The short answer
The car is the backbone: almost every journey we plan uses a private chauffeur from first day to last.
The train is a treat: used once or twice, on the routes where it is faster or more pleasant than the road.
- Backbone
- A private car and chauffeur
- Best train days
- Out of Delhi, in daylight
- Best class
- Executive Chair Car on day trains
- Never by train
- Shekhawati, village forts, desert camps
- Long legs
- Jaipur to Udaipur: fly or drive
- The flight is the shortcut: for long legs with little on the way, such as Jaipur to Udaipur, an hour in the air saves a day.
- The luxury trains are a separate question: a week on the Palace on Wheels is a holiday in itself, not a way of getting from A to B.
- Our rule of thumb: if you want to stop on the way, drive. If you want to arrive rested and quickly, take the train.
How we decide, leg by leg
Is there a fast train? Shatabdi, Vande Bharat or Gatimaan services are quick and comfortable. Ordinary trains on most Rajasthan lines are slower than the road.
Is the station near where you're going? Sawai Madhopur is ten to fifteen minutes from most Ranthambore lodges. Most village forts have no station at all.
- Is there something worth stopping for? a stepwell, a fort, a temple. Trains don't wait.
- How bad is the traffic? leaving Delhi by car can be slow. The train glides past it.
- What time of year is it? winter fog can delay trains for hours around Delhi. We plan around it.
- Who is travelling? small children love trains. Travellers with limited mobility may find stations hard work.
- What does the rest of the day look like? an afternoon train after a morning's sightseeing can turn a lost day into a full one.
Where the train wins
Delhi to Jaipur
The train: fast daytime services, including Shatabdi and Vande Bharat trains, take a little over four hours, with reclining seats and meals on many services.
- The road: about four to five hours, sometimes less on the new expressway, but leaving Delhi can be slow. Our Delhi to Jaipur expressway post compares the roads.
- Our view: a draw on time. The train wins if you want to read, nap or skip the Delhi traffic.
Delhi to Agra
The train: the Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin reaches Agra Cantonment in under two hours.
- The road: about three to four hours on the Yamuna Expressway.
- Our view: the train wins clearly. See our Agra guide.
Delhi to Sawai Madhopur, for Ranthambore
The train: fast trains take around five hours on the main Delhi to Mumbai line.
- The road: a long six to seven hours.
- Our view: the train wins from Delhi. From Jaipur, the road of about three and a half hours is easier. See Ranthambore.
Delhi to Kota, for Bundi
- The train: Kota Junction is on the same main line, with fast day and overnight trains, including Rajdhani services.
- Why it matters: Kota has no regular commercial flights, so the train is the easiest way to Bundi, forty minutes from Kota.
Agra to Gwalior and Jhansi, for Orchha
- The train: the Gatimaan continues to Gwalior and Jhansi, under half an hour from Orchha.
- Our view: the natural way into Bundelkhand, with a chauffeur waiting at Jhansi.
Jaipur or Delhi to Ajmer, for Pushkar
- The train: Ajmer Junction has fast trains from Jaipur and Delhi, and Pushkar is about 15 kilometres beyond it.
- Our view: useful at fair time, when the roads into Pushkar are busiest.
Where the car wins
Jaipur to Udaipur
- The road: about 400 kilometres, around six hours, or two easy days via Bundi and Chittorgarh. Our Jaipur to Udaipur by road post compares the routes.
- The train: trains exist, but most services are slower than the road. If time matters, fly. It takes about an hour.
Udaipur to Jodhpur
- The road: five to six hours of driving via the Jain temple of Ranakpur, one of the most beautiful drives in Rajasthan.
- The train: no convenient direct fast train. Read our Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur post.
Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
- The road: about 285 kilometres, around five hours, timed to reach the fort as it turns gold.
- The train: trains run, but the drive through Marwar's villages is part of the journey. See our Jodhpur to Jaisalmer route.
