A palace that moves. A kingdom that unfolds.
Fourteen carriages of hand-laid marquetry and beaten brass, tracing the courts of Rajputana across seven gilded nights — from the Taj at dawn to the lakes of Udaipur.
In 1982, four royal saloon cars — once the private conveyances of the houses of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Gwalior — were joined into a single train. MAYŪRA has run every winter since, unhurried, between the great courts of the north.
Days are for tiger reserves and marble mausoleums, stepwells and bazaars. Nights belong to the train: a five-course darbar in the dining car, a single malt in the Madira bar, and the low iron lullaby of the rails as Rajasthan slides past your window.
Scroll the journey — the train traces the route as each court of the old kingdoms rises to meet it.
A marigold garland, a measure of champagne, and the peacock-blue train waiting under the lamps of Safdarjung station. At 21:30 the whistle sounds and the capital falls away.
You are woken with cardamom tea an hour before sunrise. The Taj Mahal at first light — before the gates open to the world — then breakfast on the lawns of an old colonial residency.
Two safaris into the dry deciduous forest where tigers walk the ruins of a thousand-year-old fort. Between drives: a champagne lunch in the shadow of the old hunting lodge.
Elephants at Amber, the peacock gate of the City Palace, and a private evening as guests of the royal household — polo, pageantry and dinner under the stars.
Sunset boats across Lake Pichola, the white filigree of the Jag Mandir, and a farewell darbar aboard the train — the peacock livery lit gold as the band plays you home to Delhi.
“Somewhere between Agra and Jaipur, time slows to the rhythm of the rails — and you remember what travel was for.”
Select a carriage to step inside. Each is named in the old court manner, and no two are dressed alike.
Rosewood panelling, a full-size bed beneath a brass jharokha window, and an en-suite dressed in Makrana marble.
A sitting room of its own, hand-knotted Kashmiri silk underfoot, and twin picture windows that hold the sunset from Jodhpur to Udaipur.
An entire carriage to yourselves: master chamber, drawing room, dressing room, and a private observation balcony at the train's tail.
Two dining cars, one kitchen brigade of eleven, and recipes borrowed from four royal households. Dinner is announced each evening by the ringing of a temple bell.
“The Jodhpur house gave us its laal maas. Udaipur, its saffron kheer. My work is only to keep their secrets faithfully — at forty miles an hour.”
Chef Devraj Purohit · Master of the Rasoi
The finest rail journey on earth — and it is not a close race.
The Voyager's AnnualHalf hotel, half heirloom. Mayūra is India's crown carried at a canter.
Heritage & LeisureSeven nights aboard and not one of our party wished to disembark.
The Grand Tour ReviewThe train runs October to April, one departure a fortnight, forty-two guests at a time. Every fare is whole — excursions, dining, and cellar included.
Forty-two guests. Fourteen carriages. One winter. Our Voyage Concierge will hold your carriage for forty-eight hours.
The Reservation Desk has received your request. A Voyage Concierge will telephone within the day to confirm your carriage.
