[NPV]

@graaja, my thoughts:
Start early from Coimbatore say 4am, so that you can bypass Bangalore city traffic via NICE road by 1pm latest.
Your breakfast stop can be near Salem/dharmapuri depending on the time.
Your lunch stop can be near Hosur or on the NH 4 near Tumkur again depending on the time.
Before 6pm you should be in Hubli where you can stay overnight. I think Clarks inn is an option.
Next morning try to start early say 5am.
I'm not sure of the Satara-Ammednagar route and road conditions but an alternative is to go to Pune and then take the Ahmednagar route via Chakan to Shirdi, that route is in good condition but may have truck traffic in the industrial areas. You should be able to reach Shirdi by 2pm worst case. If you need to reach earlier start 4 ish.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by graaja

I am planning a drive to Shirdi from Coimbatore in April. I need to reach Shirdi by 23rd April afternoon, and leave Shirdi by 24th April afternoon. Google maps plotted a route through Bangalore, Davangere, Hubli, Kolhapur, Satara, Ahmadnagar and Shirdi, which is 1395KMs long.

I hope you are not thinking Satara-Daund-Nagar. Satara-Pune-Nagar is a better option.

1. How many kilometers would I be able to cover in a day?

You should targtet anything between 600-800. But then it depends on your appetite.

2. Will it be possible to do this distance in 2 days? If I leave early morning on 22nd April, will I be able to reach Shirdi by 23rd afternoon?

Noon is very optimistic. Till Kolhapur its fast. You slowly start slowing down after that depending on the time of the day. Hubli as NPV says is a good break. You have Clarks and there is also Taj now!

A 4AM start means, 9/9:30 at Bangalore. Yes should be able to cover it under 6. Simply because you start early and are against the traffic. The only caveat is you getting stuck at Hosur-Bangalore stretch. Else its fine. Crossing a 40KM Nice road traffic should be easy.

With that time and a quick break fast break, I think you should be on NH4 by 11/11:30. With that time line Hubli should be another 6/6:30 hours. (Drive time)

3. Is there a checklist to prepare for a long road trip? I read the "A Guide on Essentials of a Long Drive" thread and have made a list like nylon rope, puncture repair kit, inflator etc. Need to add more things to this list.

A GPS helps.

1. Which route should I take? Is the route plotted by Google Maps the ideal one?

For long stretches I would always vote for 4-lane.

2. What time should I start on 22nd April?

As early as possible. 3AM to 4AM. No compromises there.

3. How do I plan approximate pitstop locations? Should I use some approximate average speed and locate major places for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Breakfast before Bangalore. Lunch some where near Sira or about. Carry lots of water, and fruits.

4. Where should I plan to stay on 22nd? Hubli is 800KM from starting point. Would this be the right place to halt on the first day, making it 600km drive on the second day?

Discussed earlier.

5. Should I plan in advance for fuel stops at reputed petrol bunks on the way?

Approximate fuel stops are good to know. You may want to try IOC and BP bunks Mobile Apps. (I dont know about them. But would be a good idea to look at them)

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Did you miss referring that post by any chance ampere? I remember you acknowledge the same post when I had created.
Here is that post -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3828255

Yes My bad. I slipped that part Parag! Its also there on the first post of the same thread.

@graaja please do look at that post by Parag. It has quite some details about places to stop for food and and also places for fuel.

[paragsachania]

For Fuel stops and their precise locations, there is a detailed post with all options between Bangalore and Pune. This includes GPS locations (Googlemaps) in that post too, for both the Hotels to break (mostly Food) and places to stop for fuel (including COCO stations).

Did you miss referring that post by any chance ampere? I remember you acknowledge the same post when I had created.

Here is that post -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3828255

Now the important Point:

Dehu Road - Chakan - Talegaon Option is not the right route to reach Ahmednagar Road. The best option is still passing Pune through the city. This is because the Chakan route has loads and loads of Truck traffic as this route is used by almost all trucks crossing Pune from Sholapur/Hyderabad side for Mumbai. Not to forget that the Autocluster here ensures regular freight traffic otherwise too. The roads are good but its single carriageway that each of your overtaking will be taking time specially because there will be more trailers than trucks!!

Pune Bypass - Sinhaghad Road - Swargate - Shankarsheth Road - Hadapsar (Sholapur Road) - Magarpatta - Wagholi - Nagar Road should the right thing to do.

I do Bangalore - Aurangabad regularly and the last one was in November 2015. Since you are heading for Shirdi, your route is common till Ahmednagar.

I had updated the exact time it took along with logs to bypass Pune with the above option. Let me search and post that here. I have tried many options to bypass Pune for Nagar road in the past but have finally settled with the route Via City.

