[razeetg]

Originally Posted by ACMerchant

From Bengaluru?
If you do not want to drive upto Bhavnagar then take a RoRo Ferry from Surat
*https://www.dgferry.com/home
and if you plan then Vadodara - Borsad - Dharmaj - Tarapur - Vataman - Pipli to Bhavnagar. I have travelled on this route in Feb 22 when I visited Velavadar and then to Gir.

Yes, from Bengaluru. I was considering the RoRo Ferry. But I didn't seen any ferries in post lunch time when I checked earlier, and the 8AM time wouldn't have worked out for me. Now I see that there are two, so I will consider this again.

Originally Posted by thirugata

Hi, I had done Bangalore - Bhavnagar in Mar, but I had taken different route as I had pitstops on the way. I am sharing the screenshot of the route I took from Surat - Bhavnagar. This route was excellent, mostly 4 lane. Once you take left from Vataman you have limited option for food. At Bharuch there is a McD for bio break. Hope that helps.

Attachment 2362610

Thank you. Bio break points are definitely something I was thinking of figuring out. If I don't take the RoRo I will consider this route.

[ACMerchant]

Originally Posted by razeetg

Yes, from Bengaluru. I was considering the RoRo Ferry. But I didn't seen any ferries in post lunch time when I checked earlier, and the 8AM time wouldn't have worked out for me. Now I see that there are two, so I will consider this again.

The only advantage of the ferry is no driving for about 6 to 8 hrs. Else costwise not much of saving considering fuel and tolls.

The route shown by fellow BHPian Thirugata was the same taken by me when I went to Velavadar in Feb 2022. Only I met my relative in Vadodara and took the inside route to Borsad [Khanpur - Sindhrot - Anklav - Asodar].
If you plan to drive than after Bharuch when you come to Karjan Toll just a km towards Vadodara side is the food court on the left. Here you can have your refreshments and bio break. After that as mentioned in the post you won't even find any good places right till Bhavnagar.

All the best and have a safe and happy journey.

[razeetg]

Originally Posted by ACMerchant

The only advantage of the ferry is no driving for about 6 to 8 hrs. Else costwise not much of saving considering fuel and tolls.

Yes, I am considering it to save driving time. With the RoRo at around 3 / 4PM, it will be possible to drive in two days. Otherwise, it might be better to take it over 3 days.

[JohnnyBoss]

Originally Posted by ACMerchant

If you do not want to drive upto Bhavnagar then take a RoRo Ferry from Surat
*https://www.dgferry.com/home

How much time required on the ferry? What is the charges for car and passengers?

[ACMerchant]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBoss

How much time required on the ferry? What is the charges for car and passengers?

On the site if you select the date of travel - time slot - No of people travelling - vehicle type then you will get an estimate of the charges.

The time taken is about 4 to 5 hrs as going from Surat to Ghogha is travelling against the tide.

[bht]

Hi, i have upcoming trip to Rajkot from Bangalore. Any suggestions on which route would be better? One via Pune/Mumbai or via Aurangabad/Nashik one?

[ACMerchant]

Originally Posted by bht

Hi, i have upcoming trip to Rajkot from Bangalore. Any suggestions on which route would be better? One via Pune/Mumbai or via Aurangabad/Nashik one?

* Pune to Rajkot via expressway - roads good in Maharashtra but heavy traffic.

* Nasik to Rajkot - roads ok and from Saputara(Gujarat) on wards drive slowly as good in certain stretches.

*Would suggest calculate the toll payable[https://tis.nhai.gov.in/] along with fuel costs and the cost of train ticket. Personally would recommend a train as roads in Gujarat after the rains not good and will take a long time to be repaired as we have state elections hopefully in Dec 22.

[bht]

Originally Posted by ACMerchant

*

*Would suggest calculate the toll payable[https://tis.nhai.gov.in/] along with fuel costs and the cost of train ticket. Personally would recommend a train as roads in Gujarat after the rains not good and will take a long time to be repaired as we have state elections hopefully in Dec 22.

