat, The Viceroy of British India and The Nizam of Hyderabad where its lavish coaches served as royal retreat. After India got Independence, the coaches of this Train were not used and were kept parked in the respective states of Gujarat, Hyderabad, etc. It was in 1982 that Rajasthan Tourism and Indian Railways together sought to launch a special heritage train to commemorate the luxury of these coaches. The name ‘Palace’ was given to maintain the lavishness of the coaches. Steadily, the state government made certain infrastructural changes in the coaches nevertheless maintaining the aesthetics and natural interiors. This Train is fully air conditioned with 2 restaurants cum kitchens, 14 saloons with attached bath and shower, 4 service cars and 1 bar cum lounge.
This Luxury Train in Rajasthan serves as a royal retreat to many tourists from around the world with fabulous facilities and a cultural lineage that everyone can relish. Its exuberance and luxury serve as a perfect chance to relive the golden era of the great kings and queens of India. This Palace Train in Rajasthan embarks on a journey that starts from Delhi continues to Jaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bharatpur, Agra and then back to Delhi. This entire journey takes 7 days and 8 nights to complete and is termed as an experience of a lifetime. There are many cultural activities planned for the tourists journeying on this magnificent train with many in-house traditional events accompanied by ethnic programs at each destination as it covers.
The train is considered to be one of the ten most luxurious trains in the world. The radiance of this Palace Train bears to mind the days when the great Maharajas of Rajasthan use to travel on it. On Wednesday at 9:30 in the morning the Palace on wheels tour begins. Arrangements are made to organize the travelers to have a tete-a-tete. The guests are to travel round several historical, cultural and entertaining thriving regions in the state in order to be informed of the country’s noble lineage and to see the state’s hospitality. During this seven day journey, the train will traverse through few of the most remarkable and most vibrant cities in Rajasthan.
With its breath taking interiors, lavish ambience, splendid hospitality and state of the art facilities, The Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan is truly a memorable experience that is bound to be etched in memory of the travellers forever.
