Stays, Rail & Wellness7 min readPublished 8 July 2026
Hero photograph: Ihr bd / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
India's palace hotels are former royal residences and grand colonial landmarks reborn as places to stay — and while Rajasthan holds the greatest concentration, some of the most exceptional stand well beyond it. To think only of Jaipur and Udaipur is to miss a coastal palace in Mumbai, a Nizam's residence in Hyderabad, and heritage grandeur across the south and east.
Which palace hotels lie beyond Rajasthan?
The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai is the most storied — a turn-of-the-century landmark overlooking the Gateway of India, and the birthplace of Indian luxury hospitality. In Hyderabad, the Falaknuma Palace, once home to the Nizam, is reached by horse-drawn carriage and sets a table for a hundred and one. Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru each hold their own colonial-era grande dames.
In the south, heritage takes a gentler form: converted residences and plantation bungalows in Kerala and the Nilgiris, where the register is intimate rather than imperial but the sense of history is just as strong.
How to include them in a journey
These hotels are destinations in themselves, and the finest itineraries treat them so — a night at the Taj Mahal Palace bookending a Mumbai arrival, a Falaknuma dinner as the centrepiece of a Deccan leg, a plantation retreat as the quiet close to a southern journey.
Elevated India secures the signature suites, the rooms with the view and the history, and composes the surrounding days so that each palace is experienced properly rather than merely slept in. Beyond Rajasthan, India's royal hospitality is broader and more surprising than most travellers ever discover.
Questions, Answered
What are the best palace hotels in India outside Rajasthan?
Beyond Rajasthan, standouts include the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad (a former Nizam's residence), and colonial-era grande dames in Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru, plus intimate heritage retreats across Kerala and the Nilgiris.
Can you stay in a former palace in India?
Yes. Many of India's former royal and colonial residences are now luxury heritage hotels — from Rajasthan's palaces to the Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai and Falaknuma Palace Hyderabad. Elevated India secures signature suites and builds itineraries around these landmark stays.
Journeys That Take You There
