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Palace On Wheels
Showcasing the ambience of Palace, offers most
luxurious stay on board.
The passenger coaches which were originally meant to
be the per sonal railway coaches of the erstwhile
rulers of princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat, the
Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India.
These coaches were not being used by the Indian
Railways after independence in normal passenger
trains on account of very rich and traditional
interiors.
The name "Palace-on-Wheels" (POW) was derived from
its royal background of the coaches & first
introduced in 1982. A new meter gauge air
conditioned Palace-on-Wheels was introduced in 1990
& had 13 Saloons, 2 Restaurant cum Kitchen car, one
Bar cum Lounge and 4 Service Cars. In order to
further increase the amenities on the train and due
to over all gauge conversion in the state, a new
broad gauge Palace-on-Wheels has been constructed. &
has been running since 1995. It's 14 Saloons are
inter-connected, the interior matching the
aesthetics of the royal states. The cabins of each
saloon name attached with showers. The train also
has a well appointed lounge, library, bar & dining
cars.
In the past 20 years of operations, the
Palace-on-Wheels has been rated as one of the best
ten luxurious rail journeys in the world.
Saloons name:: The names of the saloons are based on
the princely states of Rajasthan - Alwar, Bharatpur,
Bikaner, Bundi, Dholpur, Dungarpur, Jaipur,
Jaisalmer, Jhalawar, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Kota,
Sirohi, and Udaipur.
The decor of each saloon has highlighted the
cultural ethos of the state, represented through the
use of furniture, handicrafts, paintings and
furnishings.The ceiling in the lounge is of
particular interest. Each coupe is different but the
overall ambience of the decor of the saloons has
been taken care of to provide continuity.
Each saloon has cream yellow color on its exterior
walls and bear the Coat of Arms (logo) of the
erstwhile princely states, along with the name.
Interior Layout: Each saloon has 4 coupes (sleeping
rooms) with attached toilet. In every saloon, there
is one saloon captain valet and one attendant to
look after the personal needs of its tourists. Each
saloon has a mini pantry properly equipped to
provide ready tea/coffee and snacks.
Palace on Wheels -
Destinations covered
The Palace on Wheels, the most famous and
luxurious train of India starts its wonderful
journey from Delhi Cant. Railway Station. And from
here starts your fascinating tour that covers some
of the very famous tourist destinations of India.
Delhi: The Capital city
of India, Delhi is one of the well known historical
cities of the world. Famous attractions here include
Qutab Minar, Red Fort and Jama Masjid, Purana Qila,
the Lotus temple and the India Gate.
Jaipur: Jaipur is
famous as 'Pink city'. The city is known for its
colorful culture, handicrafts and tourist spots.
Famous tourist spots here include the Hawa Mahal,
the City Palace, Amber Fort and Jantar Mantar (a
famous observatory).
Jaisalmer: Known as
'the jewel of the desert 'Jaisalmer is situated near
the Thar Desert. It's a famous with tourists for
exotic camel safari it offers to them.
Jodhpur: The second
largest city of Rajasthan, Jodhpur is famous for its
strong Mehrangarh Fort.
Ranthambore National Park: Ranthambore National Park
is a famous tiger reserve of India.
Chittorgarh:
Chittorgarh is known as the city of bravery and
romance. The famous tourist spots here include
Chittorgarh Fort and Padmini's Palace among many
others.
Udaipur: Udaipur is
famous as the city of lakes. It is also regarded as
the ' Venice of the East'. Famous tourist spots here
are Lake Palace, boating in lake Pichola, Shilpgram-
a craft village- and Royal Gardens.
Bharatpur: Bharatpur is
world famous for its Wildlife Bird Sanctuary and
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
Agra: Agra is famous
for ' The Taj Mahal' one of the Seven Wonders of the
World. The other famous monuments here is Agra Fort
or Red Fort and Buland Darwaza of Fatehpur Sikri
situated close to Agra.
