I am currently in Delhi and will be heading towards Panaji for a friends party. I will be making my way towards Goa by train and the last stop will be Vasco Da Gama. As this will be my first trip to West India I will be making a few stops in Goa before and after Goa. As my last stop on the train will Panaji I would like to see a bit of Panaji, that's if there is anything to see and do there. After finding out the distance from Vasco Da Gama railway station to Panaji I will then prepare my itinerary accordingly Should I skip staying in Panaji? How long does it take from Vasco Da Gama railway station to Panaji?
Hello and welcome to the forum! The distance between the Vasco Da Gama Railway Station and Panaji is about 28.6 kms via National Highway 17A and Kochi. That is a driving time of about 40 minutes or more. If you take a bus, it can take a bit longer than that. If you take a taxi, you can reach your destination faster. You can walk for 15 minutes to reach the Vasco Da Gama Bus Station where there are fast buses that can take you to Panjim. These buses don't have any stopovers and they can reach Panjim in about 40 minutes. Otherwise, just ride the slow buses five minutes away from the station. Slow buses take passengers from en route and can take an hour or more to reach Panjim. Panaji is a quaint town in Goa. It's slowly rising as a major cultural hub in Goa as well. I think it's worth visiting even if it doesn't have many things to offer. A few things you can do there are: Visit the Panaji/Panjim Church and the temples like Maruti Temple and Mahalaxmi Temple. There's also the Bishop's Palace and Lawyer's Building both at Altinho. You can visit the islands across the river by riding a ferry. You can then visit the Miramar Beach and Dona Paula Beach once you have reached the islands. In Miramar Beach, you can visit the Goa Science Centre and Planetarium. Visit the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and have fun bird watching. Watch films at the Inox Theatre. Visit the open air theatre in Kala Academy. Read books in the oldest library in India called the Central Library found in Panaji. Visit the Goa State Museum. Visit Old Goa, about 9 kms away from Panaji. I hope this helps!