Thanks, since difference in total distance is only 60-80km in between both the routes, fuel costs should be same and not major difference in tolls.
If the roads aren't too bad, then i thought to drive since this is the first time i am doing it, every time its been put off due to different reasons, last 2 years its was covid

having car would be helpful for local travels also

[Peepsimus]

Hi Friends, I will be doing a Bangalore - Rajkot - Bangalore in Mid-October, with a stopover in Pune, and needed inputs on the route options.

Google maps shows Bangalore>Pune>Mumbai>Surat>Ahmedabad>Rajkot route and I am trying see if Mumbai can be bypassed.

The alternative route to bypass Mumbai seems to be Pune>Sangamner>Nashik>Dharampur>Chikhli>Navasari and then the usual to Rajkot.

Any feedback on the route conditions and if this is worth taking to avoid Mumbai in terms of time saved?

Thank you in advance.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Peepsimus

Bangalore - Rajkot - Bangalore in Mid-October, with a stopover in Pune

Do you have to stop at Pune?

If not, you have a choice of going through Aurangabad. This will avoid the perennial traffic on Pune-Nasik. As of this summer, all 3 ghats to south GJ were good.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Peepsimus

Google maps shows Bangalore>Pune>Mumbai>Surat>Ahmedabad>Rajkot route and I am trying see if Mumbai can be bypassed.

If you plan it well, bypassing Mumbai during certain hours of the day won't be painful. However if you want to completely bypass this route, like Narayan says, better to take Aurangabad route and hit onto NH48 via Saputara Chikhli.

But from my own experience, I have seen that if you plan the drive well and are mindful about the times to cross Mumbai and Pune, you should still not face major issues.

All said and done, the Aurangabad - Saputara - Chikhli route will be devoid of much traffic in comparison to Belgaum Satara Kolhapur Pune Thane Vapi route. However the Pune-Mumbai route will offer you extended flexibility for all your needs - Food & stay.

Distance wise, the Aurangabad - Saputara route will be 70 km longer over Pune Thane option.

[Peepsimus]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Do you have to stop at Pune?

Yes, Pune needs to be part of the route and hence not able to consider the Aurangabad route. But thank you Narayan for the feedback on the roads.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

But from my own experience, I have seen that if you plan the drive well and are mindful about the times to cross Mumbai and Pune, you should still not face major issues.

All said and done, the Aurangabad - Saputara - Chikhli route will be devoid of much traffic in comparison to Belgaum Satara Kolhapur Pune Thane Vapi route. However the Pune-Mumbai route will offer you extended flexibility for all your needs - Food & stay.
.

Thank you Parag. Food/Rest-stops will be a key consideration as traveling with family. Will stick to the standard route and early morning start from Pune (~4am). Hopefully this should minimize running into peak hour traffic at bottlenecks on the Pune-Thane-Vapi stretch.

Thanks again for the quick response.

[Sreesh1009]

Hey guys,

I'm planning to drive down to Vadodara from Bengaluru during the third week of November. The route I plan to take is Bangalore-Solapur-Nasik-Vadodara. I wanted to know what the condition of the route is and the eateries available on the way as well as places to stay in Solapur and Nasik.

I'm travelling in a 2014 Honda Amaze VX AT, for reference.

[Knox88]

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

Hey guys,

I'm planning to drive down to Vadodara from Bengaluru during the third week of November. The route I plan to take is Bangalore-Solapur-Nasik-Vadodara. I wanted to know what the condition of the route is and the eateries available on the way as well as places to stay in Solapur and Nasik.

I'm travelling in a 2014 Honda Amaze VX AT, for reference.

Hi Sressh,

I am also planning From Banglore to Surat next week. If you have completed the trip, can you guide on the route, stops, things to avoid etc.? We can start from Bangalore together in case you are ok! I will be travelling with 2021 Ingnis Zeta AMT.

[Sreesh1009]

Originally Posted by Knox88

Hi Sressh,

I am also planning From Banglore to Surat next week. If you have completed the trip, can you guide on the route, stops, things to avoid etc.? We can start from Bangalore together in case you are ok! I will be travelling with 2021 Ingnis Zeta AMT.

Sorry for the late reply. Due to time constraints and slight change in plans I finally decided to fly both ways. I was really looking forward to the road trip :(