Travelling to Goa in early January from Udaipur or Delhi – train or plane?

Hi IMers This is my first first post on IM, but I have spent hours here everyday for the past week soaking up tons of useful information for my impending journey. Kudos to all your dedication and generosity which make IMs such an amazing forum!


My husband and I are planning out trip to India which will be end of December / early January. After flying into Delhi, we would like to visit Haridwar and Rishikesh, Varanasi, Agra and Vrindavan, and Udaipur, mostly on overnight trains. We intend on arriving in Goa on the 4th or 5th of January 2013.

What would be the best option to get to Goa, plane or train? And from which of the above cities?

By Train:
+ cheaper
+ better way to see / experience the country
+ hopefully avoid weather related delays since the Marusagar Express does not pass through Delhi / Agra
- since it’s our first Asia trip, it might be long and tiring in addition to all the previous trains
- / + from Udaipur would need another 5-6h train journey to get to Ajmer or Kota; or would need to backtrack to Agra / Delhi, or somehow rearrange the order of places

If we decide to go by train, is the Marusager Express a good bet? Which station would be best to catch it, Ajmer, Jaipur or Kota? The Radjani Trivandrum seems nice but we don’t want to cut short our time in the north, and need to be in Cochin by the 9th/10th, so it’s preferable to arrive in Goa by the Saturday the 5th.


By plane
+ faster
+ convenience (airport in Udaipur)
- More expensive
- Having to stop over in Mumbai and collect luggage and recheckin (if from Udaipur)
- Run the risk of cancellations due to fog and being “stranded”

If by plane, which airlines are the most reliable? Will they re-book you in case of cancelled flights without making you buy a new ticket at twice the price of the original? (Kingfisher).


I know we’re still in May, but I see flights to Goa getting more expensive everyday, so I want to decide one way or another and get it sorted. Thanks so much in advance!

Wish you happy holidays!

Hi freelance! Thank you so much for your helpful answers.

I suggest the sequence: Delhi - Agra - Vrindawan - Haridwar - Rishikesh - Udaipur.
I realise we may be trying to fit too many things into barely 3 short weeks, are you suggesting I skip Varanasi? =( I had counted on having 2 nights / 3 days in each place, which although is not ideal, I can

Interesting, option of train to Mumbai then flight to Goa, it might work as long as the plane did not come from Delhi. I will see what the transportation options there are for this route and report back!

Just as an fyi, this was the previous itinerary. As you can see it's quite packed, but I guess it's the first-timer approach wanting to cover certain basics.

Day 1 Delhi *Arrive afternoon of Sunday, 23rd December*
Day 2 Delhi
Day 3 -> Morning train to Haridwar, then head to Rishikesh 12017 New Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi
Day 4 Rishikesh
Day 5 Rishikesh & Haridwar -> sleeper train to Varanasi 12370 Haridwar-Howrah Kumbha
Day 6 Varanasi *Arrive 1pm*
Day 7 Varanasi
Day 8 Varanasi -> sleeper train to Agra 14863 Marudhar Express (runs on Sun, Tue, Fri)
Day 9 Agra *Arrive 6am*
Day 10 Vrindavan, Govardhan ( Kusum Sarovar ), Mathura -> sleeper train to Udaipur 12963 Mewar Express
Day 11 Udaipur *Arrive 7:20 am*
Day 12 Udaipur
Day 13 -> either fly to Goa, or arrive in by noon Kota -> 12978 Marusagar Express
Day 14 - Goa *Arrive 1pm if by train*
Day 15 - Goa
Day 16 - Goa
Day 17 - -> train to Cochin [btw, is this a nice day trip by train? or would it be better to take a sleeper train?]
Day 18 - Cochin *Arrive 10am if by sleeper train 12618 Mangala Lakshadweep Express*
Day 19 - Cochin
Day 20 - Cochin -> night flight back home


Now I shall go look more closely into the route you suggested. Cheers!

Wow, its a little fast...

Rishikesh will be cold...how about sticking closer to Delhi at the beginning? (unless Rishikesh/Haridwar is really important to you) If you are going to Udaipur I'm guessing you know about Ranakpur and Kumbalgarh (I know, I can't spel ) Jaipur? Pushkar? Ranthambore?

From Goa, I think there is only a night train to Kochi, but I may be wrong.

Speaking of Kochi, its a long trip for just a couple of days there, but looks like you are flying out from that area. I would choose either Goa or Kochi but not both. I didn't think too much of Kochi personally, but there are places sort of nearby that are nice. I really liked Munnar and Periyar Tiger Park but it would be a push with the amount of time you have.

Varanasi is worth the trip but at that time of the year you will likely get fog delays, sorry...

My two cents, anyway! Have fun!

