The wheel deals
If cost has checked you from going down the luxury train track, go through these tips and timely offers. You could finally travel in style.
The Golden Chariot
The journey: The train's eight-day itinerary covers the best of Karnataka. The tour begins with lunch at the Leela Bangalore, followed by a city tour. It moves on to Srirangapatnam, Mysore, Kabini, Belur, Halebid, Hampi, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, before ending in Goa.
The cost: Rs 98,000 per head for the entire journey with double occupancy till March 2009. The rate between April and August 2009 is Rs 82,600 per head.
Saving tip: The best places to watch on wheels are Halebid, Belur, Hampi and Aihole, as sightseeing in Bengaluru and Mysore is much cheaper if done independently. So board the train on the fourth day for the Mysore-Goa leg, catching the best sights and saving a whopping Rs 42,000 per head.
The Royal Orient
The journey: This is the best way to soak up the charms of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The point of embarkation is Delhi and the eight-day itinerary covers Chittaurgarh, Jaipur, Junagarh, Sasangir, Dilwara, Palitana and Ahmedabad.
The cost: Rs 68,600 per person from October to March on a twin-sharing basis. There is a discount of around Rs 2,400 per head, per night in April and September.
Saving tip: If you can get a third person to share your cabin, the tariff falls to around 60,000 per head. This means that you stand to save about Rs 8,600 per trip as opposed to travelling in twos.
Palace on Wheels
The journey: Ranked among the world's top 10 luxury rail journeys, the train winds its way from Delhi to the hotspots of Rajasthan, such as Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur and Bharatpur, and on to Agra, before returning to the capital. It's an eight-day journey and the train is fully booked till 2010.
The cost: Rs 1.7 lakh per head on a twin-sharing basis till March 2009.
Saving tip: Book a trip during the lean months of April and August to bag a discount of up to Rs 42,800 per person.
Deccan Odyssey
The journey: Departing from Mumbai, this eight-day journey spans the backwaters and beaches of Ganpatipule, Tarkarli and Goa, the forts of Pune and the frescoes and wall paintings of Ajanta and Ellora.
The cost: Rs 19,000 per person, per night for double occupancy, till March 2009, and again from October this year to March 2010. The rate for the lean months of April and September is Rs 15,600 per person, per night.
Saving tip: Indian Holidays, one of the authorised booking agents for the train, is offering a 10% discount for journeys in 2009. In addition, you can opt for a three-night trip from, say Mumbai to Goa, subject to availability. This means a saving of Rs 76,000 per person on a twin-sharing basis.
Royal Rajasthan on Wheels
The journey: The train, recently launched in an attempt to ease the high demand for the Palace on Wheels, has an eight-day itinerary covering the same route, but is even more opulent than its sister. The full-fledged spa on board is sure to be an experience worth cherishing.
The cost: Rs 2.7 lakh per person for seven nights between September and April on a twin-sharing basis.
Saving tip: There is a promotional offer for journeys up to April 2009, a discount of nearly Rs 5,000 per person, per night. The total cost of the journey works out to Rs 2.39 lakh per head.
Trains that are ready to roll
Coming up in the third quarter of 2009 is a joint venture between The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation and Cox & Kings India. The yet-tobe-named train will have two seven-night itineraries. The Princely India tour will cover Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur and Delhi, while the Classical India tour will take the Delhi-Agra-Gwalior-Khajuraho-Varanasi-Patna route. Then there is the Punjab Government's Punjab Palace on Wheels, which is expected to take off in the next two years. Its seven-day itinerary is expected to cover Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, Dharamsala, Patiala, Kurukshetra, Agra, Delhi and Jaipur.
Tracking pleasure: The foreign train sojourns in 2009 that offer the best value for money.
The Orient Express
The journey: Epitomising European elegance and oriental opulence, the Venice Simplon Orient Express threads its way through Paris, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Prague and Istanbul. You also have the option to cover fewer places. THE COST: Ranges from Rs 32,340 per head for an overnight Venice-Rome run to Rs 2.74 lakh for a five-night Istanbul-Bucharest-Budapest-Venice trip. SAVING TIP: Try to travel as a group to avail of discounts of up to 20%.
The Blue Train
The journey: The guests aboard South Africa's best known train travel from Cape Town's white sand beaches to Pretoria's jacaranda-scented interior, or vice versa. The trip takes one-and-a-half days and the exotic landscape whizzing past is matched only by the fare served. Think karoo lamb and impala-the African antelope-paired with local South African wines. THE COST: Rs 57,400 per person, one way. SAVING TIP: The rates fall to Rs 46,560 per head between January and August.
