By Road

Goa is connected with all the major towns in India via the National Highways NH4A, NH17 and NH17A. In most places along the way, the highway roads are in excellent condition and motorable at fairly good speeds. There are bus services operating from Goa to most towns and cities in neighbouring states, such as Mumbai, Pune, Belgaum, Hubli, Bangalore, Mangalore etc. at fairly regular intervals throughout the day.

These services are operated by the state owned Kadamba Transport Corporation (white and blue buses) as well as the respective transport corporations of the neighbouring states. Besides there are numerous private bus operators who provide all kinds of bus services from special to deluxe AC to sleeper coaches along these routes.

The bus services operate from the huge Kadamba bus stand at Panaji and from similar but much smaller bus stands in other Goan towns. Most buses tend to arrive in Goa in the early hours of the morning. The departures are in the early afternoon as well as early evening.

The buses usually stop along the way for dinner and breakfast at roadside restaurants. Ticket charges vary from Rs 250 to Rs 650, depending upon the distance, the season, the demand and the quality of bus service. A journey to Mumbai, takes around 12-16 hours.

The tickets can be obtained through recognised travel agents or the offices of the state transport corporations. The private buses usually depart from the Fort area and make stops at a number of places around Mumbai before leaving the city. Ensure that you have your seat and the bus registration number, and confirm the exact time and place of departure with the travel agent, as these frequently vary between companies.

The drive down from Mumbai, if you are coming by car, is along the beautiful highway which hugs the Konkan coastline, with excellent scenic beauty and typical small towns and villages along the entire route. There are a few winding and steep routes (called ‘ghats’) across the mountain ranges which add to the charm of the journey.