The best way to explore India like a pro is by using the trains. Train travels will help you explore a variety of colorful destinations along with keeping you in the vicinity of the local culture. Trains are used for inter-city travel and intra-city travel. There are trains that are operated to just reach destination on-time. Some train routes are designed to give an aesthetic pleasure to those who travel in it.
Here we mentioned 15 incredible train routes across the country that you can rely on creating a flawless beautiful memory in your mind.
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#1. Weekly Vivek Express (Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari)
This is the longest train route in the country starting from the far end of the North-East part of the country to the southern tip. The train runs for 82 hours covering 2600 miles. You get to watch the coastal towns, Bay of Bengal, plantations and much more. This is an epic journey covering 8 states in five days. You get to explore a huge chuck of the country along with the diversity of the country’s nature, culture, lifestyle and much more.
#2. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
This is the epic toy train of the country. All the mountain railway routes of the country are an attraction by itself and the emblem of all mountain routes would be the route between Kalka and Shimla.
Shimla is the summer honeymoon destination of the country. This interesting rail route is a heritage site too. This route covers 55 miles through zig zag village regions, mountains, valleys, velvety tea plantations, creek and much more. The train goes up to the height of 7000 feet and the train moves in a very slow speed allowing tourists to get the glimpse of the land and beauty around them.
Also Read: Toy Trains in India – Everything You Should Know About
#3. Konkan Railway
Arabian Sea has a sheer beauty to it, no one can deny that. This Konkan railway route covers the route between Goa and Mumbai. This route goes parallel to the Arabian Sea and crosses more than 200 bridges including the country’s highest viaduct. For eleven hours, the train covers many traditional villages, colorful Portuguese settlements, grooves, mountains, water bodies and much more. The best time to take this colorful route is during monsoon.
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#4. Kangra Valley Railway
Put valley and railway route together, you will get a magnificent vacation in your hand. The Kangra Valley route covers 100 miles through some of the raw-nature beauty landscapes including tea gardens, orange groves, mountain ranges, valleys and water bodies. This route is ten hours of nothing but, mesmerizing nature. The only disadvantage to this route is that, within these ten hours, the train would stop at least 33 times at stations. However, the view is worth the travel.
Read: A Complete Guide on Indian Railways
#5. Desert Train (Jodhpur to Jaisalmer)
What is beautiful about a desert? You need to visit Rajasthan to enjoy and experience that beauty. This beauty is the main reason to why most of the luxury trains of the country try to cover as many Rajasthan destinations as possible. However, the Desert Train is not a luxury train. It is a visual treat of six hours covering historic cities, desert landscapes and scattered settlements. This is the ultimate desert safari that gives you a glimpse of desert wildlife, culture and beauty. The best time to take the trip is on a winter morning. This is the second best way (next to camel safari) to explore the desert region. Know More 15 Things To Do in Jaisalmer.
#6. Palace on Wheels
India is crazy about trains, since its introduction to the country by British. About 23 million people use the trains every day. There are more than 7000 stations in the country. The kings of yesteryear travelled the country in the trains. However, their saloons were decorated and pumped with luxury amenities and facilities.
After the fall of Victorian rule and autocracy, the luxury trains were re-designed and taken for tourism, with the name of Palace on Wheels. It starts from Delhi, covers the Golden Triangle along with Ranthambore, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and others, before getting back to Delhi. If you are looking for the best experience in train that you could get, Palace on Wheels is the right choice.
Know More: How to Book Palace on Wheels Train?
Are you planning to take up the Palace on Wheel tour? Read the itinerary of Palace on Wheels to know more about the route and highlights at each destination.
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#7. Goa Express
This Train starts from Goa and reach Karnataka. The time span of the train journey is just three and a half hours. But, the experience you would gulp during this route is enormous. The train gets very close to the natural beauties, that you can even touch the wild pink flowers from your carriage (we do not recommend you to put your hands out of a moving train).
The train route clings to the mountain regions and forest borders to give you the best vacation as away from the commercial life as possible. The route even covers deep valleys, peaks and other beauties of Western Ghats before getting closer to the Londa city.
#8. Golden Chariot
Golden Chariot luxury train focuses on the heritage filled southern part of the country. This train provides a few options in terms of itineraries. All the itineraries cover important heritage destinations in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. This train journey provides a holistic vacation, along with a memorable train journey. Starting from local cuisine to the performance arts of the region, the train travel covers a lot more of the essence of the destinations than just mere journey.
