India's West Coast by Rail: Mumbai to Kochi, Self-Launched

Land at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and take the airport express line or a prepaid taxi to Colaba — the pre-paid taxi desk in arrivals is the hassle-free option (~£4-5, 45-60 min). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Colaba (Backpacker Panda and similar places run £10-18 for a dorm). Spend the late afternoon walking the Colaba Causeway and the waterfront beyond the Gateway of India, and get an early night — tomorrow starts before sunrise.

🚌Mumbai Airport Express metro ~£1 then local taxi, or prepaid airport taxi ~£4-5

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Colaba, Mumbai

• →Colaba Causeway wander
• →Gateway of India waterfront at dusk

Do the sunrise loop yourself: Gateway of India and the empty Colaba waterfront are best between 6-7am, then walk up to Flora Fountain and the Rajabai Clock Tower (University of Mumbai) before the crowds arrive. For context on Dhobi Ghat, the Victorian Gothic architecture and the city's layers, a self-booked Mumbai walking tour via GetYourGuide or Klook runs around £12-20 for a small group, or just take a Kaali Peeli taxi between sights (~£1-2 a hop). Afternoon: hop a local train to Bandra or catch sunset at Marine Drive with the chai wallahs and kite flyers. Dress modestly — knees and shoulders covered.

🚌Local taxis and suburban trains, ~£3 total

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Colaba, Mumbai

• →Sunrise walk: Gateway of India, Flora Fountain, Rajabai Clock Tower
• →Self-booked Mumbai heritage/street walking tour ~£12-20
• →Dhobi Ghat and Marine Drive sunset

Book an early Konkan Railway service from CSMT or Panvel to Karmali or Madgaon (~10-12 hrs, AC Chair Car or AC3 ~£6-10). Book on IRCTC in advance — this route fills up. From Karmali, local bus or prepaid taxi to Panjim (~£1-3). Check into a Panjim guesthouse (many converted Portuguese houses run £15-25 for a double, ~£8-12 a dorm bed). In the afternoon do Fontainhas yourself — it's tiny and easily self-walked — or join a Heritage Walk Goa or Make It Happen walking tour (~£8-12) for the history of the Latin Quarter.

🚌Konkan Railway Mumbai to Karmali, AC Chair Car ~£6-10; local bus/taxi to Panjim ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Panjim, Goa

• →Fontainhas Latin Quarter self-guided walk or ~£10 heritage walking tour
• →Evening riverside at Miramar

A free day in Goa, exactly as the tour does it. Options: a local bus to Old Goa to see the Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral (entry free, bus ~£0.50), a spice plantation tour near Ponda (~£10-15), or simply a beach — Palolem and Vagator are the backpacker standards, buses from Panjim take 1-1.5 hrs. In the evening head to Madgaon (Margao) or Karmali station for the overnight train toward Hubballi (~7-8 hrs, sleeper class ~£3-5, AC3 ~£7-9). Book a sleeper berth in advance on IRCTC and padlock your bag.

🚌Local buses ~£1; overnight sleeper train Goa to Hubballi ~£4-9

🛏Overnight sleeper train to Hubballi

• →Old Goa churches (Basilica of Bom Jesus, Se Cathedral)
• →Optional spice plantation tour ~£12
• →Beach afternoon

Arrive Hubballi early and take a local bus or shared taxi to Hospet (~3 hrs, ~£2-3), then a short tuktuk hop to Hampi Hampi Bazaar or the Anegundi/Virupapur Gaddi side (~£1-2). Check into a riverside guesthouse — Hampi has loads of simple guesthouses at £8-15 a night. Eat, rehydrate, rest. In the late afternoon walk or tuktuk to Raghunatha Temple and scramble up the boulders for sunset: one of India's great free viewpoints, no guide needed. Bring a headtorch for the walk back.

🚌Local bus Hubballi to Hospet ~£2-3; tuktuk to Hampi ~£1-2

🛏Riverside guesthouse in Hampi

• →Sunset at Raghunatha Temple over the Hampi boulders

Start before dawn for sunrise over Bada Nandi, the monolithic bull sacred to Shiva. Then hire a tuktuk driver for the classic half-day ruins loop — Virupaksha Temple, Vittala Temple (the stone chariot and musical pillars), Queen's Bath, Lotus Mahal and Elephant Stables — for around £6-10 for the vehicle, or a self-booked small-group Hampi heritage tour via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£12-18) if you want the history explained. Entrance to the Vittala Temple complex is ~£5 for foreign visitors. Free afternoon for café-hopping in Hampi Bazaar or a coracle ride on the Tungabhadra (~£2).

🚌Private tuktuk hire ~£6-10 per vehicle (shared cost)

🛏Riverside guesthouse in Hampi

• →Bada Nandi sunrise
• →Tuktuk ruins loop: Virupaksha, Vittala Stone Chariot, Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stables
• →Optional coracle ride ~£2

Take a local bus from Hospet to Hassan/Chikmagalur direction and onward to Halebidu — this is the fiddly overland leg the tour uses a private vehicle for. Simplest self-launched option: a shared taxi from Hampi to Halebidu (~4-5 hrs, ~£12-18 per vehicle split between two or three travellers) or buses via Davangere/Belur (~£4-6, 6-7 hrs, leaves early). Check into a small guesthouse in Halebidu or nearby Belur (£8-14). Afternoon: walk the Halebidu ruins and the Hoysaleswara temple complex — a self-booked local guide on site costs ~£5-8 and is worth it for the carving detail.

🚌Shared taxi ~£12-18 per vehicle, or buses via Davangere ~£5

🛏Simple guesthouse in Halebidu or Belur

• →Halebidu ruins walk
• →Local ASI guide at Hoysaleswara ~£5-8

Get to Hoysaleswara Temple at first light — the friezes of elephants, dancers and epics are best with raking low sun and no one else around. Entry is free (small camera fee). Mid-morning, head out: bus or shared taxi to Hassan, then a train or bus to Mangalore (~5-6 hrs, ~£4-7 total). Check into a budget hotel or guesthouse near the coast or Hampankatta (£10-18 a double). Evening is for Mangalore's coastal food — fish thali and ghee roast — and an easy walk along Tannirbhavi or Panambur beach if you have light left.

🚌Bus to Hassan plus onward train/bus to Mangalore ~£5-7

🛏Budget hotel in Mangalore

• →Hoysaleswara Temple at sunrise
• →Mangalore coastal food crawl
• →Tannirbhavi Beach walk

Book the early morning train down the Malabar Coast from Mangalore to Ernakulam (~8-9 hrs, AC Chair Car or AC3 ~£6-9; the Konkan/Malabar coastal stretches are gorgeous). From Ernakulam Junction, hop a local tuktuk to Fort Kochi (~£2-3, 20 mins). Your self-launched trip ends in Fort Kochi — but if you have time, the Chinese fishing nets at sunset, St Francis Church where Vasco da Gama was buried, and a Kochi backwaters day trip from Alleppey (self-booked kayak or canoe tour ~£15-25) are all easy add-ons. If flying out same day, don't book before 18:00 to allow for Indian Railways delays.

🚌Malabar Coast train Mangalore to Ernakulam ~£6-9; tuktuk to Fort Kochi ~£2-3

🛏Fort Kochi guesthouse or homestay (if staying on)

• →Coastal train ride
• →Fort Kochi walk: Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, Dutch Palace