Home › Blog › Varkala by train
Getting there · Kerala
Varkala Nearest Railway Station: Varkala Sivagiri, Trains by Class and the Ride to the Cliff
Varkala has its own station, Varkala Sivagiri (VAK), about 2.7 km by road from the cliff. Only about a third of the trains on this stretch stop there: Vande Bharat and Rajdhani run straight through to Kollam. Here are the trains that do stop, the fares by class from Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mangaluru, and the ride to the cliff.
Photo: Krissubh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
The nearest railway station is Varkala Sivagiri (VAK), about 2.7 km by road from the cliff, 10 to 15 minutes by auto. But only about a third of the trains on this line stop there: Vande Bharat, Rajdhani and the Garib Raths skip Varkala and stop at Kollam, about 27 km away. From Bengaluru the daily 16526 Kanyakumari Express leaves KSR Bengaluru at 20:10 and reaches Varkala at 10:37, about ₹445 Sleeper, ₹1,180 3A, ₹1,670 2A.
Varkala is a red laterite cliff above the Arabian Sea, with cafés along the top and a beach below. Unlike most beach towns in India, it has a railway station a short auto ride away, which makes it one of the easiest coast trips to do without a car.
How we worked it out. On 5 November 2026 we read which trains stop at Varkala on erail, the lowest fare per class on ConfirmTkt's route listings for travel on 6 November, and re-ran road distances with OpenStreetMap routing from each station to the cliff. Fares change with the date, so check IRCTC before you book. You book every piece yourself: Trip Under is not an agency.
Varkala Sivagiri or Kollam?
| Station (code) | Distance to the cliff by road | Drive | Which trains stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varkala Sivagiri (VAK) | about 2.7 km | about 4 min | About 35 of the 93 trains on the Ernakulam–Kollam stretch (erail); Wikipedia counts about 54 halts in all. |
| Edavai, Kappil, Akathumuri | about 6–9 km | about 8–11 min | Small halts; we could not confirm their stopping trains. |
| Kollam Jn (QLN) | about 26.6 km | about 33 min | Every train on the line, incl. Vande Bharat, Rajdhani 12432, Garib Rath, Humsafar. |
| Thiruvananthapuram Central (TVC) | about 43.9 km | about 49 min | The terminus; 21 trains a day on to Varkala, 31–51 minutes. |
Pick Varkala Sivagiri whenever your train stops there: the Kanyakumari Express from Bengaluru, the Chennai mails, the Netravati from Mumbai and the Sabari from Hyderabad all do. Pick Kollam if you are on a Vande Bharat, Rajdhani or Garib Rath. erail lists none of the Vande Bharat trains stopping at Varkala, but one station-info site shows them, so check your train on NTES.
Infographic · the route
From the train to the cliff
The cliff path runs end to end in about twenty minutes on foot; most stays are along it.
Varkala train ticket price by class
These are the lowest fares per class that ConfirmTkt listed on 5 November 2026 for travel on 6 November. The Sleeper class on the Bengaluru train already showed "no more booking", so book early.
From Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad
| Train | Sleeper | 3A | 2A | From → to | Departs → arrives | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16526 Kanyakumari Express | ₹445 | ₹1,180 | ₹1,670 | KSR Bengaluru → Varkala | 20:10 → 10:37 | Daily |
| 12623 Thiruvananthapuram Mail | ₹505 | ₹1,290 | ₹1,810 | Chennai Central → Varkala | 19:30 → 10:09 | Daily |
| 20635 Anantapuri Express | ₹485 | ₹1,245 | ₹1,745 | Chennai Egmore → Varkala | 19:50 → 10:06 | Daily |
| 16345 Netravati Express | ₹750 | ₹1,925 | ₹2,755 | Mumbai LTT → Varkala | 11:40 → 16:39 next day | Daily |
| 20629 Sabari Express | ₹700 | ₹1,780 | ₹2,530 | Secunderabad → Varkala | 14:25 → 16:51 next day | Daily |
From Kochi and Mangaluru
| Train | Fares | From → to | Departs → arrives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16303 Vanchinad Express | CC ₹330, 2S ₹95 | Ernakulam Jn → Varkala | 05:10 → 08:45 |
| 16526 Kanyakumari Express | SL ₹150, 3A ₹520 | Ernakulam Town → Varkala | 07:15 → 10:37 |
| 12075 Janshatabdi | CC ₹385, 2S ₹120 | Ernakulam Jn → Varkala | 17:25 → 20:13 |
| 16603 Maveli Express | SL ₹355, 3A ₹935 | Mangaluru Central → Varkala | 17:40 → 04:52 |
| 16649 Parasuram Express | CC ₹770, 2S ₹220 | Mangaluru Central → Varkala | 05:00 → 17:44 |
For budgeting, Trip Under plans the Bengaluru train at about ₹1,180 per person each way (3A). Here is how it compares:
| Way in | Route | Time | Fare (per person, each way) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Bengaluru → Varkala Sivagiri | 14.5 h | ₹1,180 | 16526 Kanyakumari Express, 20:10 → 10:37 daily: 3A about ₹1,180, Sleeper about ₹445 (ConfirmTkt, 5 Nov 2026). The station is about 2.7 km from the cliff; about 35 of 93 trains on the Kollam line stop here, and Vande Bharat and Rajdhani do not. |
| Flight + train | → Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), then 45 min train | 1 h + 45 m | ₹8,000 | TRV is the closest airport; reserved second-sitting train seats to Varkala are about ₹50–75. |
| Bus | Bengaluru → Thiruvananthapuram, then local | 14 h + 1 h | ₹2,000 | Long. The train is better in every way. |
Infographic · two days at Varkala, per person
Train against bus, two days on the cliff
One person from Bengaluru, return travel plus two days on the ground at Trip Under's Varkala daily rates (₹900 shoestring, ₹1,600 mid-range).
