Touch down in Delhi, a capital where ancient dynasties and modern India coexist. After a smooth transfer, settle in and let the city set the tempo: palms swaying above broad boulevards, domes and minarets peeking over leafy neighbourhoods, markets humming with everyday life.

Delhi’s story stretches from the Mughal court to the imperial symmetry of New Delhi. Take today gently: adjust to the climate, sip a masala chai, or wander a nearby park as kites wheel overhead — a soft landing before tomorrow’s deep dive.

Begin at New Delhi Railway Station, where porters weave between polished carriages and vendors call out chai. Glide north aboard the Shatabdi Express, watching farmland unfurl into low hills as morning light warms the plains on the journey to Kalka.

Here, swap broad-gauge for narrow-gauge and board the UNESCO-listed Kalka–Shimla Himalayan Railway, affectionately dubbed the ‘Toy Train’. The line curls through the Shivalik Hills, ducking into tunnels, skimming stone bridges and revealing terraces stitched with pine and orchard. It’s slow travel made sublime — every curve a new postcard.

By afternoon, the air cools and Shimla appears on its ridge, timbered bungalows and slate roofs stepping down the slopes. Check in and breathe the cedar-scented air; the mountains have a way of resetting the senses.

Wake to mountain hush and a guided introduction to Shimla — a hill station where conifers crowd the ridges and colonial-era avenues frame Himalayan views. Hear how the town swelled each summer as administrators, artists and adventurers flocked to the cool air and convivial promenades.

Visit the grand seat of seasonal power (the former Viceregal Lodge), whose stone corridors witnessed pivotal meetings, then pause for gardens and panoramas that unfurl like a painted scroll. Continue to an intimate gallery to discover local creativity, before ambling to the ornate, Victorian-era Gaiety Theatre, still humming with performance tradition.

Round off at Scandal Point, a breezy meeting spot where stories still swirl. Between little cafés and hill views, you’ll understand why Shimla has inspired writers for generations.

Descend the Himalayan skirts to Chandigarh, where a fast, comfortable service carries you into the Punjab heartland. Through the window: mustard fields, sugarcane, village shrines — fragments of rural life strung along silver rails.

Arrival in Amritsar comes beneath a sky turning copper. The city is both sacred centre of the Sikh faith and a thriving market hub, its old quarters a lattice of lanes, spice-scented air and shopfronts painted in cheerful hues.

Travel to the Wagah–Attari Border, where crowds gather for a daily drill of high-stepping precision, crisp salutes and the ceremonious lowering of flags. It’s theatre and tradition entwined — a ritual that speaks to pride, neighbourliness and the hope of détente.

After dusk, the pilgrimage core of Amritsar glows: the Golden Temple shimmers across its sacred pool as the Palki Sahib procession bears the Guru Granth Sahib with chanting and cymbals. The cadence of voices and flicker of lamps leave a hush that lingers long after you depart.

Thread through Old Amritsar: spice bazaars breathing cardamom and clove, jalebi stalls curling sugar into amber spirals, copperware glinting in tight alleyways. Pay respects at the Saragarhi Memorial, honouring extraordinary courage, then loop back to the temple precinct to witness community kitchens in generous motion.

Pause at Jallianwala Bagh, where gardens and stillness invite reflection. Later, board an evening train to Delhi, the rhythm of rails giving way to the capital’s night skyline.

With a local guide, step into the narrative of New Delhi: the contemplative rooms of Gandhi Smriti, the arch of India Gate, and the grand axis towards the presidential estate. Landscaped Sundar Nursery then offers Mughal tombs tucked amid lotus ponds and native trees — a quiet interlude in the city’s green heart.

Cross to Old Delhi for the soaring courtyards of Jama Masjid, before a rickshaw twines through Chandni Chowk — spices, silks and silver flashing past in a blur of colour. Conclude at a restored haveli, where carved balconies and inner courtyards reveal the craft and commerce of a bygone age.