Jaipur to Jodhpur
- The road: about 340 kilometres, five to six hours, best broken at Ajmer and Pushkar. Our Jaipur to Jodhpur route suggests the stops.
- The train: possible, but rarely faster door to door, and you miss Pushkar.
Anywhere small
- Shekhawati, Samode, Narlai, Rohet, Jawai, desert camps: small stations exist near some, but the last stretch is always by road, so we drive the whole way.
- The rule: if your hotel is a fort on a hill above a village, you are going by car.
What the car gives you that the train can't
Stops on a whim: a stepwell half-hidden by a village, a painted temple, women drawing water at a well. Your chauffeur stops whenever you ask.
Door to door: from your hotel's porch to the next one's, with no station, no porters and no platform changes.
- Your luggage stays put: bags ride in the car all trip. You carry nothing.
- Your timetable: leave after a late breakfast, or at dawn for the light. The car waits for you.
- A local beside you: our chauffeurs know the dhabas with clean kitchens, the chai stalls worth stopping at and the roads in every season.
- The places in between: Abhaneri, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgarh, Manvar, Pushkar. Rajasthan's best are often between the stations.
- Privacy: it is your car, your music, your conversation and your silence. Our private chauffeur journeys show how it works over two weeks.
What the train gives you that the car can't
No traffic: the train slides past Delhi's jams and the trucks on the highway.
Room to move: stand up, walk the carriage, stretch. After a few road days, guests feel the difference.
- A different India: the chai seller calling down the carriage, families sharing food, a schoolboy who wants to practise his English.
- The window: mustard fields in winter, camels at level crossings, peacocks on the fences, with nobody in front of you.
- Rest: read, nap or work. Nobody needs to watch the road.
- Children's delight: the platforms, the vendors and the clatter make trains many children's favourite day.
- Our guide to trains in Rajasthan explains classes, booking and stations in full.
Comfort, honestly compared
On the train: Executive Chair Car on the fast day trains has wide reclining seats in rows of two and two, with meals on many services.
Overnight trains: a First AC coupé is an adventure, but berths are firm, stops are many and arrival is often at dawn. We suggest it only to guests who sleep well on the move.
- Best day class
- Executive Chair Car (EC)
- Good fallback
- AC Chair Car (CC)
- Overnight
- First AC coupés, older carriages
- Our cars
- Air-conditioned, chosen for long roads
- Toilets
- Clean enough on fast trains, planned stops by road
- In the car: a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle, cold water, tissues and sanitiser, and a chauffeur chosen for calm driving.
- Washrooms: on fast trains, adequate. By road, we plan clean stops at heritage hotels and restaurants we know.
- Hill roads: the bends near Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and Mount Abu can cause motion sickness. Sit in front and ask for a gentle pace.
- Rough village roads: the last kilometres to a fort can be slow and bumpy. That is the price of the most beautiful places.
Luggage, stations and the car that meets you
Your chauffeur drives ahead: with your heavy bags, and meets you on the platform at the other end, so you step off the train into the same car.
Travel light on board: a small day bag with water, a shawl and your passport. Racks are small and stations involve stairs.
- Into the station with you: your chauffeur or our representative walks you to the platform and the coach. You never read a departure board alone.
- Porters arranged: licensed porters in red shirts carry the bags. We arrange and pay them.
- Delhi's several stations: trains to Rajasthan leave from more than one. We tell you which.
- Carry your passport: ticket examiners check names against identity documents.
How the seasons tip the balance
Winter fog: from about mid-December to January, dense fog over the plains delays trains, sometimes for hours, especially early departures from Delhi. We prefer daytime trains and leave a cushion before flights.
Fog on the road: morning fog slows the roads around Delhi and Agra too. On those days we leave later.
- The monsoon: heavy rain can delay trains and slow a few rural roads. Rajasthan is drier than most of India, and we check routes the day before.