By bus, KSRTC-Swift's AC sleeper runs from Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram in about 14 hours; we only found an undated "from ₹1,406" listing, and fares rise sharply at festivals. There is no confirmed direct bus to Varkala town.
The last leg: station to the cliff
Autos wait outside Varkala Sivagiri. A traveller's blog puts the ride to the cliff at about ₹100 and 10 to 15 minutes; we found no official or dated fare, so agree the price first. With a light bag it is also walkable, about 2.7 km. Ask for North Cliff if you are staying there.
From Thiruvananthapuram airport, the cheapest way is a train from Thiruvananthapuram Central: 21 trains a day run on to Varkala in 31 to 51 minutes, with reserved second-sitting seats at about ₹50–75.
Two days by train, what it costs
Photo: Ganesh Mohan T, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A dorm on North Cliff is about ₹500 a night and a cliff room about ₹1,300. Kerala veg meals in town are about ₹60, a cliff café plate about ₹280. Two days from Bengaluru by train come to about ₹4,200 per person on a shoestring and ₹5,600 mid-range, return train included.
When to go
Infographic · month by month
Varkala month by month
Month-by-month as text
Jan: Best · Feb: Best · Mar: Good · Apr: Passable · May: Avoid · Jun: Avoid · Jul: Avoid · Aug: Avoid · Sep: Passable · Oct: Good · Nov: Best · Dec: Best
November to March is the season. June to September is heavy monsoon — the cliff path floods, most cafés close, and the sea is unswimmable.
Frequently asked questions
What is the nearest railway station to Varkala?
Varkala Sivagiri (VAK), about 2.7 km by road from the cliff, 10 to 15 minutes by auto.
Do all trains stop at Varkala?
No. On the Ernakulam–Kollam stretch erail lists 35 of 93 trains stopping at Varkala. Vande Bharat, Rajdhani 12432 and the Garib Raths skip it and stop at Kollam, about 27 km away.
Does Vande Bharat stop at Varkala?
erail lists no Vande Bharat stopping at Varkala Sivagiri; one station-info site shows it does. Check your train on NTES. If it does not stop, get off at Kollam.
Is there a direct train from Bengaluru to Varkala?
Yes. The 16526 Kanyakumari Express runs daily from KSR Bengaluru at 20:10, reaching Varkala at 10:37. On 5 November 2026 the lowest listed fares were ₹445 Sleeper, ₹1,180 3A and ₹1,670 2A.
How much is the train from Chennai to Varkala?
On the 20635 Anantapuri Express from Chennai Egmore: about ₹485 Sleeper, ₹1,245 3A (lowest listed fares, 5 November 2026), 19:50 to 10:06.
How far is Varkala from Thiruvananthapuram?
About 44 km by road from Thiruvananthapuram Central. By train it is 31 to 51 minutes, with 21 trains a day.
How much is an auto from Varkala station to the cliff?
About ₹100 by one traveller's account; we found no official fare, so agree it first.
How much does a 2-day Varkala trip cost by train?
About ₹4,200 per person on a shoestring and ₹5,600 mid-range from Bengaluru, return train included.
Sources and how we priced this
- Stopping trains: erail.in trains-between-stations (KSR Bengaluru and Ernakulam Jn to Varkala, Ernakulam Jn to Kollam), read 5 November 2026; Wikipedia, Varkala Sivagiri railway station; RailYatri VAK station page.
- Fares by class and times: ConfirmTkt route listings (Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram to Varkala), read 5 November 2026 for travel on 6 November 2026. Live fares: IRCTC; stops: NTES.
- Road distances and drive times: OSRM driving routes over OpenStreetMap data to the cliff end (8.73, 76.71), 5 November 2026.
- The auto fare: a traveller's blog (tripoto, undated). Bus fares: MakeMyTrip listing (undated) and Onmanorama, 8 April 2026.
- Stays, food and the season: Trip Under's Varkala page. Budgets: our cost model.
Keep reading
Plan your own Varkala trip
Set your dates, group and travel mode on the Varkala page and see the train, bed and food add up.
Open the Varkala page →Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.