5 Iconic Bollywood-inspired Road Trips to Take Now

Bollywood’s love for road trips has become quite evident in the recent years. Travel adds a certain something extra to the plot; whether it’s a coming-of-age movie, the story of lost friendships or merely a change in scenery. If you’re the ultimate movie buff (and even if you’re not), you have to take these five Bollywood inspired road trips:

1. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)

Though not exactly a road movie, who can forget the way carefree college kids Sid, Akash and Sameer (played by Akshaye Khanna, Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan respectively)  took the Mumbai-Goa highway (NH17) for a spontaneous vacation?

How You Can Do It:

This 1,296-kilometer highway stretches across the coast, covering destinations such as Pune, Goa and Karnataka. This long smooth stretch (yes, sans potholes) of road will be the highlight of your trip. And of course, don’t forget to stop at the Chapora Fort for some scenic selfies (a la the Dil Chahta Hai gang!).

Time It Will Take:

•  Mumbai-Goa (10 hours 30 minutes)
•  Pune-Goa (8 hours 40 minutes)

Book Your Flight to Goa

2. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

This movie changed how mainstream Bollywood looks at road trips. Three friends, Kabir, Arjun and Imran (Abhay Deol, Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar) go on a bachelor-party road trip to Spain before Kabir gets married. In the process, they embark on a journey of self-discovery. With the popular Tomatina Festival making an appearance in the film, as well as the infamous ‘running with the bulls’ festival, this movie showcased how truly travel impacts our lives.

How You Can Do It:

The ZNMD travel route started from Barcelona towards Costa Brava and then Pamplona with stops at Bunol and Rond. There are a lot of activities to check out on this road trip: from scuba diving to skydiving. Or you could merely enjoying a night out with your buddies and experience the incredible nightlife. Check in to local budget hotels (similar to the one in the movie in Seville), and eat locally, and this road trip won’t be as expensive as you expected.

Time It Will Take:

• Santiago de Compostela- A Coruña – Rias Altas – Rias Baixas – Ourense (1 hour 20 minutes)
• Madrid- El Escorial – Segovia – Salamanca – Burgos – Logroño (3 hours 46 minutes)
• San Sebastián – Bilbao – Logroño – Pamplona – Pyrenees (4 hours 53 minutes)
• Seville – Córboba – Granada – Alpujarras – Malaga - Ronda (1 hour 33 minutes)

Book Your Flight to Spain

Read more: Find out Where Your Favourite Bollywood Stars Went for Their Honeymoon!

3. Finding Fanny (2014)

This movie follows the journey of five dysfunctional friends and explores another side of Goa, one beyond its usual ‘party destination’ tag.

How You Can Do It:

Explore the lesser-known locales of Goa featured in the movie on a road trip through Goa. Check out Divar Island (accessible by ferry from both North and South Goa) overlooking the Mandovi River. Its scenic and unique charm gives you a feeling that life has slowed down for a while as you bike through it and discover the town for yourself. St Jacinto Bridge is also featured in the movie along with the Three Kings Church. In addition, Lisbon House (Deepika’s village in the movie) and Siolim Bridge are other places to explore for exquisite Portuguese architecture.

Time It Will Take:

North to South Goa (1 hour 45 minutes)

Book Your Flight to Goa

4. Highway (2014)

 

This movie is a road movie in the truest sense of the term, driving a truck along the highways of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. The brilliant cinematography showcases the gems you can see on the drive.

How You Can Do It:

While the highway road trip is extremely long, you can definitely do a shorter road trip from Delhi to Himachal Pradesh trip perhaps, watching the endless highway give way to hilly mountainside!

Time It Will Take:

Delhi- Chandigarh- Shimla-Kalka-Kufri-Narkanda-Mashobra-Naldehra-Tattapani-Kausali (12 Hours)

Read more: Get Behind the Scenes—Take a Bollywood Tour

5. Road, Movie (2009)

 

Vishnu’s (played by Abhay Deol) escape from his father’s company on a road of self-discovery across Rajasthan (namely Jaisalmer) and the Kutch district in Gujarat is what makes this underrated movie such a visual treat.

How You Can Do It:

With the Delhi-Jaipur/Ajmer expressway, crossing borders couldn’t get easier. With multiple dhabas along the highway, pit stops are not hard to come by. Remember to stop by the sand dunes in Jaisalmer before heading to the Kutch for some soul searching in the white sands.

Time It Will Take:

The Delhi-Jaisalmer using NH 15 would take approximately 12 hours and it’ll be another 10 hours on to Kutch.