THE GOLDEN CHARIOT LUXURIOUS TRAIN IN INDIA

A Luxury Train Journey Through The Magical South India

Latest addition to the series of Indian Maharaja trains is 'The Golden Chariot' train, which operates on the line of world famous of 'Palace of Wheels Train Tour'. The Golden Chariot Train is a joint venture of State Government of Karnataka and Ministry of Railways. This luxury train of India has been rated by Vanity Fair of United Kingdom amongst the top seven train journey in the world and traverses through the archaeological wealth, abundant bounty of Mother Nature and a kaleidoscope of culture for it's esteemed guests.

The journey through 'Golden Chariot' is a fine balance between a glorious yesterday and an omnipresent tomorrow in the magical land of south Indian. As the train progresses and crosses every station, one will get to witness the glimpse of medieval royalty of Karnataka, contemporary and lively spirit of Goa, architectural treasures of Tamil Nadu and enchanting spell of Kerala. All these magnificent sceneries which unfolds outside the window with luxury on the inside, was till reserved for royalty. But, with the passage of time an ordinary person could also enjoy the same luxury and relive the princely life at least for once.

Luxurious Facilities Available In Golden Chariot

The Golden Chariot Train is equipped with various kinds if modern amenities to satisfy the tastes of both National and International guests. Each coach of this train are given the name of the former ruling dynasties of Karnataka state. 

Every suite in this train is decorated in such a way that they provides the glimpses of royal lifestyle. Chambers are bedecked with intricate carving on the ceilings. Even the train has fully A/C cabins, vanity/writing desk, 26 twin beds, 17 double bed cabins and 1 cabin for physically challenged. Every cabin is fitted with LCD television, DVD player, Wi-fi, Wardrobe and attached bathroom with luxurious accessories. 

Other facilities includes

Conference Coach-

This train has a Conference Coach, which can accommodate 30 people.

Gym Coach-

A gym coach is also available in the train, so that guests can start   their day with morning exercises. It has two massage rooms, an Ayurveda centre, a spa and a well equipped gymnasium. 

Restaurants-

'Nala and Ruchi' are two multi-cuisine restaurants of the train.In these two restaurants, guests can savour on both delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. 

Bar-

'Madira' is the single lounge bar of the train, which is well equipped various kinds of liquor. 

Mapple Group of hotels handle all the onboard services, available in this train.

Detail Tour Itinerary

'The Golden Chariot' Train offers two types of tour itineraries namely 'Pride of the South' and 'Splendor of the South'.

'Pride of the South' is a eight days sojourn. In this tour itinerary,'the Golden Chariot Train' begins its journey from Bangalore every Monday evening and takes the passengers on a week long ride through some of the historic places of Karnataka and Goa.The train concludes its journey by returning to Bangalore next Monday morning.

Destinations Covered: Bangalore - Mysore (covering places like Srirangapatnam, Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary etc) - Hassan (Belur, Halebid, Shravanabelagola) - Hospet (Hampi) - Gadag (Aihole, Badami, Pattadakkal) and Goa.

Journey Details
Day 1 Monday - Bangalore
Reporting Time:- 6 PM
Departure Time:- 7 PM 

Passengers are offer lavish dinner at night.

Day 2 Tuesday - Mysore - Kabini

7.00 a.m - Arrival in Mysore
7.30 a.m - Onboard breakfast
8.00 a.m - Visit to Kabini sanctuary
10.00 p.m - Back to Golden Chariot for dinner and overnight stay. 

Day 3 Wednesday - Mysore

8.30 a.m - Sight seeing trip to Mysore which includes places like Mysore Palace,Vrindavan Gardens,Lalitha Mahal Palace, Maharaja`s Palace, Ranganathittu bird sanctuary,Saint Philomena`s Church, Varahaswamy Temple, etc.
11.00 p.m - Return to Golden Chariot for dinner and overnight stay. 

Day 4 Thursday - Hassan - Halebid / Belur - Shravanabelagola

6.00 a.m. - Departure from Mysore.
8.40 a.m. - Arrival at Hassan.
9.30 a.m. - Drive down to Halebid / Belur to view famous temples of the area.
1.00 p.m. - Return to train for onboard lunch.
4.00 p.m. - Drive down to Shravanabelagola to visit Jain Temple, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
7.00 p.m. - Back to train and get ready for next destination.
7.40 p.m. - Depart for Tungabhadra (TB) Dam. 

