Goa Getting there & around

Getting around

Boat

Passenger/vehicle ferries cross the state’s many rivers. Foot passengers ride for free, and motorcycles cost Rs 4.

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Car & motorcycle

Car

Self-drive car hire is not worth the trouble, especially since it’s more expensive than a chauffeur-driven car.

Motorcycle

Goa is one of the few places in India where hiring a motorcycle or scooter is both cheap and easy, and the relatively short distances make travel a breeze, although India is no place to learn to ride a motorcycle, or even a scooter. Every other traveller you meet seems to have been involved in a bike accident of some description. Bikes available include old Enfields, more modern Yamaha 100s and the gearless Kinetic Honda scooters. Rental prices vary according to season, length of hire and quality of the bike. In the peak Christmas season, you’re looking at paying up to Rs 300 per day for a scooter, Rs 400 for the small bikes and Rs 500 for an Enfield. Outside this time, when there’s a glut of idle bikes, especially at the northern beach resorts, you should only pay Rs 150 per day for a scooter, Rs 250 for the small bikes and Rs 350 for an Enfield if you hire for a week or more. In most cases you don’t need to provide a deposit, but you’ll probably be asked for your passport details (don’t hand over the passport itself) and the name of your hotel. Guesthouses, hotels and places where taxi drivers congregate are good places to hire a bike, but you’ll get plenty of offers on the street at beach resorts.

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Bus & tram

Bus

The state-run Kadamba bus company is the main operator of public buses, although there are also private companies running more comfortable buses to Mumbai, Hampi, Bengaluru and several other interstate destinations. Local buses are cheap, services are frequent and they run to just about everywhere, eventually. Express buses run between Panaji and Mapusa, and Panaji and Margao.

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Local transport

Taxi

If the thought of riding a motorbike in Goa turns your knuckles white then taxis are available everywhere and a full day’s sightseeing, depending on the distance, is likely to be around Rs 1000.

Motorcycles are a licensed form of taxi in Goa. They are cheap, easy to find, backpacks are no problem and they can be identified by a yellow front mudguard.

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