The best way to reach your destination when you arrive in Goa (either by train or flight) is to walk up to the pre-paid taxi counter and book a cab. If you are arriving in Goa by flight, do take note that Goa has 2 airports currently. You will land either at GOI (Dabolim Airport) or GOX (MOPA airport).
There are a number of stations in Goa depending on where you arrive from. Do check with the host you are staying with before you arrive which would be the best station for you to alight at. All stations have a pre-paid taxi counter.
While you are staying in Goa, the best way to get around is renting a scooter or a car. If you are an international visitor, do make sure you get an international driver’s permit depending on which vehicle you are likely to rent (both if you are likely to use both from time to time). Below is the link to one place you can get an international permit from:
Do remember that Goa has very poor public transport. This is because Goa is not a City, it’s a State and you are most likely going to be staying in one of the Villages here. What
makes things more difficult for visitors is that there is no ride share like UBER that works efficiently. The only ride share is ‘Goa Miles’ and that has pretty poor service unless you are in of the cities in Goa such as Panaji. Further private taxis can be expensive if you need them to get around regularly, and there is a wait time for them to arrive to pick you up and hence requires planning.
Parking your vehicles:
TIP: Look up above your vehicle and if you see coconuts from a coconut tree up there, try and find another parking!!
Most popular beaches around Goa have a designated parking area, either run by the local government of that village or a private land owner. It is most prudent to park in those car parks. If you go to a beach that has no designated parking area, it is alright to park by the road as long as you don’t see a ‘No Parking’ sign.
Some restaurants have a parking area but a lot don’t. In most cases again, it is alright to park by the side of the road as long as there is no ‘No Parking’ sign there.
Please be conscious about where you park though so that your car does not cause a nuisance to other vehicles or get scratched due to lack of space for other cars to pass. Most roads in Goa are pretty narrow.
Parking fines for cars parked in a no parking zone are Rs. 3000/-