Whether you’re on road or rail, public transport or your own vehicle, India offers the chance to try out some classics: narrow-gauge railways, steam locomotives, the Ambassador car and the Enfield Bullet motorbike – indeed some people come to India for these alone.
By train
Travelling by train is one of India’s classic experiences. The national rail network covers almost the entire country; only a few places (such as the mountainous regions of Sikkim, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and most of Himachal Pradesh) are inaccessible by train. Although the railway system might look like chaos, it does work, and generally better than you might expect. Trains are often late, of course, sometimes by hours rather than minutes, but they do run, and when the train you’ve been waiting for rolls into the station, the reservation you made halfway across the country several weeks ago will be on a list pasted to the side of your carriage.
It’s worth bearing in mind, with journeys frequently lasting twelve hours or more, that an overnight train can save you a day’s travelling and a night’s hotel bill, assuming you sleep well on trains. When travelling overnight, always padlock your bag to your bunk; an attached chain is usually provided beneath the seat of the lower bunk.
Types of train
There are three basic types of passenger train in India. You’re most likely to use long-distance inter-city trains (called “express” or “mail”) along with the speedier “super-fast” air-conditioned trains – these include the long-established Rajdhani expresses, which link Delhi with cities nationwide, and Shatabdi expresses, daytime trains that connect major cities, mostly within an eight-hour travelling distance, plus the newer and faster still Duronto expresses, which also link major metropolitan areas and have fewer stops. There are also painfully slow local “passenger” trains, which stop everywhere, and which you’ll only use if you want to get right off the beaten track. In addition to these three basic types of train, there are also a few dedicated tourist trains and other special services, such as the famous Palace on Wheels and the toy train to Darjeeling.
Classes of train travel
Indian Railways distinguishes between no fewer than eight classes of travel. Different types of train carry different classes of carriage, though you’ll seldom have more than four to choose from any one service. The simplest and cheapest class, used by the majority of Indians, is second class (II or “second seating”), which are mostly unreserved. These basic carriages have hard wooden seats and often become incredibly packed during the day – bearable for shortish daytime journeys, but best avoided for longer trips and (especially) overnight travel, unless you’re exceptionally hardy or unusually poor. On the plus side, fares in second-class unreserved are so cheap as to be virtually free. It also represents a way of getting on a train at the last minute if you haven’t been able to secure a reserved seat.
Far more civilized, and only around fifty percent more expensive, is regular sleeper class (SL), consisting of carriages of three-tiered padded bunks that convert to seats during the day. All seats in these carriages must be booked in advance even for daytime journeys, meaning that they don’t get horrendously overcrowded like second-class unreserved, although there’s usually still plenty going on, with itinerant chai- and coffee-sellers, travelling musicians, beggars and sweepers passing through the carriages. Overnight trips in second-class sleeper compartments are reasonably comfy. First class (FC) consists of non-a/c seating in comfortable if ageing compartments of two to four berths, though this class is being phased out and is now seldom found.
The other five classes are all air-conditioned (available only on inter-city and super-fast trains). A/c chair class (CC) cars are found almost exclusively on super-fast services and consist of comfortable reclining seats; they’re really designed for daytime travel, since they don’t convert to bunks, and aren’t generally found on overnight services. Shatabdi expresses are made up entirely of chair-car carriages – ordinary a/c chair car and, for double the price, an Executive a/c chair class (EC) car.
There are three classes of air-conditioned sleepers. The cheapest, a/c 3-tier (AC3 or 3A), has open carriages with three-tier bunks – basically the same as second-class sleeper, except with a/c and bedding. Less crowded (and found on more services) is a/c 2-tier (AC2 or 2A), which has two-tier berths. Most comfortable of all is a/c first-class (AC1 or 1A), which consists of two-tier bunks in two- or four-person private compartments, complete with carpeting and relatively presentable bathrooms – although fares can work out more expensive than taking a plane. Note that bed linen is provided free on most a/c services, while bottled water, snacks and simple meals are included in the ticket price of Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto services.
