This is my first post so hopefully someone can offer some advice? I will be arriving in Mumbai around mid-day on 9th Feb and will be travelling from there down to Goa for a week and then onto Kerala before flying back to the UK from Kochi. Depending on if i spend 1 or 2 nights in Mumbai I wanted to know if it would less busy and therefore not as stressful to travel on a sleeper train on Thursday or Friday night or if it might be better to try a luxury Volvo sleeper coach which I'm told takes around the same time as it doesn't stop as often? Also I would ideally like a direct train if possible with no stops? Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks George
It will not be much different. Crowded is the keyword in India and it applies almost every where so don't think too much about it. I would say it would be more comfortable on a train and the chances of being stuck in a traffic jam also go down to almost nil in a train. Trains also have toilets (although they are not the best in the world) in every compartment so that is a plus. Volvo buses have great suspension and are very comfortable as compared to other buses but they still run on same roads and Volvo bus drivers tend to make very sharp turns which some times make you feel like being in a roller coaster ride. They drive a bit rough because they know they have good control over the vehicle as handling is much better as compared to other buses so they push them to the limits. If I was you I would take the train.
Thanks for that info My final destination is the Agonda Beach area so it looks like Cancona station would be the nearest?
Yes Cannons station is nearest station to Agenda beach but Cancona is a small station and main trains only go up to Margao station. If you can find a train to Cancona station it will just be a 15 mins road journey from there, you can take a bus or a taxi depending upon your preference.
