Travelling to and from Goa, India.

Travelling to and from Goa, India.

Article by Mark John

This article is intended to give you a brief idea of the variety of ways you can travel into Goa, India.

Goa has one major airport which is located near Dabolin. This is located on a peninsula a few miles south of Panaji. If you’re staying in the resorts on the north side of Goa, such as Candolim or Calangute, the journey by road from the airport is around 25 miles. This airport serves both national and international flights and receives many of the charter flights from package holiday companies. It also receives flights from other Indian cities such as Bombay.

If you’re travelling to Goa from elsewhere in India it is sometimes easy to forget just how vast the country is. Road surfaces are below European standards and journey times are slow. Air transportation within India is fairly cheap so you may want to consider this option.

There are many bus services which connects Goa to other Indian cities. The major routes connect to Goa to Bombay, Bangalore and Mangalore. If you’re travelling from Bombay there are bus services to Goa, and these are very cheap but expect a journey of at least 14 hours in varying degrees of comfort. There are, however, overnight buses which help to pass some of the time more quickly.

If you do decide to travel by train then Indian Railways have connections to many other cities. There is an overnight train from Bombay which takes around 14 hours to get to Goa. On this train you will find a variety of classes from the lowest, being third class, up to AC1. This is the most comfortable class and will provide you with either a two or four berth with lockable compartment with air conditioning. Whilst travelling by train in India can certainly be an exciting experience it’s sometimes nice to return to your own private cabin on a long journey.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that there is a train station in Thivim, and this is only a 20 minute taxi ride away from the beach at Calangute.

For most people taking holidays to Goa who aren’t travelling by air, train will be the best option. There are many different classes on Indian trains which can sometimes be a little confusing. Third class is the cheapest option and any budget traveller will be able to afford a long-distance train journey in this class. Third class is definitely an adventure-you’ll be sharing your journey in close quarters with the average Indian going about all manner of different activities, including cooking and eating. If you do decide to travel using the upper classes make sure you book well in advance as the seats can get sold out very quickly. The booking process for Indian trains can be rather confusing so you may want to find an agent who can do this for you. They’ll charge a booking fee, but as this is usually fairly modest you may decide it’s worth doing.

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