Gokarna to Palolem Goa train with general class ticket 🚊 South India travel blog

Hi there!

So you want to go from Gokarna to Goa!

It can be perfect to go from Gokarna to Palolem in South Goa.

So…

Is it easy to get the train from Gokarna to Palolem?!

Well, the trains are limited, and train delays are likely.

But it’s a relatively short and simple ride (at least to South Goa), and you don’t need to book in advance.

Just show up to the train station on the day you want to go to Goa and buy your train ticket and get on the train! 

So, this does make it pretty easy… as long as you know what you’re doing! 😉

But it’s also pretty easy to figure things out.

Just make sure you have patience for the delay!

Is Palolem the best beach in Goa to go to from Gokarna?

When coming from Gokarna, naturally the beaches in South Goa will be quicker to get to than the beaches in North Goa. 

And with Palolem being one of the best beach towns in South Goa (and possibly all of Goa!) it can make for a good choice. 

How long does to take to get to Palolem from Gokarna by train?

Officially, according to the scheduled timings, you can expect it to take around 1.5 hours from Gokarna to the train station near Palolem.

Although my train took around 1 hour and 15 minutes! (Still a late arrival though, because it was delayed in getting to the Gokarna train station!)

And with that…

What train station is near Palolem?!

So the train station in Gokarna is called the Gokarna Road railway station. 

The train station closest to Palolem Beach is called the Canacona railway station. 

So, in doing your train searches, you’ll want to search from Gokarna Road (GOK) to Canacona (CNO).

Canacona may also be listed as Cancona. 

What are the train timings?

For taking the train in general class, I now use the app called where is my train, since it makes it easy to track train delays. 

I took the morning train, the 56640 Mangalore to Madgaon passenger train. 

You can check the where is my train app for a more detailed look at trains to Canacona.

You can also check train timings on trainman.

So…

Here are the basic things to do on the day you want to go to Goa… aka how to get from Gokarna to Palolem!

This is basically how I got to Goa from Gokarna in June 2019 anyway!

• Check for train delays
• Go to Gokarna Road train station
• Buy a general class train ticket
• Wait for the train to arrive
• Get on the train to Goa!
• Enjoy the train ride!
• Arrive at Canacona train station
• Walk to your accommodation in Palolem! (or take a rickshaw)
• Enjoy Palolem Beach!!

Check for train delays

Go to Gokarna Road train station

Buy a general class train ticket

Wait for the train to arrive

Get on the train to Goa!

Enjoy the scenic train ride!

Arrive at Canacona train station

Walk to your accommodation in Palolem!

Enjoy Palolem Beach!!

So…

How to take the train from Gokarna to Palolem

More details!

Check for train delays

So having the app called “where is my train” on your phone can be helpful!

On the morning you want to leave for Goa, you can consult this app to see where the train is at the moment, if the train is currently delayed, and you can see what the current expected arrival time to the Gokarna train station is too.

You may adjust your arrival timing in getting to the Gokarna train station based on this info.

It can also be a good way to check what the chances of delay for the Gokarna to Canacona train might be, because you can check the train arrival timings of previous days. 

You shouldn’t make your plans JUST based on previous days, but at least it’ll give you an idea of what you may be able to expect!

You can also check the timing for “today” if it’s past the train departure time if you aren’t actually taking the train today…

You can check the timing for “yesterday”…

And you can check the timing for “day before yesterday”…

Checking a couple of days for the train from Gokarna can give you an idea of what to expect for train delays on any particular train.

And also just to give you an idea, on the day I took the Mangalore to Madgaon passenger train…

These were the scheduled timings:

• Depart Gokarna – 10:11am
• Arrive Canacona – 11:37am

And these were my actual timings:

• Depart Gokarna – 11:00am
• Arrive Canacona – 12:15pm

Okay, so you now have a better idea of when you might need to be at the train station.

Go to Gokarna Road train station

Keep in mind that the train station is a little bit away from the main tourist area (the Gokarna beaches and Gokarna town), so be sure to give yourself enough time.

