3 days, 2 nights ยท North Goa and Panaji
Three-day Goa tour package: the north beaches and the old capital
Three days in Goa is a long weekend, and the mistake most people make with it is trying to see both coasts. This version does not: it takes the North Goa beach belt, the Portuguese churches of Old Goa and an evening in Panaji, and leaves the south for a longer trip. With a car and chauffeur on hand the three days hold far more than they would on a scooter or waiting for taxis.
RUTZ.IN reservation · fixed fare · card or UPI
The shape
Why a chauffeur changes a short Goa trip
Goa is a state rather than a town, and the distances catch people out. Calangute to Palolem is about 70 kilometres of narrow, busy coastal road; Dabolim airport to the northern beaches is about 40; Mopa, the newer airport in the far north, is about 35 to Calangute but nearly an hour to Panaji. On a three-day trip, an hour lost waiting for a cab is a meaningful fraction of the holiday.
The other thing a car fixes is the evening. Goa's best dinners are spread across villages — Assagao, Siolim, Anjuna, Fontainhas in Panaji — and none of them is walkable from a beach hotel. Having a chauffeur who will wait outside while you eat, and who is not counting the minutes, is what turns three days into a proper break.
This itinerary therefore stays north and central, and it moves you deliberately: beaches in the morning when they are quiet, Old Goa in the middle of the day when the churches are cool, and the villages in the evening. The Goa chauffeur page covers the geography in detail.
What you see
Three days, three quite different Goas
North Goa is the one everybody pictures, but it is not the only thing within reach of it.
The north beach belt
Candolim, Calangute and Baga run into one another and are the busy heart of it; Anjuna and Vagator are rockier and younger; Morjim and Ashwem further north are quieter and more expensive. The chauffeur will take you between them in the morning before the crowds.
Old Goa — the Portuguese capital
About 10 km east of Panaji: the Basilica of Bom Jesus with St Francis Xavier's remains, the Se Cathedral, and the ruins of what was once a city bigger than Lisbon. It takes a morning and it is the historical heart of the state.
Panaji and Fontainhas
The Latin quarter of the capital: narrow streets, ochre and blue houses, balconies and tiled street names. Best walked in the late afternoon, with dinner afterwards. The Mandovi cruises leave from the riverfront nearby.
The airports
Dabolim or Mopa, and why it matters more than you think
Goa has two airports and they are at opposite ends of the state. Dabolim (GOI) sits in the south near Vasco da Gama and is about 40 kilometres from the northern beaches, roughly an hour. Manohar International at Mopa (GOX) is in the far north and is about 35 kilometres from Calangute but around 45 to Panaji. The same airlines fly to both on different routes, so the code on the ticket decides, and a booking made for the wrong one starts the holiday with an unnecessary hour in the car.
The desk checks the airport code against your flight number before quoting and puts it on the confirmation. It is a small thing that goes wrong often, particularly for travellers who booked flights and accommodation separately and assumed one airport.
Arrival transfers include an hour of waiting after landing, so a delayed flight does not cost anything extra. The Goa airport chauffeur page covers both terminals and the drive times to each beach belt.
When to go
The season, and what the shoulder months are really like
November to February is the season: dry, warm, and busy, with Christmas and New Year at the top of it. Rates roughly double over those two weeks and the northern belt is genuinely crowded. If those dates are not fixed for you, the first half of November and the whole of February give you the same weather with far fewer people.
March and April are hot and humid but still dry, and the beaches empty out considerably; May is uncomfortable. June to September is the monsoon, when much of the beach infrastructure closes, the sea is dangerous and swimming is banned in places — but the state turns green, Dudhsagar runs at full force and hotel rates collapse. October is the transition and can go either way.
Two dates worth knowing about: the Goa Carnival falls in February and closes roads in Panaji for the parade, and the feast of St Francis Xavier on 3 December brings large crowds to Old Goa. The events page has both, and the desk plans routes around them.
Booking
How to book the three-day package
Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment, with the chauffeur's details sent the day before. Tell the desk which airport your flight uses. For hotels included, ask through the contact page — in Goa the difference between a beach-belt hotel and a village property matters more than the star rating. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100% inside 72, 48 and 24 hours.
Day by day
The three-day itinerary, leg by leg
Goa's roads are narrow and the season traffic through Calangute is slow; the times below are what the drives take in December, not what a map suggests in June.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival and North Goa | Met at Dabolim or Mopa and driven to the hotel. The afternoon on Candolim or Baga, then dinner in Assagao or Siolim with the car waiting. | Dabolim to north beaches ~40 km, 1 hr; Mopa to Calangute ~35 km, 45 min |
| Day 2 | Old Goa and Panaji | The northern beaches early while they are quiet, then Old Goa for the Basilica and the Se Cathedral before the heat. Fontainhas in Panaji in the late afternoon, and dinner on the riverfront. | Old Goa ~10 km from Panaji; about 60 km all day |
| Day 3 | Anjuna, Vagator and departure | Anjuna and Vagator in the morning, the Chapora fort headland for the view, and the Wednesday flea market if the day falls right. Then the airport, timed on the airline cut-off. | About 35 km, plus the run to whichever airport |
What it costs
The 3-day Goa package: two ways to buy it
Three charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Goa's daily distances are short, so the charter day's ten hours is the binding limit rather than its 300 kilometres.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 3-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 3 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $5,850 - $7,020 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Premium MPV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 3-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $5,850 - $7,020 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $5,100 - $6,120 |
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $6,750 - $8,100 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $9,600 - $11,520 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 3-day Goa package: frequently asked
Is three days enough for Goa?
For the north belt, Old Goa and Panaji, yes. It is not enough to add the southern beaches, which are 60 to 70 km further on — that is the four-day version.
Which airport will my flight use?
Either Dabolim in the south or Mopa in the far north; the same airlines serve both on different routes, so the code on the ticket decides. The desk checks it against your flight number before quoting.
Do we need a car if the hotel is on the beach?
For the beach itself, no. For Old Goa, Panaji, the village restaurants and any other beach, yes — they are 10 to 40 km apart on narrow roads, and waiting for cabs eats a three-day trip.
Is Goa worth visiting in the monsoon?
It is a different holiday: green, dramatic, very cheap, with Dudhsagar at full force — but much of the beach infrastructure closes and swimming is restricted. Go for the landscape, not the beach.
How busy is Christmas and New Year?
Very. Rates roughly double and the northern belt is crowded. Early November and February give the same weather with a fraction of the people.
Can we do a night out and get back safely?
That is one of the better arguments for the chauffeur. The car waits, nobody drives, and the run back from Anjuna or Panaji to the hotel is inside the day's hours.
Same circuit, other lengths
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On the route
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Book
Book the three-day Goa package direct
Three charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Tell the desk which airport your flight uses.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Golden Triangle packages
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Palace and heritage hotels
Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Goa and Kerala resorts
Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Hill-station stays
Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Wildlife and safari lodges
Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Tickets and experiences
Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →International flights
Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Self-drive car rental
For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →All offers on BookingWorldwide.net How the travel desk works
See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 4-day Goa tour · Chauffeur service in Goa · Goa airport chauffeur service · Events & Festivals · Rates · Charter.
Official references used on this page:
- Goa Tourism Department The state tourism department for beaches, heritage and event dates.
- North Goa district: how to reach District administration page on reaching North Goa by air, rail and road.
- Incredible India: Goa Ministry of Tourism guide to the beaches, Old Goa and Dudhsagar.
- South Goa district: how to reach District administration page on Dabolim, Madgaon and the road approaches.