getting a train ticket

Hi all

I知 planning to go to northern India in November so I知 glued to my computer searching the web for some advices and how to go around the country. I致e found this great website which is full of helpful tips.

There is one thing that I知 worried about and I can't find the information (or I don稚 know how to look for it ). I already have a itinerary and I知 wondering if I need to book train tickets many days in advance or I can buy them a day before the planned trip from one place to another. Obviously it will be much easier for me not to buy them in advance as this way I can change my itinerary if its necessary , in case I get sick or I decide to stay one day longer in some beautiful place. Does it depend on the class? Is it easier to get tickets for the cheaper class or quite the opposite?

I壇 be very grateful for the information.

thanks
Agnieszka

Trains in India are inevitably booked weeks in advance - all classes, except for few sectors. It is not easy therefore to have a flexible travel plan. Some routes you can travel by bus or car, or even flights to get around this problem.

'except for few sectors' - it gives me some hope ....
can you explain it, please? can I have a hope?
I will try to book tickets on the most popular routes in advance.

thanks for your reply

If you can post the details of your entire trip, some of us can point out train journeys that can be made on day trains like the Shatabdi Express. Other sectors for overnight train journeys. A few short trips by bus, etc

I’m planning to spend around 4 weeks in India and I’m considering two options:

Option no 1


Delhi - Agra - Jaipur – Pushar – Jodhpur – Jaisalmer - Ranakpur – Udaipur – Orcha – Khajuraho – Varanasi – Delhi


Option nr 2

Calcuta – Bodhgaya - Sarnath - Varanasi – Khajuraho – Orcha – Agra—Jaipur – Pushar - – Ranakpur – Udaipur – Jodhpur – Jaisalmer – Delhi

if you have any suggestions I will be more than happy. Maybe there are some other places that are on the route I can go and see as they are interesting and can't be missed

I just returned from travelling around Rajasthan and although I had booked all train tickets in advance, my plans needed to be altered due to the bombings in Jaipur. With the exception of 1 train ride booked ahead of time, all others were booked a day or two before departure. Where trains were not available, buses easily connected me to my destination. You just need to be flexible with your dates (give or take a day or two) and the class that you want (the cheap sleeper class seemed to always be available, whereas AC was not). Maybe I was lucky?

May is a quiet time in Rajasthan. November is going to be much busier.

ah yes, very true. I didn't even read that part.
You could always just book everything in advance and make cancellations and changes along the way as you see fit. You'll lose a bit of money (25% is it?) but this way you have options once you arrive and decide what to do.

Agnieszka, you can also plan (and book) your trains in advance and then cancel them. This is not expensive and that's probably the reason why Indians do it all the time.
So if you can not get another ticket you still have the option to travel as planned.

November is Diwali holiday time. Hordes of Gujarati travellers usually descend in Rajasthan.

Hi guys
Thanks for all your advices. We will see how it goes. It's good to know that I can cancel the reservation. It's always the option in case I will have to change my travel plans.