Here your memorable journey reaches its final
destination and you are set to return back to Delhi.
Palace on Wheels Schedule
Palace on Wheels is a weekly departure
from September through April each year. It departs
from Delhi on every Wednesday for status and current
tariffs kindly let us know we will provide you the
entire information as per your requirement.
itinerary-
DAY 01 . WEDNESDAY
Reporting Time: 16.00 hrs. Departure 18.30 hrs
New Delhi : This is the
place from where the odyssey across Rajasthan gets
initiated at the Delhi Cantonment where the guests
are received in a warm and gratifying manner with
all the added paraphernalia before the Palace on
Wheels begins its royal journey, across a thrilling
and mesmerizing Rajasthan.
DAY 02 - THURSDAY
Arrival: 02.00 hrs. Departure 19.30 hrs
Jaipur
Jaipur regales the tourists with decorated elephants
and lilting strains of the Shehnai on their arrival
in Jaipur. Lunch at Rambagh Palace will leave you
satiated. Then travel destinations of the order of
Hawa Mahal, Nahargarh fort, Amber fort are given a
look in as the travel tour progresses.
An air-conditioned coach will move the travelers to
Hawa Mahal which is a gigantic five-storied building
adorned with subtly decorated and delicate honey
combed windows, made out of Rajasthani sandstone. A
travel tour to Amber Fort, where rides atop
decorated elephants add to the pomp and pageantry of
the outing, gets completed with a shopping spree for
Jaipur's famed jewellery, handicrafts, carpets, and
textiles. Ajmeri Gate is home to Rajasthali - a
stately Rajasthan Govt. shop dishing out authentic
handicrafts at stable and affordable prices.
A travel tour to City Palace awaits the tourist
after consuming a satiating lunch with the royal
gharana of Jaipur. The travel juggernaut then rolls
on to the majestic Jantar Mantar, the largest and
one of the finest observatories built by Maharaja
Sawai Jai Singh II. Around 6.30 p.m the bus will
ferry the tourists to the train where a sumptuous
dinner is ready to be served.
DAY 03. FRIDAY
Arrival: 08.15 hrs. Departure 23.00 hrs
Jaisalmer
The great and humbling Thar Desert is home to
Jaisalmer, whose foundation stone was laid by Rawal
Jaisal, in the year 1156 A.D. The yellow sandstone
fort is a grand vision, which remains steadfast
gallantly over the city. The supremely latticed
havelis with their bombastic facades and The
Nathmalji-ki-haveli, Patwon-ki-haveli and Salim
Singh-ki-haveli are brilliant specimens of the local
architecture which is all laid out in all its
panache and glory.
Shopping can ensue at Rajasthali-the grandly
Rajasthan Government shop, which harbors beautiful
pattu shawls, snazzy mirror work and embroidered
articles, well laid out wooden boxes, numerous
trinkets, silver jewellery and innumerable curios.
Lunch can be had on time and what follows is a
thrilling camel safari on the enchanting "Sam" sand
dunes before having dinner and savoring the cultural
evening at a hotel in Jaisalmer. The train then
heads for Jodhpur at dark.
DAY 04 SATURDAY
Arrival: 07.00 hrs. Departure 15.30 hrs
Jodhpur
The Palace on Wheels reaches the capital of Marwar,
Jodhpur blocked by a high and imposing wall with
seven gates to act as entry points. This beatific
and historic city of Rajasthan, founded by Rao Jodha,
in the year1459 A.D., is popular for its imposing
and much visited Mehrangarh Fort. The grand palaces
within the legendary Mehrangarh fort- Moti Mahal,
Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, and Daulat Khana are an
imposing array of architectural finesse. Jaswant
Thada, a cluster of royal cenotaphs hewn out of
marble, is one place, which is the chief draw among
the tourists in Rajasthan, North India.
