By
Air
Goa's
international airport, Dabolim is 29 km from Panaji.
From Bangalore, Indian Airlines has a daily 55-minute
flight to Dabolim. From Chennai, IC flies on Monday
and Friday ( 2 hours and 40 minutes) to Dabolim. From
Delhi, IC has daily 2.25 hour flights to Goa. From
Mumbai, IC has daily flights to Dabolim.
By
Train
The main stations
are Margao and Vasco da Gama. From Mumbai CST, the
Mumbai Madagaon (Margao) Express takes nearly 9 hours
to reach Margao. The Mumbai Madgaon Konkan Express
also runs daily from Mumbai CST taking around 12 hours
to reach Margao. From Hazrat Nizamuddin station (New
Delhi), Goa Express departs at 1.30 pm (2-nights jourmey)
and takes 41.5hours to reach Vasco.
By
Road
By bus/car,
it takes 17 hours from Mumbai to Goa, 14 hours from
Bangalore, 5 hours from Belgaum, 10 hours from Hospet
and 7 hours from Hubli. Taxis from Mumbai (600 km
away) to Goa takes around 14 hours and costs around
Rs 6000. From Panaji, Margao is 33 km, Vasco is 30
km, Mapusa is 13 km, Calangute is 16 km, Colva beach
is 39 km, Tiracol is 42 km, Margao railway station
is 34 km and Vasco Railway Station 30 km away.
By
Sea
Catamaran service is
available between Bombay and Panaji from October to
April. Panjim is a 7-hour ride from Bombay's Ferry
Wharf. The catamaran docks at the Panjim jetty, located
right in town. The service is run by Frank Shipping
Ltd and it is a night run to Panjim from Bombay, although
day trips are now also possible. From Panjim, the
catamarans leave for Bombay in the morning to arrive
late evening. Damania Shipping (I) Ltd. also runs
a catamaran service between Bombay and Panaji.
October to March or February. Reasons why: Not humid.
The dry winters are the best time to visit Goa. Go
in February if you want to see the Carnival and the
Shiva festival, Shivratri.
From
the Airport
From Dabolim airport to Panaji (29 km away), taxis
cost around Rs 300 for the 40-minute trip.
From
the Railway Station
On the Konkan railway, Mapusa road located 6 km northeast
of the town is the nearest station. From Mapusa, buses
leave for Panaji every 25minutes. There are buses
every hour for Calangute and Anjuna. A motorcycle
to Anjuna or Calangute costs Rs 40 and takes about
15 minutes. Rickshaws charge around Rs 60 and taxis
Rs 100 for the same trip. Vasco Railway Station (30
km) has taxis for transfer at Rs 150 to Panaji.
From
the Bus Station
All long-distance buses arrive at the bus station
at Margao. From Margao, there are regular buses to
Colva and Benaulim (every 20 minute). They start from
the Kadamba bus station and the Municipal gardens.
There are buses for Panaji every 15 minute.
The most popular means of moving around in Goa is
on rented 2 wheelers including Enfield, 100 CC Yamaha
bikes and gearless Kinetic Honda. During the peak
season, scooter rental costs Rs 300 to 350 a day, small bikes
cost Rs 400 and Rs 450 for big bikes like Enfield.
Another popular and and cheap means of transport are
the yellow motorcycle taxis. The local bus service,
though crowded, cover all the 'destinations' of the
city. There are two reasons why people come to Goa.
To bask on the beach and to buy in the bazaars. The
97 km-long coastline has a shifting population of
tourists -- some who beach hop, others who want under-the-palm-tree
photographs in every spot mentioned in brochures.
The bazaars are outings at the tail-end of the tour
to pick up souvenirs. Haggle hard; it's the high point
of the dealing. One of the youngest states of the
Indian Union, Goa attained statehood after 451 years
of colonial rule and 26 years as a Union Territory.
During the Napoleonic wars, the British briefly occupied
Goa. Otherwise, the Portuguese were masters till 1961
when they were finally driven out. Goa remains Portuguese
at heart: broad avenues spilling into cobbled squares,
grand public buildings, old houses with overhanging
balconies and numerous bars and cafes show how deep
their influence has been. But some things have changed.
Goa is no longer a hippy hang-out. These days, the
crowd is mostly younger generation Indians on their
honeymoons, families from nearby Mumbai on a year-end
break or journos on yet another assignment on the
Carnival. But the beach is still the place where most
people meet, play music, drink feni, or just sit watching
each other or somebody else's wife. .
Goa experiences warm climate throughout the year.
In winters, temperature varies between 32°C (min)
and 19°C (min). In summers, temperature varies between
33°C (max) and 24°C (min). The annual rainfall is
1500 mm.
