Tourist destination in Karnataka
Photo: Infoayan, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Gokarna is a small pilgrimage town on the coast in the Karnataka state of India. It's a conservative Hindu pilgrimage town, home to several temples and festivals. The town is full of locals and pilgrims, and doesn't have much in the way of facilities for tourists, other than a handful of guesthouses and local restaurants.
An old restaurant running for thirty years. Famous for Indian dishes and ice cream, fruit juice, and lassies. Fresh and tasty.
Great Leaf Idli. Excellent Upma. A decent thaali for dinner. Do not confuse the hotel with Pai Restaurant.
₹1500 for a double bed room with attached bath and air-conditioner.
Simple rooms with bare essentials - bed, bathroom and plug points to charge your phone or tablet.
The hotel is very clean with friendly staff and caring management.
Nice place to stay
A homestay styled in the local coastal architecture, close to the beach, in the midst of a 1.25 acre casuarina grove.
Zostel
Zostel Gokarna is a sea view backpacker hostel, perched on the cliff overlooking Gokarna Main Beach.
Open only Nov-Mar.
Open Oct-Apr.
Remains open all year.
This is a cafe run by a Himachal guy Mr. Singh and a local guy Guru. Both are very good guys and very respectful. The cafe offers a very nice view of the beach. Food is Very tasty and you can find huts/rooms with attached bath and common bath very close to beach.
Run by Jungle Lodges and Resorts, offers one-bedroom villa packages for B & B ₹2,100, or all meals ₹4000 per couple. Has a swimming pool.
Open only from November through March.
There are common bathrooms about a minute's walk away.
An upmarket retreat with 24 villas, with a focus on yoga, meditation, art and clean, healthy food, having direct access to Om beach. No single night stays available. The resort provides a 5 night Yoga & meditation package for two people sharing for around €1500 + taxes which is inclusive of F & B. Ayurveda is available at extra cost.
By bus
From Bangalore, depending on the day of travel, there are anywhere from 1-4 buses operated by KSRTC. It is a 12-hour overnight journey from Bangalore to Gokarna.
By plane
The nearest airport is in Goa at Dabolim (GOI). (Rail link via Margao)
By bike
Also a convenient way to get around Gokarna. Bicycle rentals are available.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Vasco da Gama · International · GOI
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Gokarna and India.
Explore the rainy seasons in Asia month by month. Compare Southwest and Northeast monsoons, typhoon belts, dry island escapes, and travel dates.
8 min read
Spot and avoid common tourist scams in India, including fake train ticket offices, closed hotel lies, rigged auto-rickshaws, and temple donation tricks.
8 min read
Full 2026 list of visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries for Indian passport holders. Check entry requirements, stay limits, and transit visa rules.
6 min read
Discover the best places to visit in India, from Delhi monuments and the Taj Mahal in Agra to Jaipur forts, sacred Varanasi ghats, and Kerala backwaters.
6 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.