Best college trip destinations in India, and how a group gets there by train
Choosing the place is the first job of a college trip committee. Getting forty, or four hundred, students there inside a student budget is the second. These are popular college trip destinations, with the station to book to, the months that usually work, and where the train keeps the cost down. Every place below can be reached by train; a few need a coach for the last stretch, and the card says which.
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Three questions that narrow the list
How many days do you have?
A long weekend suits a place within one night's train of the college. A week opens up Goa, Kerala and Darjeeling. The train is the first night or the last night of the trip, so count it in.
Which month are you going?
Most places have a best season and a bad one. Beaches and Rajasthan are at their best in winter, hill roads open and close with the season, and in the monsoon the Konkan line runs a slower timetable. The cards give the usual months.
What does each student have to spend?
Fix the budget per student first, then the class: Sleeper, Third AC or Chair Car. A destination that is one overnight train away usually costs less than one that needs a flight and a hotel night.
College trip destinations, and the station to book to
Beach and coast
The winter favourites.
Goa
The classic college trip: beaches, water sports and a late-night scene that suits a student group.
- Book to:
- Madgaon, Thivim, Karmali or Vasco da Gama, depending on the train and the side of Goa you are staying.
- Usual months:
- November to February is the peak. The monsoon is the off-season.
Gokarna
Quieter beaches than Goa, and a small-town trip a group can afford.
- Book to:
- Gokarna Road, on the Konkan line, a short road transfer from the town.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Puri and Konark
A beach, a temple town and the Sun Temple in one trip, popular with groups from the east.
- Book to:
- Puri.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Heritage and desert
Forts, palaces and the Taj, and the overnight trains that reach them.
Jaipur
The Pink City, Amer Fort and the bazaars, within a night's train of most of north India.
- Book to:
- Jaipur Junction.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Jodhpur
Mehrangarh Fort over the blue city.
- Book to:
- Jodhpur Junction.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Jaisalmer
The golden fort and a night in the desert.
- Book to:
- Jaisalmer.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Udaipur
Lakes and palaces, and a good last stop on a Rajasthan circuit.
- Book to:
- Udaipur City.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Agra
The Taj Mahal, close enough to Delhi to be a day trip or the first stop of a longer one.
- Book to:
- Agra Cantt.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Hills and rivers
Where the train ends and a coach takes over.
Shimla
The classic hill-station trip. The narrow-gauge Kalka–Shimla line is a UNESCO World Heritage railway.
- Book to:
- Kalka for the broad-gauge train, then the toy train or a coach up. Shimla has its own narrow-gauge station.
- Usual months:
- March to June, and September to November.
Manali
Snow, rivers and adventure sports for a student group.
- Book to:
- Manali has no station of its own. Groups take the train to Chandigarh and then a coach, roughly 300 km by road.
- Usual months:
- March to June, and September to November, with snow in winter.
Rishikesh and Haridwar
Rafting, the Ganga aarti and yoga, an easy trip for a first-time group.
- Book to:
- Yog Nagari Rishikesh and Haridwar Junction both have stations.
- Usual months:
- February to April, and September to November.
Mussoorie
A hill town close to the plains.
- Book to:
- Dehradun, then a coach up the hill.
- Usual months:
- March to June, and September to November.
Darjeeling and Sikkim
Tea gardens, the toy train and mountain views.
- Book to:
- New Jalpaiguri, then a few hours by road into the hills.
- Usual months:
- March to May, and October to November.
Ooty
The Nilgiri hills and its UNESCO mountain railway.
- Book to:
- Mettupalayam for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, or Coimbatore and a coach.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Culture and heritage towns
Trips that fit a project, a fest or an industrial-visit week.
Varanasi
The ghats and the Ganga aarti, a classic culture trip.
- Book to:
- Varanasi Junction.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Amritsar
The Golden Temple and the Wagah border ceremony.
- Book to:
- Amritsar Junction.
