Goa to Kochi - stop in Mangalore?

Hi there!

In the final stages of planning an itinerary for the south-west coast of India in Oct/Nov this year.

Starting in Mumbai before heading to Goa for a week or so. We will then move south to Kerala as we intend to fly out of India from Kochi around 10 days/2 weeks later.

Having looked at trains, the journey from Goa to the backwaters (probably alight at Allepey) is pretty long. Therefore am considering Mangalore as somewhere to stop for a couple days and break up the journey.

My question is whether there is enough to do/see in Mangalore to make it worth the stop? Or would it be better to have the extra couple of days exploring the area around Kochi, Allepey etc (we probably won't go right down to the bottom of Kerala).

Any opinions/experiences would be greatly appreciated! on a fairly tight schedule, want to ensure we spend our time wisely!

Mangalore is a nice town. There are two places you can visit nearby
- Bekal Fort
- Udupi
If you stay in a hotel they can arrange transport to these places at a pretty decent rate ( like Rs 1000 for 8 hours ).
Malpe beach is a very nice beach near to Mangalore.