60,000 kms of railway track linking 7,000 stations and over 11,000 locomotives, India boasts of one of the oldest and largest railway networks in the world.

The Indian Railways offer a unique experience in rail travel and make railway vacations in India, an exciting way to take in the thousands of years of culture and stunning scenery.

Railway vacations and the romance of steam

Travel back in time where train travel and life moved at a slower pace, with railway vacations in India and experience the romance of steam.

Train travel in India caters for all tastes and carries you to a world of forts and palaces, historic monuments, and spectacular views and stunning scenery.

train travel in India offers more then just a mode of public transport.

The restored engines and Toy trains, chugging up impossible slopes on their narrow gauge are a perennial source of wonder and joy and restore the romance of train travel to a bygone era.

Train vacations in India also, allow you to see some of the wide variety of stunning scenery from a totally different perspective.

Below we have outlined just 3 rail tours in India, but of course, there are many more.

The most spectacular steam train journey in the world!

Starting in Darjeeling this train trip is perhaps the most famous and most spectacular steam railway in the world.

The Journey starts at New jalpaiguri and zig zags over steep gradients and sharp curves, As the train makes its way around bends, breathtaking views unfold.

After passing through rock cuttings, the train reaches Kurseong Further beyond the Tung Station the line runs steeply to Ghoom at 7407 feet, said to be the highest railway station in Asia.

One of the oldest & steepest journeys in the world

The hill station is located on the border of three southern states- Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. At 2268 meters above sea level in the Nilgiri mountains offers a charm of its own with beautiful views reminiscent of the English countryside.

Ootacamund, with its soft rolling hills, reminded the English of their own country and it soon emerged as a favorite.

Train travel on here continues to amaze and delight as one of the oldest and steepest fully operational track and adhesion railway vacations in the world.

The splendor of The British Raj

During the British Raj, Shimla was a summer retreat and rail vacations saw the British come in great numbers, to avoid the heat and seek a cooler climate.

At an altitude of 2,130 meters, the city is located on a crescent shaped ridge with suburbs clinging to the slopes. In Shimla, the proud British heritage lives on in beautiful buildings of that period.

About 70 percent of the track is on curves and at times, as the train chugs ahead, it is possible to see the front part of the train while the back is still at the far end of the curve.

The train passes through 103 tunnels and over 869 bridges. The journey makes you aware of the extraordinary feats of engineering to make this raliway vacation one to remember for ever.