Step onto the platform and into another era as staff in crisp uniforms welcome you to the Maharajas’ Express luxury train. Polished brass, inlaid panels and plush textiles set a regal mood; your private cabin folds heritage styling around contemporary comforts with attentive butler service on call.

As the carriages roll away, settle into an ornate dining salon and watch rural Rajasthan gather at the horizon. By afternoon, you alight in the Pink City of Jaipur to explore the City Palace precinct and admire the lacy façade of the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) — an exquisite screen of rose sandstone opening onto stories of royal Jaipur.

The road rises towards Amber (Amer) Fort, bastions crowning the Aravalli Hills and reflections of ramparts dancing on Maota Lake. Within, a fusion of Mughal and Rajput architecture unfolds in filigreed screens, frescoed halls and cool arcades that whisper of courtly life.

Marvel at the Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors), where tiny mirror tiles catch the light like constellations, then cross the ceremonial Jaleb Chowk and pause amid the symmetry of charbagh gardens. Return to the train to relax — library, lounge and picture windows make idling an art form.

At first light, open-air vehicles nose into Ranthambore National Park, where langurs warm tails in the sun and peacocks fan blue flames across the scrub. Your naturalist decodes tracks and alarm calls as you scan for the park’s most charismatic resident — the Bengal tiger — often seen near moss-softened ruins and lake edges.

Back aboard the train, roll on to Fatehpur Sikri, Emperor Akbar’s red-sandstone vision of a perfect capital. Palaces and pavilions sit perfectly preserved: audience halls, airy courtyards and delicately carved screens that hold four centuries of silence between their pillars.

Dawn drapes the Taj Mahal in ivory, rose and pale gold — a colour shift as delicate as breath on glass. Commissioned by Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal, its calligraphed archways, pietra dura inlay and perfect symmetry embody the pinnacle of Mughal architecture.

Later, choose to explore the riverside bastions of Agra Fort. Within the red ramparts lies the octagonal Musamman Burj, where the emperor once looked across the water towards his marble masterpiece — a story of devotion told in stone and distance.

A tuk-tuk rattles into Orchha, a princely remnant above the Betwa River where chhatris and palaces rise like ship prows from stone. Frescoes fade to soft ochre; parrots fuss in jharokha windows; the devotion at the Ram Raja Temple anchors the town’s daily rhythm.

By afternoon, reach Khajuraho, jewel of the Chandela dynasty. Here, sculpted sandstone unfurls scenes of myth, music and movement — celestial dancers, guardians, deities — culminating in the soaring shikhara of Kandariya Mahadeva, a hymn to Lord Shiva wrought in stone between the 10th and 11th centuries.

Rail east to Varanasi, among the world’s oldest living cities. Pilgrims thread the ghats, saffron cloth dries on stairs, oars knock softly against boats. After a city lunch stop, continue to Sarnath, where the Dhamek Stupa anchors the site associated with the Buddha’s first teaching — a cornerstone of Buddhist history.

At dusk, take to the water for aarti. Lamps bloom like constellations, priests circle incense in measured arcs, and bells strike a rhythm that seems to slow the river’s pulse. Few moments in India feel more hushed — or more alive.

Your time aboard the Maharajas’ Express concludes as the train glides into Delhi Safdarjung. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day as you wish — perhaps a contemplative visit to Raj Ghat and the nearby National Gandhi Museum, where personal artefacts and photographs trace a life of profound influence.

Across the avenue, step among the 14th-century remains of Feroz Shah Kotla, a citadel of arches and shadowed passageways whose name also echoes at Delhi’s historic cricket ground. The capital rewards unhurried exploration; choose a neighbourhood café or artisan market to round out your final evening in India.

A journey threaded with Himalayan views, sacred rituals, palatial architecture and wild landscapes comes to a graceful close. Transfer to Delhi Airport for your flight to NEW YORK, carrying home the glow of sunrise at the Taj, the hush of aarti on the Ganges and the gentle sway of the rails across India.