• Golden Chariot
  • Kanchipuram
  • Pondicherry
  • Pondicherry Auroville
  • Mahabalipuram
  • Tanjore
  • Marari Beach

Golden Chariot- Splendour of the South & Kerala

BANGALORE (1) - TRAIN JOURNEY to CHENNAI - KANCHIPURAM - MAHABALIPURAM - PONDICHERRY - TRICHY - TANJORE - MADURAI - POOVAR - ALLEPPEY (7) - MARARI BEACH (4) = 12 nights

The journey begins at Bangalore then takes you to the historical Temple cities of Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram, Tiruchirapalli (Trichy), Thanjavur (Tanjore) and Madurai. The beaches of Kovalam await you at the end of your journey with their sandy shores.

Overview

The Golden Chariot has this as its second interesting tour capsule. The lavish and exquisite décor and the luxury remains the same with same kind of red carpet treatment and of course the scintillating cuisine made and served by the master chefs.

The Golden Chariot is also famous for the on board recreational activities which not only make the journey near to home but also at times create a welcome change after the day’s sightseeing and excursions. The train begins at Bangalore which is well known for its musical gardens and even the botanical gardens. The city is liked by the natives for its pleasant weather that makes that entire hustle bustle a little worthwhile! Towards evening the Golden Chariot awaits all its esteemed passengers to set forth for the voyage.

The next destination is Chennai, a city that grants you a glimpse of the religious diversity; with its churches, shore temples which are exquisite and ancient too. The train departs for Pondicherry which like Goa carries strong and remarkable impressions of France and Portugal. Some of the houses in the city especially the by lanes or even the entrances to some old styled bakeries and restaurants remind you of the times gone by. Further ahead, the journey takes you to Trichy, known for the Rock Fort temple. The ancient temples and the Dravidian style of architecture is a rich legacy indeed.

After Madurai the rest of the journey gives you a gradual and slow paced touring, with the last destination as the beautiful beaches of Mararikulam. You have good four days to spend at the beaches with the best of sea food to relish and enjoy the fag end of this fabulous tour!! 

Loading
Loading

Outlined Itinerary

Day 01 - Bangalore
Arrive Bangalore, meet and transfer to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 02 - Bangalore
Meeting point at Leela Palace in Bangalore is at 12.00 Hrs. After a good lunch, depart for sightseeing tour of the metropolitan city of Bangalore. Towards the evening, check in at Bangalore railway station to board your train "The Golden Chariot“ your comfortable home for the next week. Depart from Yeshwanthpur railway station. Later in the evening, arrive Chennai. Dinner is on board. FULL BOARD
Day 03 - Chennai
Arrive Chennai this morning. After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to Mamallapuram, an ancient coastal port, south of Chennai, world famous for its shore temple. Enjoy lunch at Mamallapuram. After lunch proceed to visit Chennai - The tour begins from the ‘St. Mary’s Church’ and The Saint Thomas Cathedral, Also visit the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, an ancient Shiva Temple, the Sri Parathasarathy Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna, built in 8th century during the reign of the Pallavas. Also visit National Art Gallery and Museum. Drive past the High Court Building, Fort St. George and the famous film studios. Towards the evening return to the train and depart for Pondicherry. Dinner is on board. FULL BOARD
Day 04 - Pondicherry
Arrive Pondicherry this morning. After breakfast, visit Pondicherry, formerly a French colony settled early in the 18th century. Sightseeing tour of Pondicherry includes visit to Auroville. Conceived as a tribute to Sri Aurobindo, Auroville is an entirely new concept in education and urban living. The Aurobindo Ashram is known to the world over as the "Centre of Integral Yoga". Depart for Tiruchirapalli. Dinner is on board. FULL BOARD
Day 05 - Tanjore
Arrival in Tiruchirapalli, early in the morning; after breakfast visit Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) - The most famous landmark is ‘The Rock Fort Temple’. Later proceed for a sightseeing tour of Tanjore where you will visit temples built during the 10th and 14th centuries. The most famous landmark is the Brihadeshwara Temple, which is now a world heritage site. Depart for Madurai. Dinner is on board. FULL BOARD
Day 06 - Madurai
Arrive Madurai this morning. After breakfast, visit Madurai –The primary interest is the Meenakshi Temple, where Dravidian temple architecture may be considered to be at its best. The tour also includes a visit to the – Thirumalai Nayak Palace & Thiruparangundram Temple. Depart for Thiruvananthapuram. Dinner is on board. FULL BOARD
Day 07 - Poovar
Arrive Thiruvanthaouram this morning. After breakfast visit “The Padmanabhaswamy Temple”. Later also visit the Napier Museum, housed in a bizarrely attractive, decaying Indo-Saracenic building dating back to 1880. Also visit the Sri Chitra Art Gallery, For lunch we continue to Poovar a beautiful island just off the coast of the Arabian Sea. Lunch in a nice hotel and time to explore the beaches; Evening enjoy Gala dinner with music and dance. Overnight is on board. FULL BOARD
Day 08 - Mararikulam
Arrive Kochi this morning. After breakfast, visit Alappuzha, enjoy a traditional boat ride on the bewitching Vembanad lake, the largest backwater stretch in Kerala. After lunch at Kumarakom drive to Kochi. The tour of Kochi begins from “The Dutch Palace also known as Mattancherry Palace, adjacent to the palace is the Jewish Synagogue (closed on Fridays & Saturdays) built in 1568. Vasco Da-Gama was buried in the courtyard of this European church built in India. Also visit the seaside where one can see the, nearly a century old Chinese fishing nets, which, are still in use. Then, you will drive to your hotel in Mararikulam [04 Hrs].
Day 09 - Mararikulam
After breakfast day is at leisure to relax at the hotel and beach.
Day 10 - Mararikulam
After breakfast day is at leisure to relax at the hotel and beach.
Day 11 - Mararikulam
After breakfast day is at leisure to relax at the hotel and beach.
Day 12 - Mararikulam
After breakfast day is at leisure to relax at the hotel and beach.
Day 13 - Cochin
Breakfast is at the Hotel. Today at an appropriate time, you will be met and transferred to Cochin International airport [04 Hrs] to connect with your homebound or onwards flight... or travel to your next destination if you would like to add to this tour.

