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There are about 17 trains operating in this route. Most of them are long distance express trains that offer connections to Varkala as from as far as Mumbai ( Bombay) and Delhi.

Quilon to Varkala by express train would take less than 30 minutes and the slower passenger trains ( a few operates daily ) could take a little over 30 minutes. For the Express trains it is the next station from Quilon. Trains stop for 2 minutes at Varkala railway-station.

Trivandrum to Varkala too the same set of trains operate. Trivandrum to Varkala it takes a little over 30 minutes for most of the express trains. For most of the express trains Varkala is the next station after Trivandrum.

As mentioned earlier there are many long-distance trains connect Varkala to larger cities of India.

If you are traveling from Goa , Netravathi Express ( Train No 6345 ) is a good option as it operate daily. There are about 6 other weekly/ bi-weekly express trains too operate in this route. That is , the Konkan route along the coastal line.

Similarly the New Delhi – Trivandrum Kerala Express ( Train No: 2626) connects Varkala with a number of major cities.

But many of the long distance express trains do not stop at Varkala. The next stop after Quilon is Trivandrum. So you’ve to either book for Trivandrum or Quilon while booking , better Quilon b because it the station before and close to Varkala than Trivandrum .

When you explore the list of trains to Varkala while reserving train tickets online, you may find only a limited number of trains in the options given.

Instead of Varkala , if you change your destination as Quilon ( or Trivandrum) you can see many more trains in the options list. That is because , while many trains pass by Varkala , the ones with a stop at Varkala only would be shown by the online reservation system. That sums up the train connectivity to Varkala.

It’s possible to travel by bus too to Varkala. Distance from Quilon (Kollam) to Varkala is about 40 kilometers and from Trivandrum to Varkala is about 50 kilometers.

From Quilon and Trivandrum , direct buses to Varkala are somewhat limited. Most of the long distance buses in this route ( Quilon-Trivandrum) are the state operated KSRTC bus service that ply on the National Highway 47 (NH 47).

For traveling to Alleppey from Varkala, there are about 6 daily express trains (2 hours travel time).Book in advance for seat reservation. Or you can buy ticket locally at the railway station counter and travel unreserved. Note, most of the northbound trains do not go via Alleppey.

Every 10 minutes or so you can catch a bus in this route. Get down at Parippally or Kallambalam on NH 47. From these junctions you can easily get a local bus that goes to Varkala town ( about 10 kilometers). Road to Varkala along the coastal line Road to Varkala along the coastal line.

The nearest airport is the international airport at Thiruvananthapuram (TVM), about 50 kilometers south of Varkala.