Ladies’ compartments now only exist on suburban trains in big cities, though the number of families travelling means that single women are at least unlikely to end up in a compartment with only men. You can always ask the ticket inspector to change your seat if you feel uncomfortable. Some stations also have ladies-only waiting rooms.
Fares, timetables and availability of berths can be checked online at Indian Railways’ cumbersome website (indianrail.gov.in), or via the more streamlined, privately run cleartrip.com. Indian Railways’ Trains at a Glance (₹50; updated twice a year) contains timetables of all inter-city and super-fast trains and is available from information counters and newsstands at all main stations.
All rail fares are calculated according to the exact distance travelled. Trains at a Glance prints a chart of fares by kilometres, and also gives the distance in kilometres of stations along each route in the timetables, making it possible to calculate what the basic fare will be for any given journey. By way of comparison, the cost for each class of travel for a ticket from New Delhi to Mumbai is as follows: AC1 ₹4135; AC2 ₹2410; AC3 ₹1660; CC ₹875; SL ₹630; and II ₹370.
Indrail passes
Indrail passes, sold to foreigners and Indians resident abroad, cover all fares and reservation fees for periods ranging from half a day to ninety days, but are considerably more expensive than buying tickets individually. The pass is designed for nationwide travel, so if you only use it, say, between Delhi, Agra and the cities of Rajasthan, you won’t be getting your money’s worth. It does, however, save you queuing for tickets, allow you to make and cancel reservations without charge and generally smooths your way in. For example, if you need to find a seat or berth on a “full” train, pass-holders get priority for tourist quota places. Indrail passes are available, in sterling or US dollars, at main station tourist counters in India and outside the country at IR agents and sometimes at Air India offices. A seven-day pass costs US$80 in SL or II, US$135 in FC, AC2/AC3 and CC, and US$270 in AC1. There’s a full list of prices and overseas IR agents at indianrail.gov.in/international_Tourist.html.
Reserving tickets
It’s important to plan your train journeys in advance, as demand often makes it impossible to buy a long-distance ticket on the same day that you want to travel – although the Tatkal quota system has made life a little easier. Travellers following tight itineraries tend to buy their departure tickets from particular towns the moment they arrive to avoid having to trek out to the station again. At most large stations, it’s possible to reserve tickets for journeys starting elsewhere in the country.
Online booking is best done via the privately run cleartrip.com, which accepts foreign Visa cards and MasterCards (with a 1.8 percent fee, plus an additional ₹20 booking charge); you will first have to register with them and Indian Railways (irctc.co.in) – check out seat61.com/India.htm#book-fromoutside for a clear explanation of this convoluted procedure. Bookings may be made from 120 days in advance right up to four hours before the scheduled departure time of the train. Cleartrip.com also handles Tatkal tickets (see below). Having booked your travel, you can then print out your own e-tickets, taking this along with some photo ID, such as a passport, when you board the train. A viable alternative to Cleartrip.com is makemytrip.com, which also accepts some foreign credit cards.
When reserving a ticket in person at a railway station, the first thing you’ll have to do is fill in a little form at the booking office stating your name, age and sex, your proposed date of travel, and the train you wish to catch (giving the train’s name and number). Most stations have computerized booking counters and you’ll be told immediately whether or not seats are available. Reservation offices in the main stations are generally open from Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm, and on Sunday to 2pm. In larger cities, major stations have special tourist sections to cut queues for foreigners, with helpful English-speaking staff. Elsewhere, buying a ticket can often involve a longish wait, though women often have dedicated queues or can try simply walking to the head of the queue and forming their own “ladies’ queue”. A few stations also operate a number system of queueing, allowing you to repair to the chai stall until your number is called. A good alternative to queueing yourself is to get someone else to buy your ticket for you. Many travel agents will do this for a small fee (typically around Rs50–100); alternatively, ask at your guesthouse if they can sort it out.