Day 5 Friday - TB Dam - Hospet / Hampi

5.30 a.m. - Arrival at TB DAM
8.30 a.m. - Drive up the hill for breakfast.
9.30 a.m. - Train to Hospet.
1.00 p.m. - Lunch on train
3.30 p.m. - Hampi, where passengers will witness the ruins of Vijaynagar empire.
7.00 p.m. - Dinner on train.
8.00 p.m. - Departure from TB Dam for next destination. 

Day 6 Saturday - Gadag - Aihole & Pattadakal - Badami

5.30 a.m. - Arrival at Gadag
8.30 a.m. - Drive to Aihole and Pattadakal to see historic 100 temples, which are constructed by Chalukya dynasty.
1.00 till 4.00 p.m. - Lunch at Badami Court.
4.00 till 6.00 p.m. - Exploring Badami and view the popular 18 armed Nataraja.
7.00 p.m. - Passengers get back to train for dinner.
8.00 p.m. - Departure for Goa. 

Day 7 Sunday - Goa

5.30 a.m. - Arrival at Goa
9.00 a.m. - Drive to Mapple Viva.
12.00 - 4.00 p.m. - Lunch and then outing at the Calangute Beach
6.00 p.m. - Return to Train.
7.00 p.m. - Departure from Goa.

Day 8 Monday - Bangalore

11.00 a.m - Arrival at Bangalore 

'Splendor of the South' is another fantastic 'Golden Chariot' train journey. It also spans for 7 nights and 8 days and passes through one Union territory and three South Indian states namely Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The destinations which are covered in this tour itinerary are garden city of Bangalore, serenity of Pondicherry, ancient temple towns of Tamil Nadu and finally ends in the coastal city of Kochi, Kerala.

Destinations Covered: Bangalore - Chennai - Mamallapuram - Pondicherry - Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur - Madurai - Thiruvananthapuram and Poovar - Backwaters and Kochi - Bangalore

Journey Details
Day 1 Monday - Bangalore - Chennai
Departure Time: 10 p.m for Chennai 

Day 2 Tuesday - Mamallapuram - Chennai

7 a.m - Breakfast
8 a.m - Sightseeing trip to Mamallapuram which includes visit to shore temple, rock cut temples, the temple Rathas, the Penance of Bhagirath, the Shore Temple and the eight Mandapams. 

Have Lunch at Mamallapuram. After lunch, proceed for sightseeing trip to Chennai city which includes visit to places like St. Mary’s Church, Saint Thomas Cathedral, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, an ancient Shiva Temple, Sri Parathasarathy Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna, National Art Gallery and Museum.

6 p.m - Return to train for onboard dinner and next destination Pndicherry. 

Day 3 Wednesday - Pondicherry

8 a.m - Arrival at Pondicherry
9 a.m - Sightseeing trip to Pondicherry which includes places like Auroville village, Aurobindo Ashram, and beaches.
7 p.m - Return to Golden Chariot for dinner
10 p.m - Departure to Tiruchirapalli. 

Day 4 Tuesday - Tiruchirapalli - Thanjavur

7 a.m - Arrival at Tiruchirapalli
8 a.m - Onboard breakfast
9 a.m.- Sightseeing trip to Tiruchirapalli which covers a visit to Rockfort temple and then proceed to Thanjore . The main attraction of this city includes Brihadeshwara temple, a world heritage site. Explore the Thanjuvar paintings housed in the museum of the Palace.
6 p.m - Returned to train for dinner.
9 p.m - Departure to Madurai 

Day 5 Friday - Madurai

8 a.m - Arrival to Madurai
9 a.m - Onboard breakfast and proceed for sightseeing trip to Madurai which includes places such as Meenakshi temple, Thirumalai Nayak Palace and Thiruparangundram temple.
6 p.m - Return to train for dinner.
9 p.m - Departure to Thiruvananthapuram 

Day 6 Saturday - Thiruvananthapuram and Poovar

8 a.m - Arrival to Thiruvananthapuram
9 a.m - Breakfast and proceed for sightseeing trip of Thiruvananthapuram which includes Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Napier Museum, Sri Chitra Art Gallery.
1 pm - Lunch at Poovar Island and explore the scenic beauty of the island.
6 pm - Back to train for dinner and next destination. 

Day 7 Sunday - Backwaters of Alleppey and Kochi - Bangalore 9 a.m - Arrival to Alleppey
10 a.m - Breakfast and proceed for backwater cruise on Vembanad lake.
12 p.m - Lunch at Kumarakom Backwater resort.
1 p.m - Sightseeing trip to Kochi and explore the places like Dutch Palace; Jewish Synagogue (closed on Fridays & Saturdays), fishing hamlets in Kochi.
5 p.m - Witness and enjoy Kathakali dance performance by local artists.
8 p.m - Dinner and resume return journey for Bangalore. 

Timings may vary.