Tourism
of Goa
How
to Reach GoaYou
can reach Goa by Following ways:
By
Air: Goa is well connected by airline services to most major
cities in India. All flights, national and international, to and from Goa,
operate from the Goa Airport at Dabolim near the port town of Vasco-da-Gama.
The airport is about 30 kms from the capital city of Panaji and is
owned by the Indian Navy. Major airline operators such as Indian Airlines,
Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines have flights carrying passengers and cargo
in and out of Goa. Besides these, a number of chartered flights land in Goa
from UK and other European countries. The national airline Air India also
lands a few international flights, especially from the Gulf countries.
Most
of the local airlines have a contact phone number in the city as well as at
the airport where the latest information about flight status is always
available.
It is advisable to book your tickets well in advance,
especially during the high peak tourist season of October to January when
most flights run full. It is also essential to re-confirm your flight
timings at least 24 hours before departure.
Most major
international airlines usually have agreements with one or more of their
domestic counterparts in India, so if you are arriving from abroad it is
possible to book your onward domestic flight at the same time as you pay for
your international ticket.
By
Rail: There was a time when the train journey from Mumbai took
nearly twenty-four hours, on the winding route via Miraj and Pune, involving
a change of trains too.
Today, the high-speed Konkan Railway has a
daily train which hardly takes around 8-9 hours for the same journey. Other
trains between Mumbai and Panaji take typically around 10-12 hours.
The
rail route also has trains which travel past Mumbai to other northern areas
of India right upto Delhi as well as down south to Thiruvananthapuram in
Kerala.
The Konkan Railway has special reservation facility via
the internet for foreigners which allows payment to be made by credit cards.
There are also computerized reservation systems in most metros.
Goa
has two major railway stations — Margao and Vasco-da-Gama, both located
in the southern area of the state. The South Central Railway terminus is at
Vasco-da-Gama and the Konkan Railway terminus is at Margao. Besides the two
main stations, the trains usually halt for a few minutes at a number of
other smaller stations in Goa.
The Konkan Railway has trains which
ply between Mumbai and Goa and other destinations. The latest updated
schedules for these are available on the official Konkan Railway website.
The South Central Railway has one train, the Nizamuddin Goa Express coming
in daily in the early morning. This train departs from Delhi and comes to
Goa via Pune.
The Konkan Railway undoubtedly offers the quickest
and cheapest route to Goa from Mumbai. In Mumbai there are two booking
offices: one is on the upper floor of the Western Railways booking office in
Churchgate Station and the second is at the Central Railway booking office,
at the rear of Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus or VT).
By
Road: Goa is connected with all the major towns in India via the
National Highways NH4A, NH17 and NH17A. In most places along the way, the
highway roads are in excellent condition and motorable at fairly good
speeds.
There are bus services operating from Goa to most towns
and cities in neighbouring states, such as Mumbai, Pune, Belgaum, Hubli,
Bangalore, Mangalore etc. at fairly regular intervals throughout the day.
These services are operated by the state owned Kadamba Transport
Corporation (white and blue buses) as well as the respective transport
corporations of the neighbouring states. Besides there are numerous private
bus operators who provide all kinds of bus services from special to deluxe
AC to sleeper coaches along these routes.
The bus services operate
from the huge Kadamba bus stand at Panaji and from similar but much smaller
bus stands in other Goan towns.
Most buses tend to arrive in Goa in
the early hours of the morning. The departures are in the early afternoon as
well as early evening.
The buses usually stop along the way for
dinner and breakfast at roadside restaurants.
Ticket charges vary
from Rs 250 to Rs 650, depending upon the distance, the season, the demand
and the quality of bus service. A journey to Mumbai, takes around 12-16
hours.
The tickets can be obtained through recognised travel
agents or the offices of the state transport corporations. The private buses
usually depart from the Fort area and make stops at a number of places
around Mumbai before leaving the city.
Ensure that you have your
seat and the bus registration number, and confirm the exact time and place
of departure with the travel agent, as these frequently vary between
companies.
The drive down from Mumbai, if you are coming by car,
is along the beautiful highway which hugs the Konkan coastline, with
excellent scenic beauty and typical small towns and villages along the
entire route. There are a few winding and steep routes (called 'ghats')
across the mountain ranges which add to the charm of the journey.
By
Sea: In the sixties and seventies, there was actually a pair of
steamers which used to ply between Panaji and Mumbai, carrying loads of
passengers on a charming journey along the Konkan coastline.