Quotas and late-availability tickets
If there are no places available on the train you want, you have a number of choices. First, some seats and berths are set aside as a “tourist quota” – ask at the tourist counter of the reservations hall if you can get in on this, or else try the stationmaster. This quota is available in advance but usually only at major or originating stations. Failing that, other special quotas, such as one for “emergencies”, only released on the day of travel, may remain unused – however, if you get a booking on the emergency quota and a pukka emergency or VIP turns up, you lose the reservation. Alternatively, you can stump up extra cash for a Tatkal ticket, which guarantees you access to a special ten percent quota on most trains, though certain catches and conditions apply. Bookable online and at any computerized office, these are released from 10am the day before the train departs, and there’s a surcharge of Rs75–300, depending on the class of travel.
RAC – or “Reservation Against Cancellation” – tickets are another option, giving you priority if sleepers do become available. The ticket clerk should be able to tell you your chances. With an RAC ticket you are allowed onto the train and can sit until the conductor can find you a berth. The worst sort of ticket to have is a wait-listed one – identifiable by the letter “W” prefixing your passenger number – which will allow you onto the train (though not Shatabdi, Rajdhani or Duronto trains) but not in a reserved compartment; in this case go and see the ticket inspector (TTI) as soon as possible to persuade him to find you a place if one is free. For short journeys or on minor routes you won’t need to reserve tickets in advance.
Luxury tourist trains
Inspired by the Orient Express, Indian Railways offers high-end holiday packages aboard luxury tourist trains. The flagship of the scheme is the Palace on Wheels, with sumptuous ex-maharajas’ carriages updated into modern air-conditioned coaches, still decorated with the original designs. An all-inclusive, eight-day whistle-stop tour (Sept–April weekly) starts at US$2882 per person for the full trip, with the cheapest rates off-season (Sept and April). Note that the train is often booked up for months ahead, so early reservations are advised.
The Palace on Wheels has proved so popular that it has spawned a number of similar heritage trains, including Royal Rajasthan on Wheels and Maharajas’ Express. Details of all these tours, including fares, can be found on the Palace on Wheels website.
By plane
Considering the huge distances involved in getting around the country, and the time it takes to get from A to B, flying is an attractive option, despite the cost – the journey from Delhi to Chennai, for example, takes a mere 2 hours 30 minutes by plane compared to 36 hours on the train. Delays and cancellations can whittle away the time advantage, especially over small distances, but if you’re short of time and plan to cover a lot of ground, flying can be a godsend. There was a proliferation of private airlines in the early years of the millennium and after a few failures, most notably Kingfisher Airlines, a further crop has popped up in recent years.
Booking flights is most easily done online via the airline’s website. Larger carriers also have offices in major cities. Children under twelve pay half fare and under-twos (one per adult) pay ten percent.
Domestic airlines
Air India Express
Air Pegasus
Jet Airways/JetKonnect.
By bus
Although trains are generally the most atmospheric and comfortable way to travel in India, there are some places, particularly in the Himalayas, not covered by the rail network, or where trains are inconvenient. By contrast, buses go almost everywhere, usually more frequently than trains (though mostly in daylight hours), and are also sometimes faster (including in parts of Rajasthan and other places without broad-gauge track). Going by bus also usually saves you the bother of reserving a ticket in advance.
Services vary enormously in terms of price and standard. Ramshackle government-run buses, packed with people, livestock and luggage, cover most routes, both short- and long-distance. In addition, popular routes between larger cities, towns and resorts are usually covered by private buses. These tend to be more comfortable, with extra legroom, tinted windows and padded reclining seats. Note, however, that smaller private bus companies may be only semilegal and have little backup in case of breakdown.
