Agra or Goa

well im in goa at the moment and all im saying is wow goa is awesome the place is so beautiful the people so friendly the beaches are ilylic we are currently in cova but we are going down to palolem in the morning for a month

its fantastic and the weather is gtreat toooooo
come down and enjoy

Hi Alex,

Seeing as though your time in India is limited, you would be better off flying to Goa from Mumbai. Deccan Air is a good bet. They have some great web fares and you can usually get on at short notice. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Air are more expensive but they are generally not prone to delays as is Deccan. I was in Bangalore a week or so ago when irate Deccan passengers smashed up the ticket counter at the airport because they were denied boarding.

Enjoy your trip - D

Wow Goa sounds like the place to be, how much can you get by on each day? Think we'll probably get the train overnight, as we are on a budget.
Id love to see Agra too, but I guess theres only so much you can do!
Tell me more about Goa!

Alex

If traveling to Goa, The train is the best option if you are gonna be staying in the town/colaba area.

Train leaves CST station around 11 PM and reaches goa around 10 AM. its a sleeper where you have the option for AC and the fare is 800 bucks or so.

0111 konkankanya express.

I would head on the train to Goa. Also (I tell everyone this because I love it so much) go on an excursion to Hampi for a few days once you are in Goa. It's only an 8 hr train ride from Goa. Then afterwards head back to the Goan beaches.

IR,

Do you mean rp800 ??? :-)

Although, after a while on the road, I find that I start to think of each rupee as a $.

Cheers
Zoltan

Yeah I was going to mention that Zoltan, Im English but 800 Bucks????? Woah! Might helicopter it instead at that rate! jokes

I think it has to be Goa though, thanks for the Hampi suggestion Andiarry ill look it up, in fact thanks for all of your suggestions, my eyes are wide open. I take it Agra is that bit too far for how long we are there?

The night train sounds perfect, we wont miss out on anything!

Cheers

Alex

If you are going to Goa, definitly head to Hampi as well. It was my highlight of the south. The problem with Goa is that it is by no means the real India - of course it's in India, but you will spend your time on the beaches with other foreigners and will see no Indian culture. So while you are there at least do your best to get to Hampi for a bit of history, and spend a day or two off the beaches in Panaji and Old Goa.
For money, it will probably depend on what beach you go to. Beaches like Palolem and Arambol are suitable for budget travellers and you can get by on well under $20 if you want to, though it depends on how much time you spend drinking in restaurants. In these beaches they charge prices somewhat similar to what is standard in India. Other beaches, that cater more to mid-upper budget travellers, will cost you much more since they charge prices that foreigners are used to paying at home rather than what prices should be in India. I took a day trip to Baga and Calangute and couldn't believe the prices. We went to the cheapest restaurant we could find and a sandwich costed about what I usually was paying for 2 or 3 meals. So if you are on a budget, stick to the cheaper beaches - I recomend Palolem.

If you really want to have a taste of India and an experience that will blow you away - please steer clear of Goa. Agra/Delhi and surrounds will give you an experience that Goa cannot possibly match.

If you just want to chill, drink beer, lay on the beach, talk with other westerners - go to Goa. Not really the stuff of dreams and adventures.