A
catamaran service was started by Damania Shipping in 1994, between Mumbai
and Goa, using a beautiful Scandinavian-built vessel, with aeroplane-style
reclining seats. The trip from Mumbai used to take seven hours to reach
Panaji. The catamaran too, travelled around 40 km offshore, giving
travellers a glimpse of the palm-fringed Konkan coast.
The service
was later taken over by another company, Frank Shipping before being closed
down due to technical reasons.
A new service by Samlink has
started in Dec. 2004 and plies thrice weekly from Mumbai to Goa. Departures
are at around 9 am and arrivals at around 6.30 in the evening.
Transport
inside Goa
- By Bus:
Travelling around Goa is fairly easy. There is an extensive road network
which connects most places in Goa with motorable roads. There are private as
well as state transport corporation run bus services which service all the
major locations.
Despite the overcrowding, noise and off-schedule
service, there is a special charm in travelling in the private buses which
are brightly painted and filled with colourful local characters.
Do
not be surprised if you see buses making unscheduled stops, especially in
the rural areas, to pick up passengers waiting at all sorts of places
besides the regular bus-stand.
- By
Car: If you are interested in exploring Goa on your own and at
your own pace, then a car is a very good option. A number of companies offer
rental cars, both self and chauffeur-driven. A list of companies offering
car rentals is available in the travel services section of this website.
Besides rented cars, there are the ubiquitous tourist taxis, which
are available near most hotels and resorts and at all the tourist
attractions. There are two types of taxis, the white-colored tourist taxis,
and the yellow-topped black regular taxis.
The private tourist
taxis, are completely white in colour, and are found at the Goa Airport, the
railway stations and outside most popular hotels. Almost all major towns and
tourist attractions have a taxi stand, where both types of taxis are
available.
Most hotels also arrange a taxi for you on request.
These taxis quite often have an interstate license and can take you to
nearby destinations outside Goa.
The taxi hire charges are fixed
per kilometer, but with a little bit of bargaining you can arrive at a rate
which is quite reasonable for the trip. The taxis can be hired per trip or
for the whole day. Ensure that you fix a price for the entire journey before
you sit in, so that you don't get overcharged at the end of the trip.
- By Motorcycle: Goa has a unique and
very popular mode of transport known as a 'pilot'. This is in reality a
motorcycle taxi.
This is the fastest and most economic way of
getting about in Goan towns and sometimes to locations at short distances on
the outskirts.
The motorcycle taxis are easily recognised by the
yellow mudguards and yellow number plates.
The driver who is known
as the 'pilot' carries only one pillion rider at a time. They even have
special taxi stand of their own. Bargain with the pilot for a good rate for
the trip before you set out.
Hired motorbikes, moped, scooters and
bicycles are also a very economical mode of transport to travel around Goa,
especially in the interiors. These are available in the cities as well as
near most beach areas.
The cost of hiring a bike for a day ranges
anywhere from Rs 200 to Rs 400. Usually, a down payment as security or
deposit of your passport is required at most such places which rent out
motorbikes.
- By Autorickshaw:
The three-wheeled auto-rickshaw taxi, painted yellow and black, is a common
site in all Goan towns. This taxi is basically the front half of a motor
scooter with a couple of seats mounted on the back.
They usually
take two to three passengers and are quite speedy on the crowded roads of
Goan towns. Above all, they are very cheap as compared to taxis for
travelling around the town. The rickshaws have separate stands in most
places.
They have a meter system, according to which they are
supposed to charge per km. However most don't adhere to this, so in most
cases bargaining is common before you set out on your trip.
-
By Ferry: At quite a few places around Goa, especially in the
rural hinterland, you will have to cross a small river to get to your
destination.
Most such rivers now have a bridge across them, which
has made the flow of traffic smooth all over Goa. However, where a bridge is
yet to come up, you will be able to enjoy another mode of transport unique
to Goa.
This is the ferry also known as ferryboat by the locals,
which carries people and cars from one shore to the other, across the rivers
and estuaries all around Goa.
In some places, the ferry remains
the only mode of transport to get to the mainland. Popular river crossings
include: Old Goa to Divar Island, Divar to Narve, Querim to Tiracol, and
Cavelossim to Assolna.
There is a ferry from the capital city of
Panaji across the Mandovi river to Betim, despite the presence of two
excellent bridges across the Mandovi river.
Travellers to Goa feel
that the ferry ride is one of the most romantic mode of transport in Goa.
This most enjoyable ride is well worth checking out.