The description of the service usually gives some clue about the level of comfort. “Ordinary” buses usually have minimally padded, bench-like seats with upright backs. “Deluxe” or “Luxury” are more or less interchangeable terms but sometimes the term deluxe signifies a luxury bus past its sell-by date; occasionally a bus will be described as a “2 by 2” which means a deluxe bus with just two seats on either side of the aisle. When applied to government services, these may hardly differ from “ordinary” buses, but with private companies, they should guarantee a softer, individual seat. It’s worth asking when booking if your bus will have a video or music system (a “video bus”), as their deafening noise ruins any chances of sleep. Always try to avoid the back seats – they accentuate bumpy roads.
Luggage travels in the hatch of private buses – for which you may have to part with about Rs10–20 for the safekeeping of your bags. On state-run buses, you can usually squeeze it into an unobtrusive corner, although you may sometimes be requested to have it travel on the roof (you may be able to travel up there yourself if the bus is too crowded, though it’s dangerous and illegal); check that it’s well secured (ideally, lock it there) and not liable to get squashed. Baksheesh is in order for whoever puts it up there for you.
In recent years, there has been a revolution in online booking services, which allow you to compare schedules and fares, buy tickets online and even to select your seat. Two of the best are makemytrip.com and redbus.in, both of which also have downloadable apps. Buying a bus ticket at the bus station is usually available and preferable for express and private services, and it’s a good idea to check with the agent exactly where the bus will depart from. You can usually pay on board private buses too, though doing so reduces your chances of a seat.
By shared jeep
Another common and useful means of transport, especially in mountain areas, is shared jeeps, whose size and four-wheel drives are ideal for the bumpy terrain. These ply fixed routes and tend to depart at fairly fixed times from designated locations, usually in town centres. The number of passengers varies from six to ten, according to the type of vehicle and how willing the owner is to cram people in. The two most commonly used models are the Tata Sumo and Tempo Traveller.
Prices are fixed, although it’s wise to check the going rate with an independent source if possible. Expect to pay roughly 50–100 percent more than the bus fare and note that it sometimes costs a bit more to sit in the prime front seat next to the driver. A typical fare from Jammu to Srinagar, for example, is ₹730. Jeeps can also be rented directly or through an agency for customized trips, sometimes of several days.
By boat
Apart from river ferries, few boat services run in India. The Andaman Islands are connected to Kolkata and Chennai by boat – as well as to each other. Kerala has a regular passenger service with a number of services operating out of Alappuzha and Kollam, including the popular “backwater trip” between the two. The Sundarbans in the delta region to the south of Kolkata is only accessible by boat.
By car
It is much more usual for tourists to be driven in India than it is for them to drive themselves; car rental firms operate on the basis of supplying vehicles with drivers. You can arrange them through any tourist office or taxi firm, and local taxi drivers hanging around hotels and city ranks are also available for day hire. Cars start around ₹1800 (£18/US$27) per day, which should include a maximum of 200km, with additional kilometres charged at around ₹7–8 per kilometre. On longer trips, the driver sleeps in the car, for which his firm may charge an additional ₹150–200. You should generally tip the driver around ₹150 per day, too. It is important to confirm exactly what the terms and costs of the rental are before you set off.
Tourists still occasionally succumb to the romance of that quintessentially Indian automobile, the Hindustan Ambassador Mark IV, based on the design of the old British Morris Oxford. Sadly, however, the car’s appalling suspension and back-breaking seats make it among the most uncomfortable rides in the world. All in all, you’ll be much better off in a modern two- or four-door hatchback – ask your rental company for the options. Air-conditioning adds considerably to the rate, and with larger cars such as SUVs, the daily rate is higher and tends only to cover the first 80km, after which stiff additional per-kilometre charges apply.
