Beginners guide - Train travel in India - Tour India by Train

Train travel planning - Timings - Fares - Reservations

The best way for touring India is to travel the country by train. Indian railways have improved so much over the last few years. Foreign tourists and Non Resident Indians (NRIs) are also offered priority reservation benefits not available to the local Indian population.

Foreign Tourists Indian Train Reservations 360 days in advance!

As of July 15, 2007 Indian Railways allow foreign tourists to make train reservations up to 360 days in advance. Indian residents, on the other hand can make train reservations only up to 60 days in advance. So foreign tourists certainly have an advantage. Planning your train travel in India can be done right form your home computer now thanks to on-line booking facility that is now available from anywhere in the world. Now you can also print your own train tickets for Indian railways after paying for them by credit card. For step by step instructions on making on-line train reservations in India visit 'On-line Train Reservations Guide'. Tourists visiting India can travel to almost every destination in India by train. Traveling on the train also lets tourists interact with the local population for a rich cultural experience. Prices for trains are also quite affordable. Most air-conditioned train coaches are comfortable. With proper advance planning you may be able to skip the need for a hotel also for a night or so by choosing night trains and reaching your destinations in the morning.

Planning your train travel itinerary

1. To plan your train itinerary log on to the Indian railways website. 2. Check the various trains by using the link 'Trains between Imp Stations' 3. Input the Source and Destination stations for your travel destination. 4. Click 'Get it' and a list of various train choices are displayed. There are three choices here for users, 'Get Availability', 'Get Fare' and 'Get Schedule' 5. If you find the train timing and fare suitable and tickets are available for your chosen dates of travel. Then click on 'Internet Reservation' to make your reservations. For step by step on-line reservation instructions visit our 'On line Reservation' page. The railways website is not very user friendly and some may find it slightly confusing. With a little bit of patience though it does get you where you want to go.

Should I travel first or second class on Indian trains?

Generally more and more tourists travel by AC second class, the reason along with the monetary saving is the safety aspect as the chances of being alone in a railway compartment is unlikely in AC second class. The other reason is that only a few seats in AC first class are available under the foreign tourist railway quota. Sometimes even though people might wish to travel by first class, they might not get train reservations. Tourists can expect to meet a mix of educated middle and middle upper class people as well as foreign tourists, when traveling on second class air conditioned coaches on Indian trains. On the other hand, when traveling in first class, the chances are that you may meet officials who are traveling free, on a rail pass due to their employment either with the railways or other government organizations.

Luxury Trains

India also has some luxury trains that complete tourism packages to different parts of India for periods of three to seven days. These luxury trains allow sightseeing by day and you sleep on the train at night. The coaches are like rooms of a five star luxury hotel with spacious bathrooms and sleeping areas. Meals on these trains are also included in the price of the ticket. For detailed information on the various luxury trains in India visit our page 'Luxury Trains'.

Are reservations necessary for train travel?

To travel by train in India one needs a ticket for the train as well as a confirmed reservation for a seat or a berth to sleep on if your trip is a overnight one. On most important trains, such as the 'Shatabdi' and 'Rajdhani' trains. Even if you have a ticket you cannot board the train without a confirmed reservation. Don't just go to the railway station and expect to buy a ticket and board the train. Please note: There are some trains where passengers can just buy tickets and travel without reservations. However these are slow trains and are packed full. The chance of getting a place to sit in such trains is almost impossible. Such trains also do not measure up to the class of travel expected by foreign tourists and I would recommend that tourists avoid trains that do not have reserved seating requirements. Most important trains like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains strictly enforce the prior reservation rule. Next Page - Step by step guide for train reservations in India - Check now >>