India by rail travel guide

There’s an expression in Hindi, Aaram Se, meaning to ‘chill out’. It is the rule of thumb in India and there’s no better way to live that feeling than when on holiday in India travelling by train. You don’t even need to get stressed about booking tickets or dealing with the Indian railway network, as we can do all that for you. This India railway holidays guide will get you on the right track when it comes to planning the perfect itinerary.

These are holidays that are just as much about getting off the train as travelling on it. You will stay in all sorts of accommodation, from homestays to heritage hotels, with the odd night on a sleeper train, too. There are small group holidays with a tour leader to make sure you don’t miss the train or stop, and there are more independent, tailor made trips, particularly around South India. Either way, you know what they say: Aaram Se.

Find out more in our India railway holidays travel guide.

Having your trip tailor made means not only do you get to sit back and enjoy the ride, but you are also often met by a chauffeur at the station who takes you up to a hill station in the Ghat Mountains, or a heritage fort hotel in Rajasthan. So – no worrying about booking tickets and no panic when you get into a strange city railway station and don’t know where to start.

South India is well connected by rail and you can use trains to explore the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Expect coast, temples, tea plantations and many other cultural delights on your stops. A rail tour of the south will take around 19 days, with nights on houseboats, homestays, luxury coastal hotels and mountain villages between the tracks.

Rail travel is often associated with budget travellers but there are many ways to enjoy a luxury rail holiday to India, making the most of its superb train network. You could travel like royalty through Northern India on the Maharajas’ Express train. With 14 luxury cabins on bard, a fine dining carriage and a bar with a games room, this is the golden ticket way to see the Golden Triangle.

The north-east route from Kolkata to Delhi is superb and very much off the tourist trail. Spend two weeks on a small group, guided tour, taking in the northern mountainous state of Sikkim and the city of Darjeeling in West Bengal. Darjeeling is also the home of the narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway which took the Raj elite up into to mountain retreats. Nowadays, anyone can use it.

Most rail holidays in northern India cover the Golden Triangle, the glistening vertices of New Delhi, Agra for the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur in Rajasthan. These can be reached on public trains, but also on the luxury Maharajas’ Express. Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park is often thrown into this already golden mix, turning it to platinum if you spot tigers.

The first sleeper train in India you ever take will be a rite of passage. It’s exciting – and nerve-wracking – bedding in on board and hoping you awake in the right place. But with 11 billion train journeys taken in India every year, using sleeper trains is a very standard way of getting around. Be rocked to sleep at departure, and wake for a cup of chai at a station in the morning – before hopping back on board.

The name ‘toy train’ was coined by local people for these small trains on small tracks that headed up to the mountains. Under British rule, the trains catered for summer holiday makers, and serviced mountain plantations. The most famous are Darjeeling’s narrow-gauge trains. Kalka-Shimla railway north of Delhi is another favourite, as is the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in the Ghat Mountains out of Ooty.

You know who you’ll be sharing a cabin with, you’ll know you’ve boarded the right train, and you’ll know where to alight. Plus your tour leader can help you organise your meals on board so you’re not reliant on energy and cereal bars. Travelling as part of a small group can be a reassuring way to get around – and it’s also lots of fun.

Indian online train booking systems can be very complicated and don’t always accept international bank cards. Leave it to our partners, who know when to book, which carriages to choose, and the best nearby accommodation. They can also arrange your station porters so you aren’t lugging your luggage.

You will see signs of poverty at railway stations, like anywhere in the world. However, the idea that India is poverty stricken throughout is a cliché. So, be responsible with your photography, know that India is also a growing economy, albeit with issues, but do also look at the work of superb charity Railway Children, which works in India, the UK and Tanzania to keep children off the streets, and make stations safer places for children who are.

Tragically, the exploitation of children for sex purposes is a feature of tourism and stations are often hubs of this horrific practice. You may be on holiday – but please don’t look away. Always report any suspect activities with regards to children to local authorities. ECPAT is a good point of contact, an international org with excellent global law enforcement contacts.

When travelling on public trains, be sensitive to local etiquette. It’s polite to cover your shoulders, chest and legs. Cuddling and kissing your loved one in public is not really looked upon favourably either. And obviously taking photographs of fellow passengers is rude wherever you are. You wouldn’t want someone photographing you or your kids going about your daily business either.

… you get restless easily. Some journeys are long and slow, and so if that doesn’t appeal, it might not be for you. … you are a bit shy of new cultures. You are pretty much thrown it at the deep end the moment you get on an Indian train. Rail travel is real travel. … you are a bacteria-phobe. Loo roll and hand sanitiser are a must for travelling on Indian trains. … you have outdated perceptions. The journeys you make won’t be in overcrowded carriages (or on the roof). India’s fast, long-distance trains come with air conditioning and seat reservations.