How to reach Goa

Goa shall always be a cherished destination for a beach vacation wherever you stay all across the globe. Goa is a small Union Territory that is cosily positioned between two major states of India Karnataka and Maharashtra. The sea that is the USP of Goa and on which the allure and charm of this destination is primarily dependant is the Arabian Sea with its blue waters and white sandy beaches. How to reach Goa will evoke all possible suggestions and possibilities. There are multiple ways to reach the major and popular destination of Goa. Given the tourist popularity of Goa that it has earned over the years, Goa will definitely have a robust system of transportation by means of air, road and water to reach this mesmerizing place. Goa is very well connected to the king of Metropolitans Mumbai. Mumbai is located around 610 kms away from Goa and Pune is around 460 kms away. Kolhapur is still closer and 230 kms away. Panaji has the international airport Dabolim Airport and Vasco Da Gama has the Railway Station that majorly connects Goa to the rest of the world and definitely to other parts of India.

From Bangalore you can reach Goa via NH4. It is further connected to State Highway 34 which leads to NH 4A and further to the State Highway no. 7. The road distance from Bangalore to Goa is approximately 560 kms and it takes around 9 long hours to reach Goa from Bangalore that is doable in one-stretch. Some might choose to take a break en route as well. Those who opt to drive down to Goa from Mangalore can opt for NH 17 along the coast to get connected eventually to State Highway 7. Mangalore is approximately 360 kms from Goa and is easily accessible. In fact driving down from as far as Kerala is also not out of question. Goa can be reached from Kozhikode which is around 600 kms away. The route is via Mangalore and offers a bewitching drive from Khozikode to Mangalore to Goa.

Travelling to Goa over the weekends is extremely popular and weekenders are perpetually excited about reaching Goa and enjoying relaxing weekends in the beaches. Bunches of tourists and travellers reach Goa either by road, rail or by air from all across the country.

Nearest International airport to Goa is the Dabolim Airport and it is at a distance of 29 kms from Panaji. Dabolim Airport is very well connected with other major domestic as well as international cities. It has direct flights from prominent Indian cities such as Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. Dabolim Airport of Goa has direct international flights to Los Angeles, Frankfurt, San Francisco, London, Manchester, Washington, Madrid, Doha, Brussels and Taipei. This international airport is well connected with the major domestic cities as well as major international cities in U.K. and Germany as well.

Goa is well accessible via railways and the major railway stations are located in Margao. The three most prominent railway stations are Madgaon, Thivim Railway Station and Vasco-da-Gama. These railway stations are very well connected to the super metropolitan Mumbai as well as to other parts major cities of the country as well.

Goa is connected by the South Western Railway lines and the Konkan Railway lines. The South Western Railway lines are operational since the colonial era and connect the major port towns of Vasco-da-Gama with Belgaum, Hubli and other junctions. The Konkan Railway line came into operation much later and is recently running along the western coast of India. These lines got constructed in the 1990s and connect Margao to various other major Indian cities. The Nizamuddin Goa Express is the sole train that connects Delhi with Goa via Pune among all trains from South Central Railway.

Goa can also be easily reached by means of roadways and there is a well-developed network of buses that offer their services to travellers from far and wide. One of the major bus stands is the Kadamba Bus Stand of Panaji. Goa has its own intercity and intracity network of buses.

Goa majorly depends upon bus services offered by private as well as government run buses maintained by Kadamba Transport Corporation. Bus service connects the major towns as well as the remotest of villages. The local people of Goa mostly own private vehicles to get around from one place to another.

Four major National Highways form the backbone of Goa. (1) NH66 connects Goa with Mumbai towards the north and with Mangalore towards the south. (2) NH-4A connects Panaji with Belgaum, Bangalore, Kolhapur to name few. (3) NH-366 forms a connect with NH-66 further to the Mormugao Port from Cortalim. (4) NH-566 is the latest addition that connects Mormugao Port to NH-66 at Verna also connecting Dabolim Airport en route.

One major reason behind Goa being so popular among domestic and foreign tourists is that it is very well connected rail, road and air. Local transport system is equally breezy and easy. Almost every hotel and resort offer services or connection with operators who provide two-wheelers such as scooters, bikes and cycles and also cars on rental basis. This system of local transportation is not that popular or well-developed in other states or tourist destinations of India. To avail this service you just need to possess a valid driver’s license and then you can take Goa into your stride and gain complete independence of local travel and sight-seeing. This is also the cheapest mode of transport within Goa.