Hi Meta,
It does appear quite packed, but if you have done enough research (and it seems you have) about the transportation options connecting these dots, it is manageable.
You can do Agra while you are in Delhi. It is in total a 12 hour affair from Delhi, except for the Taj there isn't much to see in Agra. But then you can't roam around see Delhi much. Red Fort and Qutub Minar both can be covered in one day. Most monuments in Delhi are closed for visitors on Mondays, so you may take that into account while planning.
Now as per you itinerary, you'll be in Rishikesh by 1.30PM on Day 3. And you can actually leave for Varanasi (from Haridwar) on Day 4 night. Rishikesh can be covered in 1 day, there isn't much to see unless you want to go camping. You may refer to a detailed activity guide on Rishikesh here: Rishikesh
Rest of it seems fine to me till day 12 but just keep some flexibility because although the trains may not be delayed by much, given your journey even an hour's delay (which is quite probable) on each segment of your journey will eat up 7-8 hours in total of your North India part. By the way, Udaipur to Mumbai I don't think there are too many trains, just check it out and if you are getting a confirmed and direct option to Goa from Udaipur, you should drop Mumbai; although personally I think that Mumbai is must for anyone visiting India.
I have never traveled to Cochin, so can't say anything from day 14 onward.

Hi sab kuch milega and freelance! Thanks for replying, lots of great tips in both your answers.

Hardiwar & Rishikesh – I just find the area so appealling, gateway to the Himalayas, Ganga, holy city (not my religion but fascinating nonetheless)... I read that you have to walk a lot, and it’s more about experiencing tha place than sightseeing, which is why I planned for a) 2 nights / 3 days. I will consider b) 1 night / 2 days, or c) saving them for another India trip. (Thanks for the link, @freelance!)
Is it that much colder than Delhi, to the extent that even a room with a heater will be freezing?

Varanasi – Even the fog won’t stop me, but thanks for the heads up @sab kuch milega. A few hours delay is not a problem, 10 hours or so would be a pain… but still worth it. As with flights, cancellations concern me more than delays. I saw that the Shiv Ganga Express was cancelled for two days in a row last year… What are my options if a train gets cancelled? Does an indrail pass help in these cases, or does it actually hinder you because you are not entitled to Taktal quota? I’ve done the math and the price is not much higher than all the individual tickets combined. It would be worth the extra cost to save me IRTC / Cleartrip headaches.

Agra - I had originally considered Agra as a day trip from Delhi, but besides Taj and Fatepur Sikri I want to visit Kusum Sarovar and Vrindavan as long as I am nearby. That’s way too much for one day right? Also trains to Udaipur are from Agra, Mathura or Bharatpur, so it made sense to plan an overnight stay.

Udaipur – Despite being initially drawn to Pushkar, given the short time frame I opted for Udaipur and its proximity to Eklingji, Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh (this last one I did not know, thank you sab kuch milega!) Might visit Pushkar instead of Kota, but am leaning towards Kota since it has more accessibility to Goa by train, and is a quicker journey. From Ajmer trains run only 1 day of the week and are 5+ hours longer.
@freelance, you are right, dropping Mumbai is best due to the tight schedule. Another trip perhaps. =)

Goa - I have heard it is not so special, and there are better places like Diu, but places mentioned in the article “Goa beyond the beaches” really interest me. Also my husband is very keen on it so I think it is a must-see for us, even if only briefly.

Cochin - Yes, the outbound flight is already booked from Cochin. It was cheaper than from Mumbai. Mumbai does have a lot of attractions, but (Fort?) Cochin seems more chilled as a final destination in India. Also figured we could plan a day trip to Alleppey to take a daytime cruise on the backwaters.
Munnar, waterfalls near Thrissur, and other places 4-5 hours away Cochin look amazing, but I was not counting with them because I don’t think there’s enough time. Hoping Allepey is feasible though, even if we are only there 2 or 3 days.

So if I have 7 days to spend between Goa and Cochin, which I know is not much. I figure it’s best to spend 4/5 days in Goa, and 2/3 in Cochin. From Thivim or Maodgaon I think the best option is the 12618 Mangala Lakshadweep overnight train from 6pm to 10am.


If I were to remove Rishikesh or any of the other places from the itinerary, I think it would not be to add another destination (although Jaipur and Ranthambor are interesting too, just not as much for me personally). Instead it would be to have a more relaxed trip and spend more time in each place. Perhaps making time in Kota to see the Badoli / Baroli temples?

So for now,the winner is “train” from Udaipur to Goa, now we have some serious pondering about everything else. ^^
Thanks again, have a great day!

If you are taking the train from Kota, consider Bundi. It is really close by, and a beautiful tiny town with a beautiful fort and friendly market. Easily "seen" in a day and stay one night...

Diu is lovely but it's not a patch on Goa, and Goa being a state has some lovely beaches to hang out on, South Goa is jaw droppingly beautiful in places and with all the facilities you would need. You can also catch the train south from here quite easily