Whether you’re visiting India for the first time and want to visit South India to ease yourself in, or you want a beach holiday on the beaches of Goa and you fancy seeing some of the lush green-ness of Kerala whilst you’re there, you can easily put together a 2 week South India itinerary and a Goa and Kerala itinerary!
Goa and Kerala are two separate states in India that run along the West Coast of India, and although they are only 2 of 29 states, they still cover a lot of space in this country so you should plan your itinerary for south India in advance to make sure you can see a lot in both places, and cover the distances to get from one place to another!
I’ll tell you the best places to visit in Goa and the best places to visit in Kerala in this India travel guide.
Based on my experience travelling around South India, I would recommend the perfect Goa itinerary and Kerala itinerary and the best place to travel for 2 weeks in South India as:
Agonda Beach (Goa) – Palolem Beach (Goa) – Kochi (Kerala) – Munnar (Kerala) – Alleppey (Kerala) – Varkala (Kerala)
If you want to see North India in 2 weeks too, check out my Northern India Itinerary here!
2 Week South India Itinerary For Goa & Kerala!
Best time to visit India
Before we get into this India travel blog, it’s worth thinking about the best time to visit India as the country get’s very hot and wet in the middle of the year. November to March are the best times to visit both North & South India.
South India will be warmer than North India in the winter months of December and January, Delhi and further North actually get cold in these months but are still enjoyable to visit with the right clothing.
Outside these months, you can still visit but you’ll find that the heat and humidity will be much higher, especially as you go further South.
SIM CARD FOR INDIA
I really recommend having a sim card in India as it makes travel in India so much easier! You may have heard that it’s hard to get a sim card in India but you can get a sim card in Delhi Airport, read this post to see how to buy a sim card in Delhi Airport or if you fly in elsewhere 3 ways to buy a sim card in India and you’ll be connected in just a few hours!
WHAT TO WEAR IN INDIA
If you are a woman, here’s what I recommend you pack and wear in India. Technically you can wear what you like in India in most places but to get fewer stares and feel more comfortable, read my post!
DON’T GET SCAMMED IN DELHI
Most people arrive for the first time into Delhi and get scammed within a few hours! Read my Delhi Travel Tips to help you enjoy Delhi, and the best places to stay in Delhi which is so important!
Map of South India Places to Visit
Best Time of Year to visit South India
Please keep in mind whilst planning your 2 Week South India Itinerary that you’ll want to visit South India including Goa & Kerala in the Winter Months like Nov-March.
This is the best period to visit Goa and Kerala because the weather will be dry and places will be open for tourism. In the summer months, especially in Goa tourism shuts because the monsoon rains come.
Day 1 – Land in Goa. Travel to Goa Beach
Goa International Airport is the main airport in India because Goa is such a popular place for people to go on holiday to India from abroad and for domestic Indian tourists.
There will be lots of taxi’s waiting outside the airport so you can take a taxi or pre-arrange transport to your first beach in Goa.
Goa has so many beaches and it really depends on what you want from a holiday in Goa on your 2 Week South India Itinerary. Do you want to party? Do you want to chill? Do you want activities? Here’s my blog post on the best beaches in Goa so you can work out which ones you want to visit, and here’s a post on the best shopping markets in Goa if you like Flea Markets.
For the purpose of this itinerary for India, I’m suggesting you visit Agonda Beach and Palolem Beach in Goa as they are both all-round beaches in Goa and close together meaning less travel time as you don’t want to spend all of your holidays in South India travelling between places!
Goa Airport to Agonda Beach is a 1 hour 45minute to 2 hour drive. If you land late, don’t worry as transport will be available all night.
Day 2 & 3 – Goa Beach Days
Spend the next 2 days on your 2 Week South India Itinerary enjoying the beach. If you decide to stay in Agonda Beach you’ll be treated to a long stretch of beachline with nothing to do apart from chilling.
However, if you want to go out on a boat trip you can, or a popular trip from Agonda beach and a place to visit in Goa is Cabo de Rama Fort which you give you a taste of the culture of Goa. Agonda beach is also good for beginner surfers.
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Day 4 – Move Beaches
In my opinion, to really experience Goa you need to visit at least 2 beaches in Goa on your Goa Kerala itinerary because each beach is so different. I really recommend spending some time at Palolem Beach, I think this is one of the best places to visit in Goa because Palolem Beach is super chilled, it’s clean, quiet and has some great cafes!
