Margao (Madgaon) Getting there & around

Getting there & around

Local transport

Taxi

Taxis (approximately Rs 100), autorickshaws (Rs 80) and motorcycle taxis (Rs 50, backpacks fine) to Colva or Benaulim gather around the municipal gardens and at the Kadamba bus stand.

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Bus & tram

Bus

All local buses operate from the busy Kadamba bus stand 2km north of the town centre, but many also stop at the old bus stand opposite the municipal gardens. Catch buses to Colva, Benaulim and Palolem from Kadamba or from the bus stop on the east side of the municipal gardens.

There are hourly buses from both bus stops to Colva from around 7am to 7pm (Rs 7, 20 minutes). Some go via Benaulim. Buses to Panaji run from the Kadamba bus stand every 15 minutes (ordinary/express Rs 20/25, one hour). There are around eight buses a day direct to Palolem (Rs 30, one hour) and many others heading from either bus stand south to Karwar (Rs 65), stopping in nearby Chaudi. There are also local buses to Vasco de Gama (for the airport), Ponda, Chandor and Rachol.

Services to Mumbai (semideluxe/deluxe Rs 500/700, 14 hours), Bengaluru (Rs 450, 14 hours) and Pune (Rs 400, 10 hours) can be booked at the advance reservation office in the Secretariat Building. Long-distance government buses leave form the Kadamba bus stand. For most interstate trips it’s best to use a long-distance private bus. There are private booking offices clustered near the Margao Residency on Luis Miranda Rd and costs are the same or marginally higher than the more expensive government buses. To reach Hampi go first to Hubli (Rs 75), where you can find buses direct to Hampi.

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Train

Margao’s train station, Madgaon, is about 1.5km southeast of the town centre; vehicle access is via the road south of the train line but if you’re walking there you can cross the tracks at the footbridge past the old station. There’s a reservation hall (2721841) on the 2nd floor of the main building, a tourist information counter (2702298) and retiring rooms.

Taxis between the train and bus stations cost Rs 70. There’s a prepaid taxi booth out front (Rs 150 to Colva, Rs 500 to Panaji), as well as autorickshaws and motorcycle taxis.

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