Maharajas' Express and its rivals, compared

If your India trip is centred on Delhi, Rajasthan and Agra, your real choice is between the Maharajas' Express and Palace on Wheels. If it is centred on Maharashtra and Goa, the Deccan Odyssey is the only option; if it is South India, the Golden Chariot is. The four do not meaningfully compete on the same ground, so region comes first, train comes second.

Start with the map, not the train: pick the region your itinerary already needs, and the train choice mostly follows. Within that, decide how much time you want to give to rail travel itself — three or four nights suits travellers who want a taster, while a full week suits those who see the train as the holiday rather than a transfer between sights.

Budget-conscious travellers researching Palace on Wheels alongside the Maharajas' Express should weigh cabin-class options carefully, since both trains offer a range of tiers rather than one fixed price point.

All four operate a winter-into-spring season, broadly October to April, to avoid summer heat and monsoon rain in their respective regions. Exact departure calendars are published by each operator ahead of the season and we check them against your dates before booking.