The only thing to take care here is that you do not enter Pune anytime between 8-11am and 6-9pm as traffic will be messy in (and even around) the city and can take time to bypass.

This is the post you can refer to bypass Pune

In terms of Road conditions, Pune - Nagar is a very good 4 lane road with dense traffic till Shikrapur/Shirur. Post this its a bliss to drive and now you have loads and loads of options to stop by including CCDs, Vittal Kamats and Smilestone. So, breaking options specially between Pune to Ahmednagar should not be your worry at all.

Another Hint - None of the tolls between Pune and Ahmednagar (you will get 2) are functional anymore. But most of the times you will notice the gate closed and all that the attendants to is make an entry and open the barrier. So remember that you need not pay anywhere after Pune till Ahmednagar when you pass these booths. Just stop the car and wait for few seconds for the barrier to open.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by graaja

Hi All,

I am planning a drive to Shirdi from Coimbatore in April.

Its a long drive, but if you plan to halt for the night, then its pretty easily doable.

Google maps suggested route seems right. If you don't want to do a very early start like 4 am etcc.. consider starting around 6 AM. You will hit NICE road by 12 noon and should be on Tumkur Road by 12:45 PM. You can halt at Kamat Upachar, Dabbaspet for lunch - Clean toilets and decent food. You can spend the night at Apoorva resort in Davangere which is right on the highway. Its about 600km from Cbe, so its kind of the mid point for your journey to Shirdi. I have halted several times here for lunch and find it to be a neat and clean place. Next day you can do an early morning start and reach Shirdi by 3 pm or so. You can have breakfast at Kamat Upachar again. There's one before Hubli and one after Hubli, but both are on the right side of the road. I generally travel upto Kolhapur only so beyond KPR is not my zone.

Or if are still fresh after reaching Davangere, you can drive further upto Hubli or Belgaum. At Belgaum , Hotel Sankam Residency is a good option and is just off the highway.

There are plenty of fuel pumps along the way, but its better to tank up once on the outskirts on Bangalore and once on the outskirts of Belgaum or Kolhpur. That should be enough for your Jetta .

P.S. : Watch out for unruly drivers on the two lane Hubli Dharwad road (about 27 kms). Once you enter Maharashtra, population density increases and will slow you down.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by NPV

@graaja, my thoughts:...

Originally Posted by ampere

I hope you are not thinking Satara-Daund-Nagar. Satara-Pune-Nagar is a better option...

Originally Posted by paragsachania

For Fuel stops and their precise locations, there is a detailed post with all options between Bangalore and Pune...

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Its a long drive, but if you plan to halt for the night, then its pretty easily doable...

Thanks a lot NPV, ampere, paragsachania, and Santosh for the ton of information and guidance. Here is a rough itinerary I created after consolidating all the inputs:

Tentative Itinerary:

Onward:

• Start from Coimbatore latest by 4AM on 22nd April, and bypass Bangalore city traffice by NICE road latest by 1PM
• Reach Hubli by 6PM. If still have energy to drive, proceed to Belgaum. For stay, Clarks Inn at Hubli, Hotel Sangam Residency at Belgaum. Watch out for the unruly drivers in the Hubli-Dharwar road!
• Leave early morning at 5 from Hubli (or Belgaum)
• Instead of the Satara-Daund-Ahmadnagar suggested by Google Maps, do Satara-Pune-Ahmadnagar
• To pass Pune, instead of "Dehu Road - Chakan - Talegaon" route, use "Pune Bypass - Sinhaghad Road - Swargate - Shankarsheth Road - Hadapsar (Sholapur Road) - Magarpatta - Wagholi - Nagar Road"
• Avoid 8-11AM and 6-9PM time slots to pass Pune as this is peak traffic hours. During onward journey, if I leave Hubli or Belgaum at 5 in the morning, I should be reaching Pune by 10:30 to 11:30 and could avoid rush hour traffic.
• If all goes well, reach Shirdi by 2 to 3PM on 23rd April.

Return:

• Start from Shirdi by 11AM, latest by 12 noon on 24th April
• Cross Pune by 4PM
• Reach Belgaum by 9 to 10PM. Stay at Belgaum
• Leave early at 5 on 25th April
• Cross Bangalore by 1PM
• Reach Coimbatore by 8 to 9PM on 25th April

Fuel Stops:

• Fuel stop #1 - HPCL COCO attached to Kamat, 426KM from home. This can double up as lunch break as well
• Fuel stop #2 - BPCL COCO after Dharwar Bypass, 394KM from fuel stop #1
• Fuel stop#3 - HPCL COCO near Vittal Kamat, 352KM from fuel stop #2
• Repeat this sequence in reverse order while returning back. The biggest stretch between fuel stops would be Fuel stop #3 - Shirdi - Fuel stop #3 which would be about 500km. But I think this should be fine as the Jetta has a range of 800KM easily.