- Usual months:
- October to March.
Mysuru
The palace city, and the road on to Coorg.
- Book to:
- Mysuru Junction. Coorg has no station, so groups go via Mysuru.
- Usual months:
- October to February.
Hampi
Ruins and boulder country, popular with history and design students.
- Book to:
- Hosapete Junction, a short road transfer from Hampi.
- Usual months:
- October to February.
Kerala
The south's favourite.
Kochi, Alleppey and Munnar
Backwaters, spice country and tea hills in one trip.
- Book to:
- Ernakulam Junction for Kochi, Alappuzha for the backwaters. Munnar has no station, so groups go via Ernakulam or Aluva and take a coach.
- Usual months:
- September to March.
Booking opens 60 days before the trip
Reservation opens 60 days before the date of travel, so a trip leaving on 20 January opens on 21 November. In winter the Goa and Rajasthan trains can fill on the morning booking opens, and every booking holds at most six passengers, so a college group is many bookings made together. We book them in one go the morning each date opens, which is why the dates matter more than the destination when you plan.
How college and school tour booking works →Where the train saves the trip
- In peak season a group flight can cost far more than the same group pays on the train, and group flight quotes can jump several times over.
- An overnight train is a night's stay: the group sleeps on the way and gains a full day at the destination.
- You choose the class to fit the budget: Sleeper, Third AC or Chair Car, each with a seat or berth for every student.
- On a long route the train takes longer than a flight. We say so before you decide, so the comparison is honest.
Your tour's flight quote vs the train
Principals and tour coordinators usually hold a flight quote already. Send it, and see the same tour by train, with teachers and chaperones on the same list.
Groups of 100 to 1,000 passengers: one list in, every PNR back, one GST invoice.
We reply in writing within two hours, in working hours, with the train cost for the same group, class by class.
- Your own flight figures. The site stores nothing.
- The train quote shows the class, the train and the total for the whole group.
- Confirmed berth or 100% refund, passenger by passenger.
Compare the tour's flight quote
Type in the quote you have. We reply in writing with the train cost for the same group.
Add the headcount and the quote a head to see your flight total.
Nothing is saved on this website. Your figures go only into your WhatsApp message to us.
What our travellers say
Each coach is one customer's own words.
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Questions college trip committees ask
Which is the best place for a college trip in India?+
It depends on the month, the number of days and the budget. Popular choices are Goa and Rajasthan in winter, the hills (Shimla, Manali, Rishikesh, Darjeeling) in spring and autumn, and Kerala from September to March. Each card on this page gives the station and the usual months.
Can a college group go to Manali, Darjeeling or Munnar by train?+
Partly. None of the three has a station of its own. The group takes the train to Chandigarh for Manali, New Jalpaiguri for Darjeeling and Ernakulam or Aluva for Munnar, then a coach for the rest. We book the train leg and the group arranges the coach.
Is a train cheaper than a flight for a college trip?+
On most routes the train costs far less than the same group by air, and in peak season group flight quotes can jump several times over. On a long route the train takes longer than a flight. Send the flight quote you have, and we reply with the train cost for the same trip.
How early should a college trip be booked?+
Reservation opens 60 days before the date of travel, and in winter the Goa and Rajasthan trains can fill on the morning booking opens. For a trip in the second half of January, booking opens in the second half of November.
How many students can you book on one trip?+
From 30 to 1,000. Every booking holds at most six passengers, so a trip is many bookings made together, in blocks that keep each class and its teachers close wherever the train allows.
Do you only book from Delhi?+
No. We book from any station in India. The city pages for Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and others show how booking works from each.
What if some berths do not confirm?+
Confirmed berth or 100% refund — RAC doesn't count. For a college trip we book the train and class that can hold the whole party, so a partial confirmation is the thing we plan to avoid; if it happens, that fare comes back.
Send the trip, get the plan in writing
Confirmed berth or 100% refund — RAC doesn't count