Lunch follows a throw back to the stately Palace On
Wheels. Jodhpur offers a golden opportunity to shop
for handicraft articles of the order of the famed
and comical breeches, embroidered shoes, metal
curios, silverware, beautiful paintings and
harlequin tie and dye clotheslines.
DAY 05. SUNDAY
Arrival: 04.00 hrs. Departure 10.30 hrs
Sawai Madhopur
Rusticity and wild charm rules the roost as the
graceful and traditional Palace on Wheels reaches
Sawai Madhopur, a city founded by Maharaja Sawai
Madho Singh I. Ranthambhor National Park, is a
wildlife sanctuary which is thought to be the
country's ideal site for animal wealth photography
and catching tigers on the move and drinking from
the surrounding water holes. The park, with an
expanse of 392 sq. kilometers boasts of
approximately 300 species of birds. Tiger, hyena,
ratel, jackal and fox are some of the animals found
here. Sawai Madhopur is an ideal gateway for
exquisite shopping opportunities of the order of its
ethnic ornaments and costumes. After returning to
the Palace on Wheels, the next travel destination
happens to be Chittor, where a tourist is in unison
with the bright sylvan surroundings being witnessed
from the royal carrier.
DAY 05. SUNDAY
Arrival: 16.00 hrs.
Chittaurgarh
Lunch follows a jaunt in Chittaurgarh with vignettes
of love and courage, wounds of skirmishes lost and
won becoming the hallmark of Chittaurgarh Fort.
Moving legends of honor and pride get imbedded in
you as one moves towards Udaipur.
DAY 06 . MONDAY
Arrival: 20.00 hrs. from Chittaurgarh
Udaipur
The Luxury Coach will take the tourist to Udaipur,
the next morning. It became a part of the map in
Rajasthan at the behest of Maharana Udai Singh of
Mewar. Udaipur is home to two beautiful marble
palaces - the Jag Niwas (Lake Palace) and the Jag
Mandir, which emanate from the surface of Lake
Pichola. Lunch follows at the famed Lake Palace
Hotel, with a visit to the City Palace being next on
the list. The luxury coach will ferry the tourists
back to the Palace On Wheels at Chittaurgarh, thus
culminating a day full of sightseeing and fun.
DAY 07. TUESDAY
Arrival: 06.30 hrs. Departure 11.45 hrs
Bharatpur
Bharatpur, the capital of Maharaja Suraj Mal is the
next destination of the luxury train. Once breakfast
is had, one can pay a visit to renowned bird
sanctuary, popularly known as the Keoladeo Ghana
National Park, which harbors a healthy stock of
Siberian Cranes, migratory water Fowl and the rest
of the assortment in the Bharatpur collection.
DAY 07. TUESDAY
Arrival: 14.30 hrs. Departure 23.00 hrs
Agra
The luxury train reaches Fatehpur Sikri, which was
built by the Mughals out of red sandstone. Here, a
mosque built by Emperor Akbar, dedicated to Sheikh
Salim Chishti, is located which continues to attract
a throng of devotees. After lunch has been eaten,
one can witness the mesmerizing and impressive Taj
Mahal, the Eighth Wonder of the World. Taj Mahal was
built by Emperor Shah Jahan who dedicated the
beautiful monument to the immortal love for his
queen Mumtaz Mahal.
Agra is known for its impressive marble work of the
order of the Pietra Dura patterning in Taj Mahal,
and the pursuits producing leather goods and
jewellery also need to be explored.
Dinner is had on board the train, and the last leg
of the journey begins for Delhi Cantt at 6.00 A.M,
the morning after and then a tourist can swim in a
sea of nostalgia and sweet remembrances for a long
time to come.
DAY 08. WEDNESDAY
Arrive : 0600 HRS
Delhi:
Delhi Cantt. Station welcomes a tourist just through
a long journey with the details of a colorful
Rajasthan reverberating through the mind of the
traveler.
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