Please let me know if this is a good itinerary or if there is anything I should modify.

I have not made plans for food stops. I will use paragsachania's list and make stops as required.

I have one question.

If I do not book a hotel in advance for the first night halt, then I will have the flexibility to decide between Hubli and Belgaum. But the risk is non-availability of rooms. So, I will have to make up my mind in advance between Hubli and Belgaum and book the rooms in advance. Belgaum is 885KMs from Coimbatore. If the route to Belgaum is completely through 4 lane highways, then I should be able to make it on first day. For the return from Shirdi, I will plan a stop at Hubli. Is this a good plan? Or should I just halt at Hubli, not risking a drive till Belgaum? I guess this totally depends on my capability to drive, but I want your recommendations.

Thank you all so much once again for all the inputs. Now I am quite confident and am looking forward to the drive.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by graaja

[*]Start from Coimbatore latest by 4AM on 22nd April, and bypass Bangalore city traffice by NICE road latest by 1PM

Coimbatore - Bangalore, 9 hours is very relaxed. With a breakfast stop and maintaining decent speed you can do it in 6 hours. Considering that you are planning for close to 900 Kms in a day, it would be better to cover more distance before the after-noon session.

I would advise breakfast stop after salem so that you can skip the salem morning traffic. Probably A2B, thoppur will be a good option. It is located 2Kms after the thoppur toll on the left side(this is the second toll from Salem). And around 200 Kms from coimbatore, you can reach here by 7-7:30 AM based on your speed. NICE road, bangalore is another 2 hours from here. So you can reach bangalore by 10 AM. Add 30-40 Mins on the NICE road to take the Tumkur/Pune exit.

You need to be extra cautious on the Krishnagiri - Hosur stretch, Its a lovely 6 lane stretch. But with lot of curves, slow moving trucks around, people used to change lanes rashly. So, keep this in mind.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by graaja

Onward:[list][*]Start from Coimbatore latest by 4AM on 22nd April, and bypass Bangalore city traffice by NICE road latest by 1PM

Coimbatore to Nice Road entry took me 5 1/2 hrs in a Polo GT TSI just recently. No matter how relaxed you drive, it should not take you more than 7 hrs with a break for break fast.

Originally Posted by graaja

If I do not book a hotel in advance for the first night halt, then I will have the flexibility to decide between Hubli and Belgaum. But the risk is non-availability of rooms. So, I will have to make up my mind in advance between Hubli and Belgaum and book the rooms in advance. Belgaum is 885KMs from Coimbatore. If the route to Belgaum is completely through 4 lane highways, then I should be able to make it on first day. For the return from Shirdi, I will plan a stop at Hubli. Is this a good plan? Or should I just halt at Hubli, not risking a drive till Belgaum? I guess this totally depends on my capability to drive, but I want your recommendations.

This being off season you should be able to get rooms easily. You can call the hotel and tell them about your plan. Most hotels these days accept phone bookings without taking a deposit. If your plan changes, you can always call them and regret your inability to make it.

Bangalore to Belgaum is 500kms. Tumkur to Chitradurga is 6 lane, Dharwad to Belgaum is 6 lane, Hubli to Dharwad (Bypass) is 2 lane, while rest is 4 lane. The entire 500 kms is a fast stretch with no roads under construction and sparse traffic and no drive through towns. The entire drive should be quite fatigue free esp in a Jetta DSG. It usually takes me 5 1/2 hrs of driving time with good amount of spirited driving. With a relaxed driving style it should not take more than 7 hrs in a Jetta. I suggest you drive upto Belgaum, as Hubli to Belgaum is only 100 kms and 1hr 15 mins drive since you will driving only upto Hotel Sankam. From Dharwad to Belgaum is a brilliant stretch of 6 lane with lots of cemented roads and smooth and flat tarmac.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Coimbatore - Bangalore, 9 hours is very relaxed. With a breakfast stop and maintaining decent speed you can do it in 6 hours. Considering that you are planning for close to 900 Kms in a day, it would be better to cover more distance before the after-noon session.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Coimbatore to Nice Road entry took me 5 1/2 hrs in a Polo GT TSI just recently. No matter how relaxed you drive, it should not take you more than 7 hrs with a break for break fast.

Thanks Arun and Santosh. I had mentioned 1PM for Bangalore exit. Looks like I should be able to make it earlier. I usually cruise at 110 or 120 in the Jetta. So, considering a breakfast and coffee break, I should be able to reach Bangalore NICE road by 10:00 to 10:30. Considering 1 hour to beat Bangalore traffic, I should cross Bangalore by 11:00 to 11:30, right?

