A short trip lives or dies on its first and last hours. The right train can give you a whole extra day. Here is how to think about rail for Pondicherry, Udaipur and Mysuru.
On a seventy-two-hour trip, transport is not a detail. It is the frame. Choose badly and you lose a morning to a slow connection or an evening to an airport transfer. Choose well and you can leave work on a Thursday night, wake up somewhere new and still have three full days. For the three cities in this issue, trains are often the quiet hero of that equation.
A note before we begin: Indian Railways timetables, train names and services change, and new trains are added on popular routes every year. We have deliberately avoided printing train numbers, departure times or fares. Treat this page as a way of thinking, and check the official IRCTC booking site or the National Train Enquiry System for current details before you plan.
Why trains suit short trips
Flights are faster in the air but often slower door to door once you add the drive to the airport, security and the transfer at the other end. Trains usually arrive close to the centre of town, run at times that suit evening departures, and, on overnight services, double as a night’s accommodation. For a long weekend that can mean three full days on the ground instead of two and a half.
There is also the simple pleasure of it. A train journey is a slow arrival. You watch the landscape change, drink tea from a passing vendor, and get off with a sense of distance travelled that a flight rarely gives.
The overnight principle
The most powerful tool for a short trip is the overnight train. Leave after work, sleep on board, arrive in the morning. Do the same on the way home, and you have turned a weekend into three days without taking extra leave.
A few things make overnight travel work:
- Book early. Sleeper and air-conditioned berths on popular routes fill quickly, especially around festivals and long weekends. Bookings open well in advance, so plan as soon as your dates are fixed.
- Choose your class with sleep in mind. Air-conditioned classes are quieter and more comfortable for sleeping; the cheaper sleeper class is perfectly usable but noisier and warmer.
- Keep the first hour free. Overnight trains can arrive late, and you will want a shower and breakfast before anything else. Our plans all assume a gentle first hour.
Mysuru: the easy one
Mysuru is the simplest of the three. It is connected to Bengaluru by a busy rail corridor with frequent services through the day, including fast daytime trains, and the journey generally takes a few hours depending on the train. That makes it possible to leave Bengaluru early on a Friday and be walking in Devaraja Market before lunch, or to treat Mysuru as a short trip from the city without any overnight travel at all.
If you are coming from further afield, many travellers fly or take an overnight train into Bengaluru and connect onward. Mysuru’s station is close to the centre, which suits our palaces-last plan: you can drop bags and be out in the city quickly.
Udaipur: worth the night train
Udaipur sits some distance from the big metros, and this is where the overnight train earns its keep. Udaipur City station has direct services from cities including Delhi and Jaipur, and an overnight journey from Delhi lets you arrive in the morning with a full day ahead. Check the current options; routes and trains on this line have changed in recent years.
The station is a short drive from the old city around Lake Pichola. Allow time for a rickshaw or taxi through morning traffic, and do not plan your first ghat walk for the moment you arrive. Our Udaipur plan builds in that cushion deliberately.
Pondicherry: the train is part of the story
Pondicherry is the most interesting case. The town has its own station, but direct services are relatively limited, and many travellers reach it by road from Chennai, a drive of a few hours along the coast. Others take a train to Villupuram, a junction inland, and continue by road or a short connecting service.
Whichever you choose, the important thing for a short trip is to fix the arrival and departure first and build the days around them. If you are coming from Chennai, an early start gets you to the French Quarter in time for a late breakfast. If you are coming from further away, an overnight train into Chennai or Villupuram followed by a road connection can still give you three good days.
Getting the most from the journey
A few habits make train travel on a short trip smoother:
- Pack for the berth. A small bag with water, a light shawl, earplugs and a charger saves rummaging in the dark.
- Eat before you board, or plan to buy food on board. Catering varies by train; some include meals, others rely on vendors and pantry services.
- Track your train. Running status is available online and through apps. On the day of travel, check before leaving for the station.
- Mind the monsoon. August rain can slow trains and roads. Build a generous margin into the return leg in particular.
The return leg
The return journey deserves the most thought. A late-evening departure gives you a full final day; an overnight train home saves a hotel night and delivers you to work on Monday morning, a little crumpled but satisfied. If you must fly back, leave plenty of time for the airport journey, especially in Udaipur and Bengaluru where traffic can be unpredictable.
The real advantage
The best argument for trains on a short trip is not efficiency but mood. You arrive at the centre of a town, not on its edge. You leave from a platform full of families and vendors, not a terminal full of queues. And the hours on board become part of the trip rather than a gap in it.
Seventy-two hours is not long. A good train can make it feel like more.
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