First trip to India

archivist

I will be staying in Hyderabad in January. I am considering extending the trip to include a couple of days in Goa and about a week in Delhi. Is this a reasonable itinerary? Can one travel easily from Hyderabad to Goa by land?

machadinha

Goa-Delhi is a long way. Beyond that, it will be hard for us to say, not knowing your precise time, intended mode of travel, etc. (In a month's time and by Unreserved Train class, sure, why not. Flying in the course of 8 days, no, forget about it.)

Try also How to get the most out of the Itinerary section.

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Hal

If you have a short time you could consider flying.

The train from Hyderabad to Goa takes about 24 hours. See this thread: Hyderabad to Goa in December
Goa to Delhi is 30-40 hours by train.

It's about $150 to fly from Hyd to Goa and the same from Goa to Delhi on the cheapest flights.

archivist

We will probably fly everywhere. We took the long day trip from Cairo to Aswan and that was enough for me. Why does it take so long to go from Hyderabad to Goa? Does the train stop in every hamlet? It is a shame. I would like to have seen more of the country, but if the trains are so slow I guess that is not possible. It is only 747 KM. So I guess we will fly.
Archivist

machadinha

I'm not sure. Probably because distances in India tend to be far greater than they might look on a map (and from a glance at the railways map, I don't think you'd be going as the crow flies); trains are often slow, although they tend to pick up speed on longer and major lines; Goa I think was never so splendidly connected to the "hinterland," although this appears to be improving; apart from tourism, it may not be a major economic hub in any other sense; and I think there's a lower mountain range, the Western Ghats, to cross when going inland from pretty much anywhere along the west coast.

But I think bottom line is save for a few exceptions the main lines pretty much circumvent the entire area between either.

nb For flights to Goa, note you'll have to look for Dabolim, which is its airport.

Mickey S

Trains in India are slow, making even Amtrak look positively speedy. But train travel is part of the great Indian adventure, and everyone should have at least one long journey (in 1A or 2A) on their itinerary.

zoltan

Personally, I'd give Goa a miss. It's not (what I would call) India and, as Hal points out, it's quite a distance from Goa to Delhi.

You would be paying a fortune in airfares to do the Hyderabad => Goa => Delhi route.

Cheers
Zoltan

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Hal

I was in Hyderabad for 2 weeks this July. I finished the trip with a flight to Delhi then spent 8 days in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Pushkar, by car and driver. It was rushed, but I got a good introduction to Rajasthan.

Another thought - overnight train to Chennai then head south to Mamallapuram and the temples and coast of Tamil Nadu.
One thing you'll never be short of in India is choices of places to visit!

Fimaggi

Hi Hal

I am in Hyderabad at the moment and am flying to Chennai on Sunday morning. I don't want to stay in Chennai but intend to head to Mamallapuram for two days and Pondicherry for 2 days before heading back to Chennai for a flight to Mumbai on the 5th. My problem is that I have quite a bit of luggage as I have been working in Hyderabad for the past couple of months and I don't want to cart my luggage around my trip nor do I want to have to come back to Hyderabad for it. When I get to Mumbai I can leave it with a friend for a couple of months. Do you have any idea if it is possible to stor luggage in Chennai train station for a few days or even better if there is any storage at the airport? Also how far and how much it costs to get from the airport to the train station? Any tips for accomodation etc for the suggested itenary would be most welcome.

Thanks
Fi

Hal

Sorry, but I can't help you there - Mamallapuram is on my list, but haven't visited yet. I believe bus is the preferred way to go from Chennai, or you can rent a car if you have the budget.

Maybe check the threads or post in the Chennai forum?

libertycanyon

Do you have any idea if it is possible to stor luggage in Chennai train station for a few days or even better if there is any storage at the airport?

I have stored luggage in Chennai Central train station quite cheaply for a few hours, but Chennai airport is also reported to have a left luggage counter... Yep, all answers already exist somewhere on this site!
Chennai Airport - Left Luggage facility


Also how far and how much it costs to get from the airport to the train station?

Use the pre-paid auto booth at the airport. It costs about Rs300 to go from the airport to central Chennai where the train station is, but.....

Based on your itinerary below I think you might want the bus station. There is no train station in Mamallapuram (a quite small town on the beach), and the one in Pondi was a tough one to get to from Chennai, taking the better part of a day and running irregularly. I know this makes no sense being such a major tourist destination, but there it is.

What I did was I went to the main bus station in Chennai, called the CMBT, and simply said "Pondicherry" until someone put me on the bus. The right bus, too! I think it took about 3 hours and was quite "thrilling." If you go to this same bus station and say Mamallapuram, and in particular look for buses labeled ECR (for East Coast Road) these will take you to both Mammallipuram and Pondicherry. You could also ask folks around the airport in Chennai, apparently there is some elaborate way to go from there directly to Mamallapuram Bus to Mahabalipuram from Chennai Airport & Accommodation
Again, all answers!

Any tips for accomodation etc for the suggested itenary would be most welcome.

The link above has some. I stayed in Siva Guest House in Mamallapuram and could recommend it. If you have the money and want to spoil yourself, they did me a taxi back to Chennai for about Rs 1000 for toll and tip, which seems a fair price from what I've read and was much faster and waaaay more comfortable than the bus. I know, I know, a bus ticket only costs like Rs50 or less, but I was feeling so laaaazy The Shore Temple in the early morning is worth the trip there at any cost!

In Pondi, I loved my stay at one of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram guest houses, the Park Guest House. Very spacious rooms and a beautiful view over the sea. http://www.miraura.org/aa/as/ghouses.html Good prices and decent staff.

Search around on this site for more info, it is all here somewhere Good luck, and have fun!

Fimaggi

Thanks
Liberty Canon your post is so informative. I am relieved to know I can store my luggage at the airport or train station and don't have to come back to Hyderabad to collect it.

Hopefully the rain will have passed by the time I get there.

Fi