Around India In 80 Trains

If you are only doing one train journey, this is the train to take - but you have to have a high patience threshold. The train departs from New Jalpaiguri at 9.am and arrives at Darjeeling at around 16.15pm, just in time for a cup of tea - and where better?

The tiny steam train was initially built as a tramway to exploit the difference in price of potatoes between Darjeeling and Siliguri, and the hill railway is now considered a World Heritage Site. Travelling at a speed of 12km/hr the toy train trundles through dense forests, curving around tea plantations and bringing you as close as possible to bent-backed tea-pickers with basket straps across their heads. Famous for its reverses, loops and the spiral at Agony Point, the railway line eventually criss-crosses the main road through the town and runs alongside the fruit stalls in the street. Above all, if it’s a clear day, you should see the snow-capped tip of Kanchenjunga.

This is one of the most popular trains in India and tickets are normally booked up to four weeks in advance, so get your skates on and get booking. However, if you really don't fancy the snail's pace - there are short round trips available for the curious who just fancy hopping on and off. One is a round-trip from Darjeeling to Ghum - the highest station in India - which takes just over 40 minutes, or the three-hour trip which runs once a day between Darjeeling and Kurseong.

If you do find yourself hanging about in Ghum, about two minutes walk from the station towards Darjeeling is a tiny little restaurant called JoJo's run by a Tibetan lady called Neelu Lama who does excellent bowls of steaming 'thupa' (noodles in soup) and is an absolute delight.