[krackr]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

... You can then ideally stop by for lunch and refueling before Navasari where you have a food court ('Sugar n Spice') with a lot of options along with BPCL COCO.

Ghodbunder to Sugar and Spice should take you around 2.5 Hours and that means you can break for lunch at 1330.

In case you are looking for anything earlier than this for brunch/rest rooms, Manor would be perfect choice. This will be around 45-60m after you enter NH8 at Ghodbunder. Couple of restaurants around here:

• Kailash Sarovar
  
• Shree Dutt Snacks
  
• Vittal Kamat
  
• Cafe Coffee Day
  

Note: Click/Touch to open hyperlinks to exact Googlemaps location.

Thanks @paragsachania for the tips. Planning to start in sometime from Mumbai to Ahmedabad with my parents and brother - so have the luxury of us two drivers.

Would the places you have suggested also have good restrooms, Asking since this would the first long drive for my parents. They are senior citizens, hence a bit concerned. Also, can I assume that fuel pumps would not be a problem.

Appreciate info from members.

Thanks so much for your help.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by krackr

Would the places you have suggested also have good restrooms, Asking since this would the first long drive for my parents. They are senior citizens, hence a bit concerned. Also, can I assume that fuel pumps would not be a problem.

Appreciate info from members.

Thanks so much for your help.

Fuel pumps are a plenty on the Mumbai - Ahmedabad highway. That should not be a problem. Vithal Kamat, CCD and Sugar n Spice all have clean restrooms. Closer to Bharuch, there is Nyay Mandir restaurant whichbis also a good place to stop. Nyay Mandir and Vithal Kamat were our usual break stops during our Ahmedabad - Mumbai - Ahmedabad trips

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by krackr

Would the places you have suggested also have good restrooms, Asking since this would the first long drive for my parents. They are senior citizens, hence a bit concerned. Also, can I assume that fuel pumps would not be a problem.

A firm YES!

Unless there are question marks over the quality of rest-rooms, I would mention that all the times. This is because I mostly travel with my family to Gujarat and have stopped at these places at least once during every drive.

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Never mind, I can understand. So with 0900 start from Pune, in all probabilities, without a break anywhere you should cross Ghodbunder by 1100 for sure.

I am sure there is some typo here. May be you wanted to say 1200pm ? For the given timeframe, there is no way one can start at 0900 from Pune and touch Ghodbunder junction ( fountain inn ) by 1100 Doing this in 2 hours is not possible even if one drives totally non stop and gets no traffic at any of the toll booths. 2.5 hours is the fastest one can cover this stretch that too starting from Chandni chowk, Pune. Add few more minutes to this if you are starting from inside Pune. And this is very much Sunday timings I am talking about.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vivek95

I am sure there is some typo here. May be you wanted to say 1200pm ?

Indeed meant 1200 noon but that post dates back to Dec 2017 and I know how the situation will be as on today and one may need little over 3 hours too due to the roads around Panvel, Belapur. Heck, I remember once even Expressway Exit to Turbhe took more than 1 hour and that too during wee hours.

And this is very much Sunday timings I am talking about.

Sunday mornings from Expressway Exit to Ghodbunder has taken me 45 minutes in the past and non stop. This was when we were on Pune bypass at 0630 and at 0730/45 we were at Fountain Ghodbunder. This has happened quite a few times and not just once & hence I won't forget that easily.

Even when I have done Bangalore - Ahmedabad non-stop in a day, I have been super particular to start from Bangalore at 0430, cross Pune by 1500, cross Panvel by 1630 and at Ghodbunder by 1730 and it had always worked.

With change in road conditions, change in traffic pattern and time spent at tolls (unusually), timings would change too.

However, given the present road conditions, 3 to 3.5 hours is very realistic? Secondly, the return on a Sunday from Ghodbunder side is more messy even if roads are good and always take immensely longer time.

[krackr]

Thanks for the immediate responses. My apologies for not putting an update immediately.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

A firm YES!

Unless there are question marks over the quality of rest-rooms, I would mention that all the times. This is because I mostly travel with my family to Gujarat and have stopped at these places at least once during every drive.

Originally Posted by Sandy28

......Vithal Kamat, CCD and Sugar n Spice all have clean restrooms. Closer to Bharuch, there is Nyay Mandir restaurant whichbis also a good place to stop. Nyay Mandir and Vithal Kamat were our usual break stops during our Ahmedabad - Mumbai - Ahmedabad trips

The landmarks with the links provided on this post indeed helped a lot. And so were the concerns on the queries of restrooms addressed.

Which other automobile-site gives such level of detailed info!! Put each of these on Google Maps. While I did not stop at each of those, it did give an abstract sense of familiarity (even though never having travelled on that route) as we passed by each one.

Shree Dutt snacks were closed in memory of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee that day. Late lunch was at Nyay Mandir. Further ahead, we also stopped at a place called Kathiyawadi Cutting. They served fafda made fresh in front of you, and other snacks. Did seem a bit funky. Seems they are open 24 hours and also serve lunch dinner. This is here. Also advisable to carry own spoons, as some of the smaller joints en-route provide only plastic spoons. Do our bit for the environment.

