Amritsar by Rail
from £395 per personView detailsIndia's Golden Triangle
13 Days from £2,145per
person
person
The Award Winning Leader in Escorted Worldwide Rail Holidays
You are viewing the 2019 itinerary
Itineraries and pricing may vary by departure year
The kaleidoscopic sights of this colourful country take your breath away. Our Indian rail tour takes in the Red and Amber Forts, historic temples, beautiful palaces and ornate gardens, as we visit Delhi, the 'Pink City' of Jaipur and Agra with its white marble icon, the Taj Mahal.
We depart London Heathrow on our flight to Delhi, arriving late morning on Day 2. Delhi is one of India's most colourful and exciting metropolises, where the old and new cities exist harmoniously together. We spend the night at our 5-Star hotel.
We leave Delhi on the Shatabdi Express to Kalka. Here we board the UNESCO-listed narrow-gauge Shivalik Express, which is also affectionately referred to as the 'Toy Train'. Covering a journey of 96km, the train gradually passes through the Shivalik foothills of the Himalayas, passing over 864 bridges and through 102 tunnels on its journey to Shimla. The train moves at a leisurely pace, giving us time to soak in the incredible panorama of the surrounding scenery. Alternatively, you may choose to make the journey by car.
Shimla was 'discovered' by the British in 1817, and was later used as a fashionable retreat from the summer heat thanks to it's lovely temperate climate. In 1684, the Government of India declared Shimla as their official headquarters during the hot season. Because of this, many of the town's buildings are very British in style. We spend three nights at the heritage 5-Star Oberoi Cecil Hotel.
We begin our day with an informative talk from our expert guest speaker, Raaja Bhasin, before our exploration of Shimla continues with a sightseeing tour that takes in much of the local colonial heritage. We begin at the Viceregal Lodge, the summer seat of the viceroys until the 1940s and we continue to the Sankat Mochan Temple.
This afternoon, a leisurely stroll takes us past the town's Gaiety Theatre, the Victorian- Gothic Christ Church and Scandal Point, named thus due to it being a popular social meeting place where people would gather and share gossip.
On Day 5 you are free to explore at leisure. Alternatively, embark on an optional excursion to the Kufri area of upper Shimla, where you can enjoy incredible views of the snow-capped mountain peaks of the Himalayas, followed by a visit to Wildflower Hall, the former residence of Lord Kitchener - a noted senior British Army officer. Now a hotel, this beautiful building sits amidst a verdant forest with incredible views of the surrounding peaks of the Himalayas. Here, you will enjoy a high tea lunch and a walk around the gardens (payable locally).
We depart Shimla and return back to Delhi, for two more nights. On Day 7 we visit Old Delhi, taking a rickshaw ride through the narrow streets of Delhi's bazaar for an incredible insight into the lives of the millions of people who live in the city. As you travel towards Chandi Chowk, you will be immersed in real India - we visit the Jama Masjid - India's largest mosque, Raj Ghat, a simple but moving memorial to Gandhi, 'the father of the Nation', and pass Delhi's Red Fort.
Later we embark on a sightseeing tour exploring the wide, leafy avenues and impressive colonial architecture of New Delhi. Our tour includes India Gate war memorial, the grandiose Rashtrapati Bhavan, Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar, India's tallest stone tower, built in 1199.
We join the southbound Gatimaan Express early this morning to Agra. On arrival we visit Agra's imposing Red Fort, originating from the 15th century and considered India's most important fortification. Built on a hill above Agra, its centrepiece is a tower with a marble balcony where Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan spent his last days imprisoned.
Later we travel across the city to the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, to visit this marvellous sight. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1653 in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, this iconic white marble building is a true monument to undying love, and is the world's finest example of Mughal and Persian architecture.
We depart Agra by coach, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri, a perfectly preserved ancient red sandstone city built in the 16th century as India's political capital, but abandoned after only 14 years due to lack of water. Remarkably, the city remains exactly as it was 400 years ago, giving us an excellent insight into how life was during the time of the Mughal Empire. After a guided tour of the empty, ghostly buildings, we continue to Jaipur, for three nights at the 5-Star ITC Hotel Rajputana.
