Train travel is a fascinating way to explore India. It showcases the country’s immensity, variety and colour, particularly over long journeys.

There are two ways to travel – on the public rail network, whose 12,000 trains carry 23 million passengers a day, or, for a plusher experience, on luxury tours (see below).

Indian Railways (www.indianrailways.gov.in) offers eight classes of travel, from the most basic (often crowded unreserved carriages, challenging to Westerners) to First Class Air-Conditioned (potentially isolating you from the sociability that’s the essence of Indian train journeys).

The best bet, preferred by middle-class Indians, is Second Class AC (2AC). The berths, reserved in advance, are grouped in fours, with leatherette-covered seats. For overnight journeys (saving on hotel bills) they convert into curtained-off bunk beds; sheets and pillows are provided free. Take your own toilet paper and consider a padlock to secure luggage.

Tickets are astonishingly cheap by western standards. The 860-mile journey from Delhi to Mumbai, for instance, costs about £23 in 2AC ; just £4 in Second Class Unreserved.

Five scenic journeys

The longest haul

India’s longest train journey – the weekly Vivek Express – starts at the tea-planting town of Dibrugarh in the far North East of India, at 11.05pm on Saturdays. It arrives at Kanyakumari at the nation’s southern tip at 9.50am on the following Wednesday. This epic 82-hour journey (costing around £43 in 2AC), covers more than 2,600 miles, with 56 stops including coastal towns overlooking the Bay of Bengal. You can make the return trip on the Thursday, but probably wouldn’t want to.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

The “Toy Train” from Kalka to Shimla gets most attention, but two other great Indian hill-station routes are just as interesting – to Ooty (Udhagamandalam) in the South and to Darjeeling in the North. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a World Heritage Site, was built to rescue Victorian plains-dwellers from sweltering summer heat. With no undue haste, it covers 55 ever-cooler miles in seven hours, sometimes weaving through village streets, and climbing to more than 7,000 feet, with panoramic views. The basic journey costs around £4 first class, but various packages are available. See www.searchdarjeeling.com.

A tea plantation in Darjeeling Credit: ISTOCK

Konkan Railway

Linking Mumbai (Indian at its most hectic) and Goa (India at its most laidback) and carrying on south almost to Kerala, the Konkan Railway’s 450-mile line hugs the west coast, parallel to the Arabian Sea. It crosses 2,000 bridges, including India’s highest viaduct. At around £16 in 2AC, the Mandovi Express train takes just over 11 hours to reach the attractive Goan town of Madgaon, with its old Portuguese houses. The landscape is lush, particularly in the monsoon.

Swap hectic Mumbai for laid-back Goa Credit: ISTOCK

Kangra Valley Railway

The Kangra Valley Railway is a collector’s item and a miser’s dream. Tickets for its 100-mile journey through beautiful northern Indian landscapes cost from around 50p. Set aside a day for the full journey, east from Pathankot to the town of Joginder Nagar. It takes ten hours, though most passengers are locals travelling a few stops (there are 33 all told). The line passes tea gardens and orange groves before glistening mountains loom ahead.

Desert train

The line from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer links two of Rajasthan’s most popular destinations – both historic cities with important forts and atmospheric winding alleys. The six-hour morning journey (costing around £8 in 2AC) is an alternative desert safari, replacing traditional camel trains with – well – trains. The broad expanses of sand offer glimpses of wildlife and scattered settlements. The train starts the previous evening in Delhi and calls at Jaipur, the third Rajasthani “J”, at just before midnight.

Cross the desert on the route from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer Credit: ISTOCK

How to book

Tickets go on sale 120 days in advance and can sell out quickly, so don’t rely on buying them on the day of travel at often busy station counters. Tourist quotas can help secure last-minute tickets and major stations (including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta) have tourist bureaux.

Many hotels know local ticket “fixers”, but it’s best to book before you travel to India. The invaluable www.seat61.com website offers detailed practical advice about options, including booking online. SD Enterprises (020 8903 3411; www.indiarail.co.uk) have expert knowledge of Indian rail travel.

Five luxury train tours

Palace on Wheels

The Palace on Wheels, launched in 1982, was the pioneer of luxury Indian rail tours and, refurbished over the years, is still hugely popular. Six nights on board are at the heart of Great Rail Journeys’ 15-day tour which takes in the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Jaipur and Agra for the Taj Mahal), Ranthambore National Park, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. It also features three nights in Shimla, with a journey on the Toy Train.

Costs from £4,995 person from Great Rail Journeys (01904 521978; www.greatrail.com).

Golden Chariot

Some of South India’s major attractions are linked by the luxury Golden Chariot’s Southern Splendour tour. Starting and ending in ever-developing Bangalore, the eight-day tour takes in Chennai, with its historic British associations, the delightful French-influenced town of Pondicherry, and the great religious city of Madurai. It also features Cochin, the backwaters of Kerala, and Kanyakumari, at India’s southern tip.

The Golden Chariot tour costs from £3,500 per person (two sharing) with Ffestiniog Travel (01766 512400; www.ffestiniogtravel.com). The price does not include flights to Bangalore.

Cochin Credit: ISTOCK

Deccan Odyssey

On a seven-night round-trip from Mumbai, the luxury Deccan Odyssey explores Gujarat, India’s most western state and as fascinating as neighbouring Rajasthan. It includes visits Palitana, with its 900 Jain temples, Sasan Gir National Park, home of the Asiatic lion, the stunning Sun Temple at Modhera and the haunting desert landscape of the Little Rann of Kutch with its birds and wild asses.

Hidden Treasures of Gujarat, an 11-day/nine night Deccan Odyssey tour from Cox & Kings (020 3642 0861; www.coxandkings.co.uk), costs from £4,725 per person. It includes two nights in Mumbai.

Sasan Gir National Park Credit: ISTOCK

Maharajas’ Express (1)

The eight-day Indian Panorama tour on the luxury Maharajas’ Express ventures off the beaten track of rail tours to take in the holy Ganges city of Varanasi and Lucknow, with its great Islamic monuments and Mutiny associations. The tour visits Gwalior, dominated by its towering fort, and Khajuraho, famed for its erotic temples, and also includes Jaipur, Agra and Ranthambore.

The Indian Panorama tour from Inspiring Travel Company (020 3588 6130; www.inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk) costs from £5,799 per person.

Cocktail hour on the Maharajas’ Express Credit: Copyright: sanjeevvermaphotography

Maharajas’ Express (2)

Also on the Maharajas’ Express, the nine-night Heritage of India Rail Journey includes seven nights on the train, plus one each in Delhi and Mumbai. A big draw is the superb rock-cut caves at Ajanta in the state of Maharashtra and time in Bikaner with its impressive fort and old city. The trip also explores the more regular trail of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ranthambore.

Heritage of India Rail Journey from Kuoni (0800 044 8503; www.kuoni.co.uk) costs from £7,291 per person.