Am I crazy? Last minute trains.

klowe

Help needed. I am leaving for India on Dec. 12th- 5 days away and am visiting Rajasthan and hoping to get to Varanassi too before I leave. I have 20 days and i only have the first week of my trip secured. I have posted my itinerary on a different thread but this is my question for the train thread.
I have no trains booked as I am not sure how long I will want to stay in each place on my itinerary. Is it possible to buy train tickets when I arrive in India? Or is that madness this time of year?
I am going from Delhi to Udaipur (flying-booked), Narlai, Johdpur (bus or driver), Bikiner and then I want to go to Varanasi. Is this even possible and what is the best way to get to Varanassi from Rajasthan? Should I go from Jaipur? Or maybe skip Bikiner and go from Jodphur to Jaipur and catch the train to Varanasi. Yipes. Or maybe I should just skip Varanasi this trip. Any help would be appreciated.

SHIMLA

Skip Bikaner.

You can take the Marudhar Express- a direct train from Jodhpur to Varanasi, it takes 26.5 hours.

You can book for this train rightaway over the net and arrange to have the tickets delivered at some address in Delhi, if you have any.

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klowe

Thank you for the feedback shimla! Do you say skip Bikaner because it is not worth visiting or to get to Varanasi easier? Is this too few place for 20 (well 19 really once my flight gets in) days in India?:
Delhi
Udaipur
Narlai/Ranakpur
Johdpur
Varanasi
Delhi

timmy

I agree with Shimla: book a ticket for the long Varanasi leg. Jaipur-Varanasi takes about 24 hours, and you would have to book probably a week ahead or face the possibility all 24 hours in 2nd class (i.e. you might have to stand or sit on the floor).

When I did this on my last trip I had the ticket sent to the Delhi hotel I had booked for my first night.

Indian Railways website

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SHIMLA

klowe,

I haven't been to Bikaner hence cannot say whether its worth seeing or not. I suggested skipping it only because you have a direct train from Jodhpur to Varanasi.

steven_ber

Your first trip, I would suggest that you miss out Varanasi.

You will either take to India or you won't.

If you do, you'll be back.

If you don't, a 25-hour train trip, then a big city like Varanasi just may be too much.

If you are finding the whole trip hard work (and many first-timers do), you may want to find somewhere relaxing (or luxurious) towards the end of your trip.

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