Getting from Rajasthan to Goa

Often while travelling in India, travellers look at stopping at a beach destination like Goa after exploring the cultural diversity of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan and Goa both lie on the western coast of India. However, traveling between these two states is not very easy and can take a considerable amount of time

Enjoying the view from Meherangarh Fort in Jodhpur (Photo Credits)

by train

Probably not the best way to get from Rajasthan to Goa or vice versa as the distances are considerably long and the trains extremely slow and tend to run late. The trains start from Jodhpur and Jaipur in Rajasthan and go to Madgaon. But if you don’t mind long train rides and a few delays, you can pick some of the following trains.

• Most of the trains that connect Goa to Rajasthan originate from further north, some originate from Delhi, and others from more northern cities in Rajasthan like Ajmer and Bikaner.  What you could do is travel to Mumbai by flight/bus/train and try catching a train that starts from Mumbai as chances of it running delayed is less than with the other trains.
• Some trains reach Goa in the middle of the night between 2-3 am. While Goa is generally safe, it is better to avoid these trains as the railway stations can be deserted at that hour and check in at hotels is of course not the easiest
• Goa has a number of railway stations. If you are staying in North Goa then either Pernem or Thivim should be your boarding station. For South Goa, Madgaon or Cancona should be your boarding station.
• Similarly, Rajasthan has a number of railway stations. It really depends on which city is your last destination, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ajmer/Pushkar or Bikaner.
• Udaipur and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan do not have direct train connections to Goa. You will have to change trains in Mumbai.
• The train journey is between 25-30 hours and it’s advisable to book your train tickets well in advance. Ideally as soon as bookings for your travel date open up i.e. 60 days prior to the date of travel.
• The train journey from Rajasthan to Goa has extremely diverse views from deserts to lush green hills and waterfalls in the monsoons. It is also the cheapest way to travel

Though it will be a long journey, the train is a very scenic option to travel to Goa

by bus

There are no buses that run between Goa and Rajasthan. It just takes too long and is too far and well, just not possible. Hiring a car and driver to drive you between Goa and Rajasthan will be extremely difficult to arrange, it would be a very long and expensive journey even if you found a driver that agreed to drive you.

Indian women enjoying a beach in Goa

by flight

In Rajasthan, Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur are three cities from where you’d have a flight option to Goa, but all of them have connecting flights via Delhi/Mumbai. The flights are slightly expensive and have layovers but are still the most efficient mode of travel.

This one stop flight tends to be more expensive than other direct flights between you might take in India. It’s advisable to book in advance as the fares for one stop flights can really soar closer to travel dates.

If you are in Udaipur you could drive up to Ahmedabad and then fly directly to Goa.

Note: Do take the same airline flight for both sectors, as then you are not liable to have any errors in case of delays in the first flight.

Mandrem Beach in Goa, India

Our suggestion

We at India Someday would really recommend that you plan to break your stay in Rajasthan and Goa with a few days in Mumbai. This is a little biased as we are based on Mumbai, but it is a fun city to visit. So if you do have time then stopover in Mumbai, else take a flight and save yourself the travel time by train.

Planning on visiting Kerala after Goa? Here’s how you can get between the two states.

Watching the sunrise calmly close to the otherwise crowded and popular tourist spot, Gateway of India