We begin our stay in the 'Pink City' with an exciting sightseeing tour that includes the grand and ornately decorated City Palace, home to the current Maharajah of Jaipur, as well as the unique early 18th century and UNESCO listed Astronomical Observatory and the sights, sounds and smells of colourful Jaipur market.
On Day 11 we travel past the beautiful Jal Mahal water palace, located in the middle of a lake, before heading to the outskirts of Jaipur to visit the Amber Fort. Located high on a hillside, to reach the fort we travel by Jeep. We have the chance to explore some of the ornate rooms within the palace complex before we continue our tour, driving past the Palace of the Winds, a facade built in 1799 so the ladies of the Royal Household could look over the streets below without being seen.
Today we drive back to Delhi, where we spend our final evening. On Day 13, we transfer to the airport for our flight to London, arriving late in the early evening.
Selected departures feature a guest speaker on Day 4 at Oberoi Cecil Shimla. We enjoy a talk from Raaja Bhasin for a detailed insight into the town through its people, history and culture. Raaja Bhasin is an acclaimed writer and researcher; most recently he served as history consultant on the Channel 4 series 'Indian Summers'. Born in Shimla, he was written two books on the former British retreat.
Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.
An escorted experience and all travel arrangements
Comfortable accommodation in your destination
Delicious meals included
Exciting excursions and free time to explore
Enhancing your tour
British Citizens require a visa to enter India. We can help you with visa applications up to 21 days before departure - please see the Visa section of 'Things You Should Know' for further details.
This tour may be suitable for reduced mobility passengers, please call for further information.
of travellers would recommend this tour
Tour Rating
based on 46 verified reviews
Interesting sights, good hotels and well organised tour
Fantastic! Such a wonderful country and our GRJ journey gave us excellent travel with superb hotels and great organisation. Well done!
The tour was well organised and everything worked well. We had some time on our own for little adventures. The experience of the sights and sounds was amazing.
We had the best experience and holiday to date. As always the organisation was good, our Manager Janet was outstanding as was our India Guide Raj. Both great. The group were the best and we all got on so very well. Hotels apart from Agra were absolutely lovely as were all the staff.
Yes, this an excellent well organised tour that took us to many wonderful places. The hotels, food, excursions and train journeys were excellent and we could not have wished for a more fabulous tour Manager than Janet Denney, she was helpful, considerate and it was great to be in her company for the whole of the tour. This was also supported by excellent, guides, drivers and helpers. Quite literally a holiday of a lifetime which I highly recommend!
An excellent trip. We were looked after all the way and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Perfectly organised holiday, with everything working as planned, like clockwork
Throughly enjoyed it, very well organised
Organisation was excellent and the book day was as per my expectationsbfrom the brochure. The tour manager Ian Dobie was also excellent and ensured that everything went smoothly.
To begin with - let me balance some of the negative comments on this thread - if you don't want to see overcrowded roads, dated trains, livestock in the street, poverty, litter, pollution, questionable toilets or people desperately trying to make a living by selling you things - don't go to India. They are all part of it - and part of its charm. If you want to experience a completely different culture which is vibrant, colourful and alive within a safe, professional, seamless structure then choose Great Rail. I can not fault the experience, right from being picked up by the tour manager at Heathrow to picking up the luggage from the carousel on our return. Both the English and Indian guides were courteous, knowledgeable and extremely efficient. Yes we went to a carpet shop, a textile shop and a jewellery store but they fed us and gave really interesting talks. There was no obligation to buy but some did as the products were beautiful! Yes the guides held up products from street sellers when we got onto the bus but they negotiated the best price first! They knew that the price would reduce as we got closer to the coach and constantly advised us on ways to deal with these sellers. These items were not expensive and they clearly support the income of a poor community. One 5 year old boy tried to sell us wooden elephants in 4 languages! Full marks for tenacity! We travelled by train, coach and a fleet of taxis - each providing a different experience and view of this fascinating country. The hotels were comfortable, especially the Oberoi in Shimla which was incredible. The food was good, and again, indian! The itinerary was busy but there was some time to relax and enjoy the hotel pools. India etches itself on your mind - warts and all - I would not hesitate to recommend this holiday.
5-Star Indian rail tour
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