Also Read: Train Facilities
#9. Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express
How crazy are you about exclusive train routes? Are you willing to take a train journey just so that you would be able to take another train route? The first train route starts from West Bengal and reaches Tinsukia. Once you have reach Tinsukia, you would be officially in the Eastern side of the country, well away from the hustle of commercialization. The protagonist of the route, the second train route starts from Tinsukia and ends in Ledo of Assam.
This route covers paddy fields, tea plantations, local settlements, mountain sides and much more. When we talk about settlements, it is not just some sight that you need to observe with keen. The train runs as close as possible to the settlements, that you can easily look in their houses clearly. The crazy part about this route is that, the Tinsukia to Ledo route is just one hour and thirty minutes long. To take this train route, you need to travel for 16 hours from West Bengal to Tinsukia. You would be surprised to see how many travelers from around the world, take up this journey.
Read More: Traveling in an Overnight Train? What You Need to Know
#10. Deccan Odyssey
Are you looking for a luxury train travel but, not wanting to be cuffed to just the cliche iconic destinations? Deccan Odyssey with its fascinating unique itineraries can cover hidden treasures for you like Sasan Gir national Park, Rann of Kutch, Palitana and others. You can find numerous itineraries covering different states and unique attractions, which are usually not covered by other top luxury trains.
Read More: Most Epic Train Journeys in the World
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#11. Nizamuddin Duronto Express
This is a typical commercial train, where speed is all that matters to the train network. The train starts from Pune and reaches New Delhi, and vice versa. You can find people running towards their work or home. This express train covers the distance in just 6 hours, which would probably take more than 26 hours in a normal-speed train.
What is so beautiful in this express-speed train? The topography you get to enjoy as the train speed through diverse landforms is a chaotic beauty that can etch into your minds for long. It covers salt mounds, mountains, deserts, rivers, villages and much more in just few minutes. You need to keep your eyes glued to the window so that you wouldn’t miss anything.
Read More: 10 Super Fast and High Speed Trains of India
#12. Maharajas’ Express
This is another luxury train in the country with its list of amenities and facilities, making it one of the most luxurious train travels of the world. Starting from the laid back historic town of Gwalior to the emblematic Taj Mahal of Agra, this train provides numerous itineraries to cover unique styles of vacations. The train journey focuses on providing a holistic vacation, trying to cover every element of each destination.
Read More: How Many Luxury Trains Are There in India?
#13. Island Express
This train route covers the southern tip regions of the country as it runs between Kanyakumari and Trivandrum. This is the fusion of train journey and three oceans (Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean). The route is heavy packed with sea-side nature, which includes view of coconut trees filled sandy beaches, water bodies, palm trees, local lifestyle, small patches of tropical jungles, isolated native-styled churches and much more.
Also Read: Five Exceptional Tips For a Luxury Vacation in India
Explore More: Train Coaches and Train Cabins
#14. Jammu Mail
This is an engineering marvel, which covers to the northern-most tip to which Indian rail tracks could venture. You get to reach to the foothills of Himalayas as you move from Jammu to Udhampur. The route covers more than 158 bridges, 20 tunnels and enormous areas of meadows. The route is covered with valleys, river mouths, mountain ranges, waterfalls and many awe-inspiring mountain views. The only disadvantage to this incredible route is that the train is usually delayed. Given the complexity of the route, one cannot blame the train operator for the delay.
#15. Sethu Express
How about a train ride over the ocean? The Sethu Express starts from Chennai and reaches Rameswaram via the Chord Line. Sethu is the local name for the Adam’s bridge at the tip of the country (mythological built by Lord Ram with the help of monkeys). The train route is pretty normal from Chennai up to Pamban Bridge. Over the bridge, the train crosses the sea route.
The bridge is so low that you can feel the splashes from the sea waves on your face, especially during high tide season. The sea route is covered for just five minutes but, those five minutes are worth the entire ten hours of journey. You can also choose Kanyakumari Rameswaram Express, which starts in Kanyakumari and reaches Rameswaram through Pamban Bridge. It is typically the same experience, however, the overall time of train travel will be much lesser.
Apart from these, there are numerous mountain train routes, heritage routes and other nature-infused routes that are covered by trains in the country. The country is interlinked with train routes and it is one of the best transportation that would give you a holistic experience.
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