Indian Splendour
Delhi → Mumbai
The Indian Splendour aboard the Maharajas' Express is a seven-day, six-night royal odyssey that traces the golden arc of India's most storied landscapes — from the Mughal grandeur of Delhi and Agra through the tiger-haunted jungles of Ranthambore and the jewel-box forts of Rajasthan, finally arriving at the cosmopolitan shores of Mumbai. Designed by IRCTC as India's finest luxury train experience, the Maharajas' Express carries no more than 84 guests at a time, ensuring an intimacy that matches the splendour of the destinations themselves.
Each day brings a new world: the ethereal marble of the Taj Mahal at dawn, a game drive across the rust-red ridges of Ranthambore, candlelit dinners inside palace hotels, and an Arabian Nights barbecue under a canopy of Rajasthani stars beside golden sand dunes. On board, butler-attended cabins, multi-cuisine restaurants, two bars, and a spa carriage provide a seamless counterpoint to the richness unfolding beyond the windows.
Running from October through April to avoid the monsoon and summer heat, Indian Splendour departs every Sunday from Delhi's Safdarjung Railway Station, concluding the following Saturday at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus — a journey that distils centuries of India's royal history into one unforgettable week.
- ✦Sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World
- ✦Tiger game drive through Ranthambore National Park
- ✦Exclusive dinner at the legendary Rambagh Palace in Jaipur
- ✦Arabian Nights barbecue on Bikaner's golden sand dunes
- ✦Mehrangarh Fort and tuk-tuk tour of Jodhpur's Blue City
- ✦Lake Pichola boat ride and Crystal Gallery visit in romantic Udaipur
- ✦Seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites woven into one seamless journey
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Delhi & Agra
Guests are welcomed at Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station from 08:15 with a traditional Indian ceremony before boarding this rolling palace. After a leisurely breakfast and cabin inspection, the train departs around 09:15 and glides south toward Agra. Arriving in the early afternoon, the first excursion heads directly to the Taj Mahal — the seventeenth-century marble mausoleum commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan and recognised as one of the Wonders of the World. Guests walk the cypress-lined approach, explore the inlaid interiors, and photograph the iconic reflection pool before returning to the train for dinner and an overnight stay in Agra.
Day 2 — Agra Fort & Ranthambore
The morning brings an excursion to Agra Fort, the magnificent red-sandstone citadel that served as the main residence of the Mughal emperors from Akbar to Aurangzeb and is itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its palatial apartments — Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khas, and the Pearl Mosque — offer a vivid counterpart to the Taj. After lunch on board, the train rolls east to Sawai Madhopur, gateway to Ranthambore National Park. The afternoon game drive (departing approximately 14:30) takes guests into one of India's premier tiger reserves, where open Gypsies and Canters negotiate rocky ravines and ancient ruins in search of Bengal tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and abundant birdlife before the train continues overnight toward Jaipur.
Day 3 — Jaipur, the Pink City
Jaipur, India's first planned city, greets guests with its distinctive rose-hued sandstone facades. The morning excursion ascends to Amber Fort, the dramatic hilltop palace-fortress that anchored Rajput power for centuries — its Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors) shimmers with a thousand inlaid glass facets. Optional visits may include the City Palace and the astronomical marvel of Jantar Mantar, a UNESCO-listed observatory. Lunch is served on board; the evening culminates in an exclusive dinner at the legendary Rambagh Palace, the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur, now one of India's most celebrated heritage hotels. The train departs overnight for Bikaner.
Day 4 — Bikaner
Founded in 1488 by Rao Bika, Bikaner rises from the Thar Desert as a city of elaborately carved sandstone havelis and an imposing medieval fortress. The morning excursion visits Junagarh Fort — unusually, never conquered — whose interlocking palaces contain war trophies, Mughal artwork, and a remarkable collection of vintage biplanes. As the desert sun softens into gold, guests are transported to the sand dunes outside the city for an Arabian Nights-style barbecue evening: traditional folk music, Kalbelia dance performances, camel cart rides, sundowner cocktails, and a lavish open-air dinner under a star-packed Rajasthani sky. The train departs overnight for Jodhpur.
Day 5 — Jodhpur, the Blue City
The train glides into Jodhpur with the massive silhouette of Mehrangarh Fort commanding the skyline — one of India's largest forts, its walls rising 36 metres from a rocky outcrop above a city famously painted in shades of blue. Guests explore the fort's ornate apartments and the sweeping panoramas from its ramparts, then descend for a tuk-tuk ride and a walking tour of the Old Clock Tower Market (Ghanta Ghar), a riot of spices, textiles, bangles, and street food. The evening is reserved for an exclusive cocktail dinner at a heritage venue — past itineraries have hosted guests at Khaas Bagh, a stylish countryside retreat. The train departs overnight for Udaipur.
