Deccan Queen Pune Mumbai train journey in the Vistadome Coach

The Pune-Mumbai train journey has always been famous for its “ghat sections” – the hills, bridges and tunnels. The stretch is even more beautiful in the monsoon when the entire route becomes green and there are waterfalls in every direction.

The introduction of the “Vistadome Coach” few yars ago has made this experience even better. The “Vistadome” is India’s equivalent of the “Panoramic Coach” seen in many trains across the world. The Pune-Mumbai Vistadome monsoon experience has become a part of the tourist itinerary, as much as the cliched Lonavala or Mahabaleshwar.

Options for Vistadome and how to book: There are three trains between Pune and Mumbai which have the vistadome coach. Deccan Queen (715 AM Dep), Pragati Express (745 AM Dep) and Deccan Express (325 pm Dep). For a day trip, only the first two make sense. No difference other than the 30 min late start. So, if you feel that 715 is too early for you, go for the 745 one. But i would recommend to go the Deccan Queen because it gives you an extra 30 mins in Mumbai.

You can book irctc and on the search page, you can choose “Vistadome (AC) EC” under the classes option. I have noticed that tickets are usually available even until 2 weeks before the travel date. This is mainly because the cost difference is huge (Second Sitting is 110, AC Chair Car is 390, and the Vistadome seat is 995) and this option is used mostly by tourists, not regular Pune-Mumbai travelers. Even discerning travelers who want the extra comfort avoid this as their peace of mind gets disturbed by enthusiastic tourists like me (and the gang) who spend the full 3 hours walking across the coach and loudly cheering the great views!

The huge windows are the main attraction. The seats also turn to face the window, but there is a catch. Adjoining seats both cannot do this turn. So, the earlier you get into the train, easier it is for you to get this turn done, hoping that the other party is not in a combative mood to do the same. Also, if you have really bad luck, your seats will have a column (and not the full window) next to them. I noticed four such seats. But then, there is pretty much nothing you can do about it. One option is find someone with a window who is sleeping (not interested to see outside), wake the person up and convince them that your seat without a window should be ok for sleeping purposes!

Another major attraction is the huge area at the back of the coach with big windows on all sides. We have done this trip 2 times and on both the trips, we spent most of our time in this place. In the last trip, our gang also had a birthday cake cutting ceremony here (and probably forced the other people back to their seats!). Note: we didn’t use a candle, for obvious reasons. This “cabin” is amazing. But check the location of the vistadome coach before you book. I know that the Deccan queen has this at the end, so you get to see the back. The return journey (Mumbai Pune) of the Deccan Queen has this coach at the start which means that the engine blocks the view (not good at all).

We booked the 510 pm Deccan Queen for the return journey because we wanted to have more time in Mumbai. There is an earlier train also if you want to do want to catch the sights again. If you come by the 510 pm train, the first 1.5 hrs until Karjat are flat. So, it does get dark by the time you start climbing the ghats. So, the luxury of the vistadome coach is more for the rest than the views on the return journey.

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The 3.5 hrs on the journey from Pune to Mumbai will happen in a flash. You can spend hours at the back cabin and just enjoy the passing views. Also, a great location for photography. Unfortunately, the food served in the train is pretty average (and is not included in the price). They serve cutlets, omlettes, and sandwiches. Pretty average taste. Due to the fact that this is the last coach, you can’t get down and grab something from the intermediate stations. So, better to carry lot of snacks with you.

We had a tight agenda in Mumbai for the 6.5 hrs. In the two trips that i did, one was exclusively cafe/food hopping whereas the another was a mix of all. In the cafe hopping trip, we were 2 families and all the places were close to CSMT. So, we moved around by local taxis from place to place. In the other trip, we had booked 2 Innovas (13 people) for 8 hr-80 km trip.

Trip 1: First stop by taxi from CSMT – Cafe Mondegar. Irani Cafe. Good Sandwiches, nice decor. Then, we went to Effingut (walkable distance). We had Garlic bread with Thecha!!! A Maharashtrian twist.

Then, we walked over to the Gateway of India. It was around 1 pm. Surprisingly, the crowd was very less and it was slightly drizzling. Also, took some photos of the Taj next door. Overall a good experience.

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Then, we took a taxi to Marine drive. Spent some time watching the waves and feeling the breeze. After that we walked over to K.Rustom Ice cream Shop (an old Parsi ice cream shop, supposedly very famous) and had their ice cream sandwiches.

Then, we took a taxi to the CSMT junction and went to Pancham Puriwala, again a very old establishment. I have a liking for such places even though they may be very cramped and not rate very high on the hygiene scale. They have a Puri Thali with five different types of Puris. After a plateful of Puris, we were back on the train for the return journey.

Trip 2: This time, we were a bigger group (13) and also with different interests. So, we had 2 booked Innovas to take us around. We started off with Sidhivinayak Temple. A very crowded Sunday. Option of free, 100 INR, 1500 INR for 4 ppl darshans. The 100 INR one had around 35 mins waiting. With kids in tow, we decided to take 1500 for 4 option. This queue doesn’t “merge” into the regular queue like most temples. It was almost like a walk-in, walk-out darshan. Very good if you are short of time.

Then, we went to Malabar Hill Elevated walk way (recently opened attraction). With the rains, it was a very nice experience. A 700 m walk, it requires a prior online booking (25 pp). We reached an hr earlier to our slot, requested the guards to let us in and they agreed to change the slot. Takes around 25 mins with photo stops. Good experience in the rains. The drive through the coastal road from Siddivinayak temple to the Malabar Hill Walkway was AMAZING! This is not the Mumbai i knew!

After that, we went to Marine Drive. It was a rainy day and quite windy too. So, we got to experience the “famous” waves splashing on the rocks. Was a nice experience.

Then we went to K.Rustom Ice Cream shop. Opens only at 3 pm on Sunday. A huge crowd was waiting outside. Two lines. When the shutter opened, everyone forgot that they were part of a line. Became a ration shop. Wouldn’t rate it wow, but nice ice cream sandwiches. Everyone in the area knew that the shop opened at 3 pm. The place was silent before 3. At 3 pm, everyone emerged. People of course. Add crows and rats to the scene. The rats were having a nice time moving from butterscotch to chocolate to hazelnut options from the melting ice cream. The crows were waiting for the rats to die from overeating! Tip: Dont order many (if in a grp). The problem is that he takes all orders, picks them up, takes money and then gives you the ice cream. By this time, many would have started melting.

After that, we went to Gateway of India. Was very very crowded and was also undergoing some renovation. So, wasn’t much of a delight! Back to the train then for an uneventful journey.

If you haven’t done this trip in monsoon, i would highly recommend doing it. Enjoy!