Originally Posted by Sandy28

Fuel pumps are a plenty on the Mumbai - Ahmedabad highway. That should not be a problem. .....

A must mention on the awesome roads (read: coming from Mumbai, these are super). A pretty comfortable journey with the Ciaz returning 20 kmpl. Never had a need to refuel. By the time we reached Ahmedabad, the distance to empty showed 275 kms. And by the time we came back to Mumbai, the mileage for the entire journey including the city came to 18.6 kmpl. Also had some experience of extremely heavy rains lashing out somewhere near Vapi I think.

A tool which I used was the GPS Logger. This is a pretty lightweight no ads app, and as the name suggests starts logging the route the moment GPS locks in. You can add 'placemarks' wherever you want to add a label as you travel. After you end the trip, export it to a KML/GPX file for use in other apps. I used this on a phone without a SIM (connecting with WiFi to my main phone for the GPS to lock in faster). You can disconnect WiFi once you get the GPS fix. You will still get the GPS lock without connecting to a network but it takes a bit more time. Reason for using it on a dedicated phone was to save battery, although the car charger was in use - but just in case.

This is available on the Play store here. I got this from this article.

I am playing around with the exported files from this app to record a tour from Google Earth. Will post these.

Once again - thanks a ton!!

[profcalculux]

Hi
I am planning for a Thane - Bhuj - Thane trip a week before Diwali (Self + 2).

- planning for same day one side - Google says close to 15 hours (adding pit stops for re fuel and food add another 3 hours it should be 18 hours). To avoid traffic I plan to start early at 3 to 3.30 AM.
( I have done single day Thane - Jaipur, Udaipur - Thane & Thane -Goa, not boasting but just for perspective, so driving should not be an issue considering the roads in GJ are one of the Best)

Questions -
* has anyone done single day one side. (if No then where should be the halt)
* does etc tag work on all tolls?
* is the bridge issue sorted between Bharuch Ankleshwar
* what should be the route to avoid city traffic
* any major construction (road expansion or bridge construction) on this route
* any other thing specific for MH registered vehicles to drive in Gujarat.

Thanks

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by profcalculux

* has anyone done single day one side. (if No then where should be the halt)

This totally depends on a lot of things - Start time, day of the week, Holiday or a regular weekend, travel companions and need for breaks. However, since you stay at Thane, with a super early morning start (0430/0500) you can easily do Bhuj in a day; referring to your past drives that you have mentioned about.

* does etc tag work on all tolls?

Nearly all the NHAI Tolls have this enabled. So Yes.

* is the bridge issue sorted between Bharuch Ankleshwar

Yes, more than a year back.

* what should be the route to avoid city traffic

Not much that you need to avoid as you will bypass most of the towns and cities enroute including taking the SP Ring road at Ahmedabad.

* any other thing specific for MH registered vehicles to drive in Gujarat.

The yellow sticker rule on the Right hand side headlight is abolished now but there have been stories of motorists stopped for this and penalized. Buy an insulation tape in Yellow color, paste a strip to be on the safer side.

Have a safe trip.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by profcalculux

planning for same day one side - Google says close to 15 hours (adding pit stops for re fuel and food add another 3 hours it should be 18 hours).

Parag has mentioned in detail about the same in earlier post, so just adding to that. If by ETC tag you meant MSRDC tag, it will not work on NH. However, all NH tolls enroute accepts Fastag. GJ state highway tolls booths doesn't charge cars. I remember it explicitly since my drive was couple of months past demonetization and all toll booths were having long queue due to the same.

You can find my drive timing from Vapi to Dhordo in link below, do note that we had two bigger stoppages ~ 1 hour each, toll booth traffic due to demonitization and while Bharuch bridge was still under construction.

Entire drive I don't think I had touched more than ~ 120 KMPH range.

Details (Wanderlust Traveller: Bangalore to the western frontier - White Rann, Vigakot, Lakhpat & Dholavira)

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by profcalculux

Hi

I am planning for a Thane - Bhuj - Thane trip a week before Diwali (Self + 2).



- planning for same day one side - Google says close to 15 hours (adding pit stops for re fuel and food add another 3 hours it should be 18 hours). To avoid traffic I plan to start early at 3 to 3.30 AM.

( I have done single day Thane - Jaipur, Udaipur - Thane & Thane -Goa, not boasting but just for perspective, so driving should not be an issue considering the roads in GJ are one of the Best)



Questions -

* has anyone done single day one side. (if No then where should be the halt)

* does etc tag work on all tolls?

* is the bridge issue sorted between Bharuch Ankleshwar

* what should be the route to avoid city traffic

* any major construction (road expansion or bridge construction) on this route

* any other thing specific for MH registered vehicles to drive in Gujarat.