All our tours and holidays are tailor made so can be amended to suite your budget. Click on our from prices below to see what hotels you can expect based on the cheapest time to travel in High Season per person based on two people sharing a room. We can design this tour for you at a lower or higher price, basically to suite your budget, style and comfort. Contact a specialist to discuss your requirements. International flights are not included.

What's Included

The prices shown are per person and given as a guide price based on the hotels featured. Twin or Double share on a bed & breakfast basis unless otherwise mentioned in the day to day itinerary. Single supplements or triple share reductions are available on request. All our tours include a local government registered private guide for sightseeing, unless day at leisure is mentioned.

Road Travel

Private luxury vehicle and driver.

Train travel

If mentioned in the tour will be booked in best class available.

Domestic Flights

If mentioned in the tour will be based on economy class.

All our tours are tailor made and can be changed to suite each individual client, so we can design this or any tour to suite your budget.

Contact a member of our team and tell us how much you want to spend, we can then work with you to produce a tour that consists of all that you wish for within reason, at a price that fits within your budget. There will be compromises but we are sure we can help you.

International flights

International flights are not included as we have clients from all over the world that make their own way to India & the subcontinent. Mystic India then comes in to its own with all arrangements on arrival from meet and greet to assistance with departure.

International flights in economy class from the UK start from around £500 - £700 each. This is of course dependent on which airline you choose, your destination in India, how far in advance you book and your travel dates.

We can arrange flights for you, just ask our team for an accurate price for when you wish to travel.

Suggestions to help bring the cost down

  • We can suggest alternative hotels
  • Maybe exchange a few nights in hotels for homestays
  • What about shortening the duration a little
  • If you want to do your own sightseeing and not have a private guide, then this will help bring the price down a little.
  • What about travelling in low season, there are some very good offers around for travel in April and May.

Work with us to help you, we are sure we can design a memorable tour in the budget and duration you would like.

Contact Us - we are here to be of service.

What's Included

The prices shown are per person and given as a guide price based on the hotels featured. Twin or Double share on a bed & breakfast basis unless otherwise mentioned in the day to day itinerary. Single supplements or triple share reductions are available on request. All our tours include a local government registered private guide for sightseeing, unless day at leisure is mentioned.

Road Travel

Private luxury vehicle and driver.

Train travel

If mentioned in the tour will be booked in best class available.

Domestic Flights

If mentioned in the tour will be based on economy class.

All our tours are tailor made and can be changed to suite each individual client, so we can design this or any tour to suite your style and in the mode of luxury you are accustomed too.

Contact a member of our team to discuss the details for the style of luxury tour you would like.

International flights

International flights are not included as we have clients from all over the world that make their own way to India & the subcontinent. Mystic India then comes in to its own with all arrangements on arrival from meet and greet to assistance with departure.

International flights in economy class from the UK start from around £500 - £700 each. This is of course dependent on which airline you choose, your destination in India, how far in advance you book and your travel dates.

We can arrange flights for you, just ask our team for an accurate price for when you wish to travel.

Treat yourself

  • Based on the current hotels, we can arrange higher room grades or suites.
  • We can suggest alternative hotels if a choice is available in any of the locations featured.
  • We can upgrade your private vehicle to eg; a Mercedes for around town sightseeing, but would recommend the more robust Toyota Innova or similar for longer road journeys.
  • For a more in-depth experience we can arrange for a private guide to accompany you throughout your tour, travelling with you.
  • For real luxury, we can organise a private jet instead of the normal domestic carriers.
  • If time allows may we suggest that you add in some extra days to really soak up some of the locations, or perhaps a spell beachside at the end of your tour.

You may have your own ideas on how you would like to upgrade this tour, let us know. Speak to a specialist who can advise how best to design a tour for the ultimate luxurious experience, as each location offers different opportunities.

Work with us to help you - we can design a bespoke itinerary that offers you a memorable trip base around your personal and meticulous style of travel.

Contact Us - we are here to be of service

x