Agonda Beach to Palolem Beach takes just 15 minutes in a car so I’d suggest leaving early in the morning so you can spend all day in Palolem Beach, and when you arrive at Palolem Beach, head for brunch or lunch at Zest Cafe in Palolem, it’s the best!
Day 5 – Goa Beach Day
Palolem Beach is another beach to chill at however for things to do in Palolem Beach I would recommend going out on a morning boat trip to see Dolphins. If you want to see another beach you can get a tuk-tuk to Patnem Beach which is just around the corner from Palolem Beach.
Here’s my full Guide to Palolem Beach with where to stay, things to do and where to eat!
BOOKING TRAINS IN INDIA
India is best travelled by train because its the quickest, cheapest and best way of getting to know the country. For an EASY option of booking trains in India use 12GO to search and book trains really easily. If you’ll be in India for awhile, you can use the local booking system, it’s a bit tricker but possible, here’s my post on how to book trains in India as a tourist.
BEST ACCOMMODATION IN INDIA
I always use Booking.com to book my hotels in India and Hostelworld to book my hostels. India has a great range of accommodation with brilliant hostel chains like Moustache, Zostel and Backpacker Panda as well as homestays to luxury hotels.
GUIDED TOURS IN INDIA
Many cities in India are best seen with a guide, even if it’s just a half day tour on your first day. Cities in India are chaotic and complex and what better way to taste the food and get to know the city than with a local. I recommend Get Your Guide & Viator for the best tours in India!
Day 6 – Goa Beach Day. Overnight Train to Kochi
Today you have two options on this 2 week South India itinerary, you could get an overnight train from Goa to Kerala, this way you’ll get to spend a full day on the beach and travel overnight experiencing real, India travel. Or you could travel back to Goa Airport and fly from Goa to Kochi in Kerala which takes just 1 hour 20 minutes.
My suggestion would be the overnight train as the trains in India are the best way to see and experience the real India and meet the lovely people of India and it will give you more time on the beach in Goa.
You will need to prebook your train from to Kerala from Goa in advance. The nearest train station to Palolem Beach is Madgaon and the train station for Kochi is Ernakulam Jn. This is the train I recommend booking which you can book on 12Go Asia. I recommend booking 2AC which is Second Class with Air Con.
Read how to book trains in India here!
Day 7 – Day in Kochi
Kochi, also known as Cochin, is a really interesting city in South India which is why I recommend it as part of your 2 week South India itinerary. It’s a port city full of colonial buildings, nice cafes and a small city feel, especially compared to big cities in India.
Fort Kochi / Fort Cochin is the best area to stay in Kochi because it’s where all of the Kochi tourist attractions are. You can easily spend one day in Kochi and things to do in Kochi include spotting the cool street art, visiting Jew Town, St Francis Church, the Folklore Museum and seeing the sunset on a boat trip.
Kochi isn’t that big so you’ll be able to see a lot during your late morning and afternoon in Kochi after arriving on the overnight train.
To help you once you’re on your 2 week India trip, why not take a Lonely Planet India Travel Guide with you.
Day 8 – Travel to Munnar
If you associate Kerala with Tea Plantations then you need to visit Munnar in Kerala, and it’s one of the top things to do in Kerala!
You can get a public bus from Kochi to Munnar but from my experience, it’s quite a stressful experience as buses in India, especially South India, do not run on a regular schedule, you cannot book them in advance as they’re local buses, you often need to change buses and most of the time they are full and very squished.
If you want to get the bus from Kochi to Munnar, read my Munnar blog post for details on my experience. Your Kochi Hotel should also be able to help you as Munnar from Kochi is a popular route for tourists travelling South India.
Alternatively, especially with just 2 weeks in South India and 1 week in Kerala, I would recommend getting a taxi or hiring a private driver to save you time and make the experience less stressful.
The drive from Kochi to Munnar is 4 hours and this journey alone will give you a taste of why Kerala is called ‘Gods Own Country’.
I’d recommend staying at a homestay in Munnar so you’ll be in the countryside of Munnar as that’s the best way to experience it. Munnar Town isn’t that nice so try not to stay there.
I stayed at The Wayside Cottage in Munnar which I enjoyed and it has brilliant reviews from other travellers. Gruenberg Tea Plantation is another Munnar Homestay I’d recommend.