Day 6 — Udaipur, the City of Lakes
Often called the most romantic city in India, Udaipur reflects its marble palaces across the still waters of Lake Pichola. The morning begins with a serene boat ride on Lake Pichola, gliding past the Jag Niwas island palace (now the Taj Lake Palace hotel) toward the grand City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Inside, guests visit the famed Crystal Gallery of Fateh Prakash Palace — an extraordinary Victorian-era collection of Osler crystal furniture ordered by Maharana Sajjan Singh in 1877 and still kept in near-pristine condition. Lunch is hosted in the Satkar Hall of Fateh Prakash Palace. The afternoon offers leisure time at the Old Market (Hathi Pol) or optional visits to the vintage car collection of the royal family. The evening celebrates the journey's final night with an Indian cultural programme and gala dinner on board as the train travels overnight toward Mumbai.
Day 7 — Mumbai
The Maharajas' Express arrives at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus (or Lokmanya Tilak Terminus) in the mid-to-late afternoon — around 15:45–16:20 depending on the season — after a final leisurely breakfast and lunch on board. Disembarkation and transfer assistance mark the conclusion of one of the world's most celebrated rail journeys.
Destinations & Highlights
Agra — The Mughal Jewel
Agra served as the capital of the Mughal Empire at its height in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and its monuments remain among the finest architectural achievements in human history. The Taj Mahal (1632–1653), built by Emperor Shah Jahan as an eternal tribute to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and draws millions of visitors who come to witness its perfectly proportioned white marble dome, its four slender minarets, and the play of light across its translucent stone from dawn to dusk. Nearby, Agra Fort — another UNESCO site — is a walled city-within-a-city of red sandstone and white marble, containing the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) where Shah Jahan reportedly spent his final years gazing at the Taj from across the Yamuna River.
Ranthambore — Tiger Country
Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan is one of India's most famous wildlife sanctuaries and one of the best places on the subcontinent to see the Bengal tiger in the wild. Spread across 392 square kilometres of dry deciduous forest, the park also encompasses the atmospheric ruins of Ranthambore Fort (a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Rajasthan Hill Forts group), whose battlements rise above the jungle canopy. Beyond tigers, the park is home to leopards, striped hyenas, sloth bears, jackals, crocodiles, and more than 270 species of birds, making every game drive a genuine safari experience.
Jaipur — Pink City of the Rajputs
Jaipur, founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, was India's first planned city, laid out on a Vedic grid with broad boulevards and uniformly rose-pink-painted buildings that earned it the epithet the Pink City. Amber Fort (Amer Fort), perched on a ridge above Maota Lake just outside the city, is a masterwork of Rajput and Mughal architectural fusion — its mirrored Sheesh Mahal is among the most photographed interiors in India. The city's Jantar Mantar observatory, built by Jai Singh himself, contains 19 large masonry astronomical instruments and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rambagh Palace, where guests dine on the Indian Splendour itinerary, was the official residence of the last Maharaja of Jaipur, HH Sawai Man Singh II.
Bikaner — Desert Fort City
Bikaner was founded in 1488 by Rao Bika, a son of the founder of Jodhpur, on the edge of the Thar Desert. Unlike many Rajput cities, Bikaner possesses a distinctly medieval character: its old quarter is a labyrinth of ornately carved havelis (merchants' mansions), and Junagarh Fort — constructed from 1589 onwards and never captured by an invader — preserves a series of richly decorated palaces spanning four centuries of Bikaneri history. The fort's Anup Mahal, Chandra Mahal, and Phool Mahal are decorated with fine lacquerwork, gilt, and glass, while its museum holds rare manuscripts and the world's only collection of World War I-era biplanes belonging to an Indian princely state.
Jodhpur — Blue City Under the Fort
Jodhpur, founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, is Rajasthan's second-largest city and one of its most visually spectacular. The old city's houses are traditionally whitewashed with an indigo-blue lime mixture — originally associated with the Brahmin caste, the colour spread until the entire old quarter blazed blue, earning Jodhpur its famous epithet. Towering above is Mehrangarh Fort, generally regarded as one of the finest forts in India: its sandstone walls, rising 36 metres sheer from a rocky hill, enclose palaces of extraordinary delicacy — carved jharokha screens, jade-tiled halls, and a museum of Rajput artefacts, howdahs, palanquins, and miniature paintings. Below the fort, the Clock Tower Market (Sadar Market) is the city's pulse — a dense bazaar of spices, leather shoes, silver jewellery, and tie-dyed fabrics.
Udaipur — The Venice of the East
Udaipur, established in 1558 by Maharana Udai Singh II of the Sisodia Rajput clan, is widely considered the most romantic city in Rajasthan, its cream-white palaces and ancient temples reflected in the waters of four interconnected lakes. Lake Pichola, the oldest and largest, is the centrepiece: its two island palaces — Jag Niwas (now the Taj Lake Palace hotel) and Jag Mandir — have hosted royalty, Mughal emperors seeking refuge, and film directors. The vast City Palace complex, built over four centuries by successive Maharanas, is the largest palace in Rajasthan and houses an extraordinary collection of inlaid glass, miniature paintings, royal regalia, and the Crystal Gallery of Fateh Prakash Palace — a surreal Victorian collection of Osler crystal furniture, dinner services, and even a crystal bed, ordered from Birmingham in 1877 and never displayed in the Maharana's lifetime.