A handful of big international chains offer self-drive car rental in India, but unless you’ve had plenty of experience on the country’s notoriously dangerous roads, we strongly recommend you leave the driving to an expert. If you do drive yourself, expect the unexpected, and expect other drivers to take whatever liberties they can get away with. Traffic in the cities is particularly undisciplined; vehicles cut in and out without warning, and pedestrians, cyclists and cows wander nonchalantly down the middle of the road. In the country the roads are narrow, often in terrible repair, and hogged by overloaded Tata trucks that move aside for nobody, while something slow-moving like a bullock cart or a herd of goats can take up the whole road. It is particularly dangerous to drive at night – cyclists and cart drivers hardly ever have lights. If you are involved in an accident, it might be an idea to leave the scene quickly and go straight to the police to report it; mobs can assemble fast, especially if pedestrians or cows are involved.
By motorbike
Riding a motorbike in India is not for the faint-hearted. Besides the challenging road and traffic conditions with the resultant stress and fatigue, simply running an unfamiliar bike can become a nightmare.
Buying a motorbike in India is only for the brave. If it’s an old classic you’re after, the 350- or 500cc Enfield Bullet, sold cheapest in Puducherry, on the Tamil Nadu coast, leads the field, with models becoming less idiosyncratic the more recent they are. If low price and practicality are your priorities, a smaller model from the likes of Bajaj, built in India but based on dependable old Japanese designs, may fit the bill if not the image. Delhi’s Karol Bagh area is renowned for its motorcycle shops and rental agencies. Obviously, you’ll have to haggle over the price, but you can expect to pay half to two thirds of the original price for a bike in reasonable condition. Given the right bargaining skills, you can sell it again later for a similar price – perhaps to another foreign traveller – by advertising it in hotels and restaurants. A certain amount of bureaucracy is involved in transferring vehicle ownership to a new owner but a garage should be able to put you on to a broker (“auto consultant”) who, for a modest commission (around Rs1000–2000), will help you find a seller or a buyer, and do the necessary paperwork.
Motorbike rental is available in many tourist towns and can be fun for local journeys, but the condition of the bike can be hit and miss. However, unless you know your stuff, this is a better strategy than diving in and buying a machine. Unlike with sales, it’s in a rental outfit’s interest to rent you a bike that works. Mechanically, the important thing to establish is the condition of the chain and sprockets, whether the machine starts and runs smoothly and, not least, whether both brakes and lights work (even so, riding at night is inadvisable). An in-depth knowledge of mechanics is not so necessary as every town has a bike mender who will be no stranger to Enfields.
A recommended firm in Delhi, both for purchasing bikes and for rental, is Bulletwallas (w bulletwallas.com), at 7 Arakashan Rd, Multani Dhanda in the Paharganj district. An Aussie-run outfit, they specialize in Enfields, selling new, used and customized machines with only quality parts.
Without doubt the least stressful way of enjoying India on a motorbike, especially a temperamental but characterful Enfield, is joining one of several motorbike tours. They focus on the best locales with minimal traffic and amazing landscapes – the Himalayas, Rajasthan and Kerala – and remove much of the stress from what is still an adventure.
Motorbike tour agencies
Blazing Trails UK 05603 666788.
Classic Bike Adventure India Goa 83222 68467.
Himalayan Roadrunners US 802 738 6500.
Live India UK T07869 373 805.
World On Wheels Australia 02 9970 6370.
By bicycle
In many ways a bicycle is the ideal form of transport in India, offering total independence without loss of contact with local people. You can camp out, though there are cheap lodgings in almost every village – take the bike into your room with you – and, if you get tired of pedalling, you can put it on top of a bus as luggage, or transport it by train.
Bringing a bike from abroad requires no special paperwork but spare parts and accessories may be of different sizes and standards in India, so you may have to improvise. Bring basic spares and tools, and a pump. Buying a bike in India couldn’t be easier, since most towns have cycle shops and even entire markets devoted to bikes. The advantages of a local bike are that spare parts are easy to get, locally produced tools and parts will fit, and your bike will not draw a crowd every time you park it. Disadvantages are that Indian bikes tend to be heavier and less state-of-the-art than ones from abroad; mountain bikes are beginning to appear in cities and bigger towns, but with insufficient gears and a low level of equipment, they’re not worth buying. Selling should be quite easy: you won’t get a tremendously good deal at a cycle market but you may well be able to sell privately, or even to a rental shop.