Day 9 – Munnar Day Trip
A trip to Munnar is all about seeing the tea plantations, hiking and seeing some wild elephants if you’re lucky!
It’s very likely that your accommodation in Munnar will be able to help you plan your day in Munnar so don’t worry about planning and booking this in advance too much.
To see what I got up to on my day trip in Munnar, read My Day hiking in the Tea Plantations of Munnar.
Day 10 – Travel to Alleppey
From Munnar, you need to travel back to the coast to Alleppey as Alleppey, or Alappuzha, as it’s also known. This is the home of the backwaters of Kerala so it’s a must-visit place in Kerala on your 2 week South India itinerary!
The drive from Munnar to Alleppey is about 5 hours and again I’d recommend hiring a driver or getting a taxi for this journey as it will take a long time trying to do it by public bus.
There’s really not that much to do in Alleppey so you can spend the day travelling. Here you have 2 options, if you’ve always fancied staying on a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala and waking up on the water, you can book this for tonight so as soon as you get to Alleppey you can get on the boat, or you can stay near Alleppey Beach and do a boat trip the next day.
Book this tour and enjoy a Relaxing Canoe Cruise through Alleppey Backwaters!
Day 11 – Backwaters of Kerala. Travel to Varkala
If you’re like me, this is probably what you have always associated with Kerala, South India and even India itself! In fact, I wanted to see the backwaters of Kerala so much I saved it for Christmas Day and it did not disappoint!
There are different boat trips of the Kerala Backwaters, you can Kayak, Canoe, take a Houseboat or a Shikara Boat which is what I suggest. Read my full blog post about Cruising the Backwaters of Kerala from Alleppey to see all of the boat options and where I suggest you stay in Alleppey and some places to eat!
The boat tours of the backwaters of Kerala only last a few hours and generally leave in the morning, and seeing as there is nothing else to do in Alleppey I’d recommend leaving Alleppey that afternoon/evening and heading further down the coast to Varkala.
You can get the train from Alleppey to Varkala. You can book this in advance read this post on how to book trains in India (I can’t find the train on 12GO Asia so you’ll need to book it on the official Indian train booking system). However, if you don’t mind sitting in a lower local class train you could turn up and book the train on the day.
Day 12 & 13 – Days in Varkala
Varkala in Kerala is the perfect place to spend your last few days in India and in Kerala in on your 2 week South India itinerary. Varkala has 2 sides, it has a local town but by the beach, it’s a tourist heaven. Home to Yoga and Ayurveda, good waves for surfers, lots of nice cafes, temples and a few beaches, Varkala is the perfect mix of a local and tourist beach.
Here’s my full guide to Varkala for things to do in Varkala, where to stay and where to eat.
HELP WITH YOUR INDIA ITINERARY
I’ve spent many months travelling India in the last few years visiting over 50 places around the country, here are my recommended itinerary posts for India to help you plan your trip!
2 WEEK INDIA ITINERARY, PERFECT FOR YOUR FIRST TRIP!
2 WEEK SOUTH INDIA ITINERARY – GOA & KERELA
1 MONTH NORTH INDIA ITINERARY IDEAS!
1 MONTH SOUTH INDIA ITINERARY IDEAS!
Day 14 – Fly to Trivandrum. Fly from Goa.
If you’re staying in India for just 2 weeks it will probably be cheaper to book return flights from Goa, therefore in order to catch your flight from Goa you can get an internal flight from Trivandrum to Goa. Or you could book a flight out of Bangalore and fly from Trivandrum to Bangalore and then catch your flight home.
Overview of the 2 Week South India itinerary!
To help with booking accommodation, based on the above 2 Week South India itinerary, this is where you’ll spend your 2 weeks in South India:
- Goa Beach 1 – 3 Nights
- Goa Beach 2 – 2 Nights
- Overnight Train
- Kochi – 2 Nights
- Munnar – 2 Nights
- Alleppey – 1 Night
- Varkala – 3 Nights
Have you booked your flight yet??
I use Skyscanner to book all of my flights! I’m a huge fan of Skyscanner because I love how easy it is to compare different dates and routes to help me find the best flight at the best price! Open Skyscanner by clicking here and search for the best flights as you read this post.
My related blog posts to help you plan this trip are:
- Now you’ll be set for your trip to India! Enjoy!
- See ALL My India Posts Here!
- See My India Adventure on YouTube Here!