The best train trips in India
To take a train in India is to submit to its rhythm, to let go of timetables and fixed plans. It is a mode of travel where strangers become storytellers, where chai-wallahs offer steaming cups of masala tea at dawn, and where the landscape shifts from desert to jungle to coastline in the span of a single journey.
The railway network, sprawling across the subcontinent, offers a front-row seat to the country’s diversity. The best train journeys in India are not just modes of transport but vignettes of history, culture, and adventure. From mountain railways to luxury trains, here are the best rail journeys in India.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is one of India’s most storied rail routes. Departing from New Jalpaiguri, the train ascends over 55 miles through dense forests and tea estates, into the foothills of the Himalayas. The slow, winding ride is a throwback to a different era.
Pulled by a steam locomotive, the train clatters past villages, where children wave and vendors get on, selling steaming momos wrapped in banana leaves. The narrow-gauge track passes through tea plantations where women in bright saris pluck leaves, and arrives in Darjeeling, a hill station with tea gardens and colonial-era bungalows.
A stop in Kurseong reveals a British colonial past with its boarding schools and white-washed bungalows. The scent of eucalyptus drifts through the open windows, mingling with the fragrance of street-side momo stalls. At Ghoom, India’s highest railway station, prayer flags flutter in the wind as the Himalayas emerge in the distance. The Batasia Loop, a dramatic curve in the track, offers a stunning view of Mount Kanchenjunga, the third-highest peak in the world.
The Deccan Odyssey
For those who want to experience India’s grandeur without sacrificing comfort, the Deccan Odyssey offers a week of regal indulgence. This royal blue train, adorned with gold detailing, departs from Mumbai, rolling through Maharashtra, where history is etched in basalt rock and time moves to an older rhythm.
This route, which links Mumbai to Mangalore, is a study in contrasts: coconut groves and neon-colored fishing boats, palm-fringed beaches and hidden Portuguese churches. The train’s interior replicates the architecture of old Deccan palaces, with intricate woodwork and gold detailing. Each carriage evokes a different dynasty—the Marathas, the Mughals—while the dining cars serve Konkani seafood and Parsi delicacies.
A week-long passage through the Deccan Plateau, the train takes you through the vineyards of Nashik, the laid-back beaches of Goa, and the regal streets of Kolhapur. The journey includes stops at the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, where Buddhist and Hindu rock-cut temples tell the stories of past centuries. For much of its journey, the train is parallel to the Arabian Sea, its windows framing vignettes of coastal life.
The train stops near the lakes of Udaipur, allowing you to explore the regal City Palace before going on to Jodhpur, where Mehrangarh Fort towers over the blue-painted city. In Jaipur, the train stops near the Amber Fort, its sandstone façade glowing under the desert sun.
The Grand Trunk Express
The trip traces a historic path along the ancient Grand Trunk Road, the legendary route that linked India from Bengal to the Khyber Pass. The train rumbles past Tamil Nadu’s temple towns, through Andhra Pradesh’s mango orchards, and into the heart of Madhya Pradesh before reaching the sprawling metropolis of Delhi. During the ride hawkers sell everything from biryani to comic books, and families spread out homemade rotis on their bunks.
The train carries an ever-changing cast of passengers: pilgrims going to Varanasi, students returning home, families laden with tiffins of homemade dosas. The scenery morphs as one moves southward—arid plains give way to the green, temple-studded landscapes of Tamil Nadu. By the time the train reaches Andhra Pradesh, the menu has already changed; idlis and dosas give way to biryanis spiced with cardamom and saffron. The train travels northward, past Nagpur’s orange orchards and Madhya Pradesh’s teak forests, until it arrives in New Delhi.
The Palace on Wheels
Departing from Delhi, this train is a throwback to the grandeur of the Rajput and Mughal courts. The ride covers a landscape of deserts, pink palaces, and white marble mausoleums.
This luxury train, modeled after the carriages of Maharajas, passes through Rajasthan’s desert, pausing at Jaipur’s rose-hued palaces and Jaisalmer’s sandcastle fort. The carriages are modeled after royal saloons, with velvet upholstery, inlaid wood paneling, plush carpets and silk curtains. Waiters in turbans serve drinks in a dining car adorned with intricate Rajasthani motifs. Over a glass of single malt, you can reimagine India’s Raj-era grandeur, conjuring the days of maharajas and viceroys. Outside, camel caravans move across the Thar Desert.
In Udaipur, the train pauses long enough for travelers to sip coffee by Lake Pichola. Stops include an elephant ride at Amber Fort and a tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park. Along the way, passengers disembark at Jodhpur, known as the Blue City because of its indigo-hued houses.
At night, the train pulls into Jaipur’s royal station, where folk dancers perform in lamplit courtyards. The train’s final stop, Agra, allows travelers to step off and see the Taj Mahal.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is India’s steepest train journey, climbing over 7,000 feet from Mettupalayam, a humid lowland town, to Ooty, the former hill station with colonial bungalows and sprawling gardens. This was the summer retreat of the British Raj. At each station, chai-wallahs weave through the carriages, offering passengers steaming cups of spiced tea, while vendors sell hot vada and banana fritters wrapped in newspaper.
This is a trip that unfolds in chapters—first the heat of the plains, then the sudden cool of the forests, then the misty heights of the Nilgiris. The train, with its vintage blue carriages, ascends through tea gardens and eucalyptus forests, past monkeys that scamper alongside the tracks. At Coonoor station you can step out for a cup of locally grown tea before reboarding for the final ascent to Ooty.