Thanks

Hi please find below reply/update:

1) Thane to Ahmedabad will take approximately 7-8 hours if leaving early morning. Ahmedabad to Bhuj is another 5-6 hours drive.
2) The bridge issue is sorted out. Hardly there is any traffic jam on the bridge these days.
3) Till Vadodara you don't need to enter into city. Take the Vadodara- Ahmedabad expressway. While reaching Ahmedabad take the SP Ring road exit to bypass Ahmedabad city. From sanathal circle take left towards Sanand-Viramgam route.
4) No major roadblocks till now.
5) Use yellow sticker on your headlights. Police will stop and impose fine.

[roshanjathanna]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

This totally depends on a lot of things - Start time, day of the week, Holiday or a regular weekend, travel companions and need for breaks. However, since you stay at Thane, with a super early morning start (0430/0500) you can easily do Bhuj in a day; referring to your past drives that you have mentioned about.
Nearly all the NHAI Tolls have this enabled. So Yes.
Yes, more than a year back.
Not much that you need to avoid as you will bypass most of the towns and cities enroute including taking the SP Ring road at Ahmedabad.
The yellow sticker rule on the Right hand side headlight is abolished now but there have been stories of motorists stopped for this and penalized. Buy an insulation tape in Yellow color, paste a strip to be on the safer side.

Have a safe trip.

I followed the suggestions provided by paragsachania in Oct 2016 during my trip Bangalore - pune - mumbai - vadodara - Udaipur - mount abhu - and back. Take Narmada Bridge/ Golden bridge, this connects Ankleshwar to Bharuch ...The history says "During World War II, it was decided to destroy the Narmada bridge for its iron, but the love of locals for the bridge saved it"

[zalaps]

Originally Posted by profcalculux

Hi
Questions -
* has anyone done single day one side. (if No then where should be the halt)

It purely depends on you. Still, if you feel to have rest Ideal spot would be post Ahmedabad. Hotel benedict & Hotel Tokyo(Krishna Leela) are good options in different budget rates. Here are the map points
https://goo.gl/maps/8YzfEMG2CUp
https://goo.gl/maps/BRCU52eSPn92

* does etc tag work on all tolls?

Parag has answered already.

* is the bridge issue sorted between Bharuch Ankleshwar

Yes. Completely.

* what should be the route to avoid city traffic

Every city en route has nice bypasses. In Ahmedabad, take Ring Road Exit to Rajkot from Expressway. Ignore first 5 crossroads on the ring road, 6th one should be Shantipura Circle. Left on Shantipura Circle will lead you to Kutch.

* any major construction (road expansion or bridge construction) on this route

Nothing major as such as. Ahmedabad SP Ringroad has ongoing bridge work at a couple of circles. This should not create any major delays. There's a Railway over bridge work going on before Dhrangadhara. Please be aware of the same. As it would appear when you would be cruising 100+. Below is the map location.
https://goo.gl/maps/4FwCuYgauc92

* any other thing specific for MH registered vehicles to drive in Gujarat.

1. Rule of Yellow taps on right headlights is gone. But still good to have.
2. Sunfilms should not be there

Any other queries/local help around Ahmedabad to Dhrangadhra, I would be glad to help. Please PM me.

[zalaps]

Originally Posted by abhikb

Hi please find below reply/update:
3) Till Vadodara you don't need to enter into city. Take the Vadodara- Ahmedabad expressway. While reaching Ahmedabad take the SP Ring road exit to bypass Ahmedabad city. From sanathal circle take left towards Sanand-Viramgam route.

A little correction. Left should be taken from Shantipura Circle. Sanathal Circle would lead you to Rajkot Highway.

[RM Motorsports]

Hi

I am planning to drive from Mumbai to Bhuj on 14th of November. While doing some research on the route, I came across Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry services. Launched on October 27, Ro-Ro ferry services will reduce travel time between south Gujarat and Saurashtra from nearly 12 hours to just 1.5 hours. Voyage Symphony has the capacity to load 60 trucks, five to seven buses, 35 to 40 cars, 40 bikes and a cumulative capacity to carry 525 passengers on board per voyage.

Through my calculation taking this ferry service shortens the route by around 150 Km.

Has anyone have any input regarding this ferry service?

https://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.c...w/66366565.cms

[SJM1214]

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

Hi

Dahej( starting point of Ro-Ro ferry) to Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad to Bhuj(Ahmedabad-> Viramgam-> Dhangdhra-> Maliya-> Bhachau-> Bhuj ) are excellent roads. Ghogha to Bhuj is not that well maintained and you'll have to cross entire Saurashtra region including major cities like Rajkot and Morbi.

If you want to use Ro-Ro Ferry for a new experience, its fine. IMO, saving 150km at the cost of good roads is not a good idea. RO-RO ferry is just started. As per some of the locals, it consumes lots of time during unloading and uploading. We have a sperate thread on RO Ro ferry and some latest updates on it.
Have a look. (Gujarat's Ro-Ro ferry to cut down 6.5 hour trip to 90 minutes)