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

This being off season you should be able to get rooms easily. You can call the hotel and tell them about your plan. Most hotels these days accept phone bookings without taking a deposit. If your plan changes, you can always call them and regret your inability to make it.

...

I suggest you drive upto Belgaum, as Hubli to Belgaum is only 100 kms and 1hr 15 mins drive since you will driving only upto Hotel Sankam. From Dharwad to Belgaum is a brilliant stretch of 6 lane with lots of cemented roads and smooth and flat tarmac.

Thanks Santosh. I have already contacted Sankam Residency and got rates and availability, and have booked the rooms for both onward and return rides. Waiting for their confirmation mail. They have also told me there is no need for a deposit and I can pay at the time of checkout.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by graaja

So, considering a breakfast and coffee break, I should be able to reach Bangalore NICE road by 10:00 to 10:30. Considering 1 hour to beat Bangalore traffic, I should cross Bangalore by 11:00 to 11:30, right?

Should be possible with a breakfast and coffee break of about 45 minutes to an hour if you leave Coimbatore at 4am.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thanks Arun and Santosh. I had mentioned 1PM for Bangalore exit. Looks like I should be able to make it earlier. I usually cruise at 110 or 120 in the Jetta. So, considering a breakfast and coffee break, I should be able to reach Bangalore NICE road by 10:00 to 10:30. Considering 1 hour to beat Bangalore traffic, I should cross Bangalore by 11:00 to 11:30, right?

Yes, for that speed you can easily cross bangalore by 11:00 - 11:30 or even before this timing.

But make sure to start by 4:00AM because getting stuck in Salem morning traffic is a pain.

And once you exit from NICE road to Tumkur road, be on the right lane to make sure to enter the toll road.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Yes, for that speed you can easily cross bangalore by 11:00 - 11:30 or even before this timing.

Thats exactly even what I had mentioned earlier. Not more than 11:30 to be on NH4. And yes the more distance you cover early the better.

In fact I would think a 4AM start means, Thoppur A2B will still just about to open. Good to push till Krishnagiri or beyond for the first break.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by ampere

Thats exactly even what I had mentioned earlier. Not more than 11:30 to be on NH4. And yes the more distance you cover early the better.

In fact I would think a 4AM start means, Thoppur A2B will still just about to open. Good to push till Krishnagiri or beyond for the first break.

A2B opens by 6:30AM. Yes, if the driver can push, then Sree Saravana Bhavan, Krishnagiri is a good option, which is another 60Kms from A2B. This hotel is on the right side, there is a opening in the divider opposite to this hotel.

https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/...6d52dad308caa5

[ampere]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

A2B opens by 6:30AM. Yes, if the driver can push, then Sree Saravana Bhavan, Krishnagiri is a good option, which is another 60Kms from A2B. This hotel is on the right side, there is a opening in the divider opposite to this hotel.

- Salem is about 150 from Coimbattore. At about 70/hour (minimum) you can cross Salem by 6/6:15.
- Krishnagiri is about 110. You should be there in another 90 minutes.
- My take: easily doable.
- But yes a strict 4AM start. Even earliear is better. Because that way you get close to Bangalore for the first break.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by NPV

Should be possible with a breakfast and coffee break of about 45 minutes to an hour if you leave Coimbatore at 4am.

Originally Posted by arun_josie

But make sure to start by 4:00AM because getting stuck in Salem morning traffic is a pain.

Originally Posted by ampere

- But yes a strict 4AM start. Even earliear is better. Because that way you get close to Bangalore for the first break.

I will make sure that we leave latest by 4:00. It is going to be a little tough with 2 kids, but will make it possible.

Originally Posted by arun_josie

A2B opens by 6:30AM. Yes, if the driver can push, then Sree Saravana Bhavan, Krishnagiri is a good option, which is another 60Kms from A2B. This hotel is on the right side, there is a opening in the divider opposite to this hotel.

Thanks. In case we are too early for A2B, I will continue to Saravana Bhavan.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thanks. In case we are too early for A2B, I will continue to Saravana Bhavan.

The other thing to note:

Once you are past Tumkur, you find hotels only at designated places. Unlike down south (Bangalore-Coimbattore) where you may find mores places to break. So to summarise, carry enough food and water. And unlike CBE-Bangalore: Bangalore-North is more a of a long distance endurance game (More like Salem-Madurai-Kanyakumari). You will need to hold your timings well. But there is no need whatsoever to shift to higher speeds. Its always about good efficiency. Tumkur-Chitraduraga is a beautiful 6-lane, where you can easily cruise and Chitradurga-Hubli is a nice 4-lane too. (Your Jetta will just love it!)