Bicycles can be rented in most towns, usually for local use only, though better mountain bikes can be rented in some mountain areas: this is a good way to find out if your legs and bum can survive an Indian bike before buying one. Rates can be anything from Rs30 to Rs150 per day; you may have to leave a deposit or your passport as security. Several adventure-tour operators offer bicycle tours of the country, with most customers bringing their own cycles.
As for contacts, International Bicycle Fund in the US (206 767 0848) publishes information and offers advice on bicycle travel around the world and maintains a useful website. In India, the Cycling Federation of India, C-5A/262, DDA Flats, Janak Puri, New Delhi 110058 (011 2375 3528), is the main cycle-sports organization.
City transport
Transport around towns takes various forms. City buses can get unbelievably crowded, so beware of pickpockets, razor-carriers, pocket-slitters and “Eve-teasers”; the same applies to suburban trains in Mumbai (Chennai is about the only other place where you might want to use trains for local city transport). Any visitor to Delhi or Kolkata will be amazed by the clean efficiency of the cities’ two metro systems, with more under construction in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and elsewhere.
You can also take taxis, usually rather battered Ambassadors (painted black and yellow in the large cities) and Maruti omnivans. With luck, the driver will agree to use the meter; in theory you’re within your rights to call the police if he doesn’t, but the usual compromise is to agree a fare for the journey before you get in. Naturally, it helps to have an idea in advance what the fare should be, though any figures quoted in this or any other guide should be treated as being the broadest of guidelines only. From places such as main stations, you may be able to find other passengers to share a taxi to the town centre. Many stations, and certainly most airports, operate prepaid taxi schemes with set fares that you pay before departure; more expensive pre-paid limousines are also available. App-based taxi-booking companies are also making their presence felt, with Uber now operating in 25 cities and India’s own Ola becoming very popular.
That most Indian of vehicles, the auto-rickshaw – commonly referred to as just an “auto” – is the front half of a motor scooter with a couple of seats mounted on the back. Cheaper than taxis, better at nipping in and out of traffic, and usually metered (although in many cities drivers are willing to use them and you should agree a fare before setting off if that is the case), auto-rickshaws are a little unstable and their drivers often rather reckless but that’s all part of the fun. In major tourist centres rickshaw-wallahs can, however, hassle you endlessly on the street, often shoving themselves right in your path to prevent you from ignoring them, and once you’re inside may try to take you to several shops before reaching your destination. In general it is better to hail a rickshaw than to take one that’s been following you, and to avoid those that hang around outside posh hotels.
Apps for booking auto-rickshaws are even starting to appear. Some towns also have larger versions of auto-rickshaws known as tempos (or Vikrams), with six or eight seats behind, which usually ply fixed routes at flat fares. Here and there, you’ll come across horse-drawn carriages, or tongas. Tugged by underfed and often lame horses, these are the least popular with tourists.
Slower and cheaper still is the cycle rickshaw – basically a glorified tricycle. Foreign visitors often feel uncomfortable about travelling this way; except in the major tourist cities, cycle rickshaw-wallahs are invariably emaciated pavement-dwellers who earn only a pittance for their pains. In the end, though, to deny them your custom on those grounds is spurious logic; they will earn even less if you don’t use them. As a foreigner you’ll probably be quoted grossly inflated fares, but ask yourself if it’s really worth haggling over tiny sums, which they could probably do with more than you.
Kolkata is the only city where rickshaw-wallahs continue to haul pukka rickshaws on foot.
If you want to see a variety of places around town, consider renting a taxi, rickshaw or auto-rickshaw for the day. Find a driver who speaks English reasonably well and agree a price beforehand. You will probably find it a lot cheaper than you imagine: the driver will invariably act as a guide and source of local knowledge, so tipping is usually in order.
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