It might take around 30 minutes.

I got a rickshaw from near the hostels of Zostel and Hostelavie, and it cost 300 rupees (US$4). It seems like you might be able to get it for 250 rupees, but I just went with what the rickshaw driver said first. 

If you don’t want to pay as much, there’s a bus from Gokarna town to kind of near the train station. 

When I first arrived to Gokarna, I went in the opposite direction – a bus from near the train station to Gokarna town.

You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time if you want to take the bus to allow for the bus waiting time. 

And so…

Arrival to Gokarna road railway station!

Buy a general class train ticket

Once you get to the train station, you can head inside and go for the ticket booking counter.

You’ll say that you want to go to Canacona.

How much does the train ticket cost?

The cost of a general class train ticket for Gokarna Road to Canacona bought at the train station was 25 rupees (less than US$0.50). 

I also paid an extra 15 rupees once on the train, but more on that later.

Wait for the train to arrive

aka delay… delay… delay… maybe 😉

While you’re waiting, you can go to the “tea stall” for some snacks and water.

There’s a toilet at the train station too.

It didn’t look too bad. 

And you might also be able to see a Gokarna cow cross the railroad tracks.

Actually the sad reason the cow seemed to be on the railroad tracks is because there’s a bunch of trash there that the cow was digging through. 

People throw their trash onto the tracks, and the train station cleaning lady was sweeping the trash from the platform onto the tracks too.

I saw both of these things happen as I was waiting for the train to Goa.

Get on the train to Goa!

So the train to Goa finally arrives at Gokarna train station!!

There was an announcement at the platform.

So which car to get on?!

Actually I had no idea. 

I ended up getting on the wrong one (or rather, one that my ticket wasn’t completely valid for), but it turned out to be okay. (And maybe even better than if I would have gotten on the compartment I should have!)

The first car was AC tier, so not that one.

But then the train cars that followed that I saw were a bunch of “chair car.” 

So I just got on a random one that said chair car.

Shortly after the train departed Gokarna, I saw a person that seemed to be coming around to check train tickets.

When I saw that, I started to think I was not in the right spot. (Regular unreserved general class usually does not get ticket checks.)

So the train ticket guy reached me and asked for my ticket.

He informed me that the car I was in would be an extra 15 rupees if I wanted to stay.

So I just stayed put since I wasn’t sure how crowded the regular general class would be, and I didn’t really know where to go anyway.

He then wrote up another ticket for this “excess fare” ticket. 

So it was really no problem at all. 

Usually when I’m traveling general class I look for the car called “second class.”

It turns out there was a second class compartment at the very end of the train, so that was probably the one I should have gotten on. 

They are usually at the very front and very end of the trains, but this passenger train only had the second class seating at one end of the train.

Still, if you get on the actual general class non-reserved compartment and you find it to be full, I say walk over to the reserved section and find a seat!

I would say it’s worth the 15 rupees.

In other news, there’s a toilet on the train, so no excuses not to stay hydrated, unlike if you’re taking an overnight sleeper bus in India. 😉 

Toilets on trains in India generally aren’t that great. But, at least they are there just in case! 

Enjoy the scenic train ride to Goa!

And once you are on the train, you can keep monitoring the expected arrival timing to the Canacona train station too, so you can know when to prepare to get off.

This app works offline even without data or internet.

You just need your GPS locator to be turned on!

Arrive at Canacona train station

Walk to the place you’re staying in Palolem!

So once you get off the train in Goa, you can then walk to Palolem Beach from the Canacona train station. 

It will be about a 20-30 minute walk. 

Otherwise, your chances of finding a rickshaw will probably increase after walking for around 10 minutes in the direction of Palolem Beach. 

When I arrived to Canacona train station, there were no rickshaws outside the station. 

Walking can give you a nice intro to the Palolem area! 

Enjoy Palolem Beach!!

HAPPY TRAIN RIDE FROM GOKARNA TO PALOLEM!