- Summer heat: an air-conditioned carriage is a pleasant escape, and trains are easier to book.
- Festival weeks: around Diwali and Holi trains fill with families going home and sell out early. We book as soon as your route is fixed.
- More on the seasons: our weather and climate guide explains each month.
Families, older travellers and limited mobility
Small children: love trains. A short daytime train is often their best day. On road days we keep drives under about four hours and stop every ninety minutes.
Child seats: not standard in Indian touring cars. Ask in advance and we bring them.
- Older travellers: the car is usually kinder, with more stops, the most comfortable vehicle and the longest legs split.
- Limited mobility: Indian stations involve stairs, footbridges and high carriage steps. We arrange porters and help, or plan the leg by road. See our accessible travel guide.
- Light sleepers: avoid overnight trains. A flight or a day's drive is more restful.
- Families in general: our guide to travelling with children has more ideas.
The third option, a one-hour flight
Jaipur to Udaipur: about an hour by air, against six by road. The commonest flight on our journeys.
Jaisalmer back to Delhi: Jaisalmer's airport has run seasonal winter flights, which we confirm each year. Otherwise we drive back towards Jodhpur.
- Delhi to the south: flights reach Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur in about an hour.
- Not always faster: direct routes within Rajasthan are limited and many connect through Delhi or Mumbai. Count the airport hours too.
- Baggage: domestic allowances are often lower than international ones. Our airports and flights guide explains the details.
Three journeys that mix road and rail
The Golden Triangle by rail and road
- The shape: the Gatimaan from Delhi to Agra, then the road from Agra to Jaipur via the Abhaneri stepwell, and a fast afternoon train back to Delhi.
- Why it works: it skips the slowest roads and keeps the most interesting one. Our Golden Triangle classic can be built this way.
Tigers by train
- The shape: a fast train from Delhi to Sawai Madhopur, three nights at Ranthambore, then about three and a half hours by road to Jaipur.
- Why it works: the easiest way into tiger country from the capital.
The long loop, mostly by road
- The shape: an afternoon train from Delhi to Jaipur, then the road to Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and back, and a flight from Udaipur at the end.
- Why it works: one train, one flight, and the roads between that make Rajasthan. Our Royal Rajputana journey follows this rhythm.
Five things guests often get wrong
Indian trains are all slow: not the fast day trains. The Gatimaan reaches Agra from Delhi in under two hours, and the Delhi to Jaipur fast trains take a little over four.
The roads are terrible: the main highways and expressways are generally good, and many have improved greatly in recent years. The slow roads are the village and hill roads, and they are the beautiful ones.
- You can see more by train: only of the cities. The places between them, such as stepwells, temples and village forts, are reached by car.
- Driving all day is normal: not with us. We aim for under five hours of driving on most days, and many days have none at all.
- Self-drive is the same as a chauffeur: it isn't. Rajasthan's roads have their own rules, and a local driver who knows them turns a stressful day into a restful one.
Your first train day, as we arrange it
The day before
- Your ticket: we send the train number, station, coach and seat, and the time your chauffeur collects you.
- Pack a day bag: water, a shawl for the cold air-conditioning, snacks, tissues and your passport.
At the station
- Walked in: your chauffeur or our representative takes you through the entrance, past the scanner, to the spot on the platform where your coach will stop.
On board
- Board promptly: fast trains stop only briefly at intermediate stations. Find your seat, stow your bag and keep your passport handy for the ticket examiner.
Arrival
- Met at the door: your chauffeur is on the platform at your coach, with a porter, and the same car you left that morning.
And the royal trains?
What they offer: a week or a few nights on board, sleeping while the train moves, waking in a new city.
- What they don't: private sightseeing, quiet hours or the village forts between the stations.
- Who they suit: travellers who want to unpack once and see a great deal in a week.
- Read more: our Palace on Wheels review, our Maharajas' Express guide and the luxury trains overview.