10 Best places in goa to visit { Goa tourist }

places in Goa to visit { Goa tourist }

best time to visit goa, places to visit in goa, goa tourist

GOA

Goa’s friendly, easy-going people go out of their way to make visitors feel at home.

Today,Goa is one of India’s most popular holiday destinations, with its idyllic beaches, lush paddy fields, coconut plantations and villages dotted with pretty whitewashed churches and grand mansions.

Its other attractions include the Hindu temples around Ponda, built between the 15th and 18th centuries, and the magnificent cathedrals of Old Goa.

best places in goa to visit

Reis Magos

• Some buildings within the fort once housed the state prison. The local beach, Sinquerim, is known for its luxury resorts.

Environs Fort Aguada, 4 km (2 miles) west of Reis Magos, was built in 1612 as a defence against the Marathas and the Dutch. Its church, dedicated to St Lawrence, the patron saint of sailors, was built in 1630, while the huge lighthouse dates to 1864.

Constructed in 1555, this is one of Goa’s earliest churches, and has the royal Portuguese coat of arms on its façade.

Anjuna

• Fluorescent rave gear and trendy beachwear round off the selection, while added attractions are performing monkeys and fortune-telling Nandi bulls.

Anjuna has now replaced Calangute as a haven for backpackers. It is better known for its full-moon rave parties and sprawling flea market than for its beach.

The popular flea market, held every Wednesday, is crowded with hawkers from all over India selling everything from Balinese batik, silver jewellery and papier-mâché boxes, to Tibetan prayer wheels, Rajasthani mirrorwork and Kerala woodcarvings.

best time to visit goa

Mapusa

The region’s famous cashew nuts are also much in demand. Hawkers peddle a range of beachwear, including cheap T-shirts and summer dresses, in the covered colonnades in front of the rows of shops. In Mapusa, the largest town in northern Goa, the main point of interest is the colourful Friday market, with its tantalizing aromas of dried fish, spices, chillies, vinegar, local toddy and the spicy Goan sausages, chouriça.

Terekhol Fort

The tiny chapel within the fort, with a statue of Christ in the courtyard, is usually closed, but the atmospheric Terekhol Fort Heritage Hotel offers some excellent views.

The fort’s high battlements face the sea, looking across the waters to Fort Aguada, Arambol and Chapora. Across the Terekhol river from Querim is the little hamlet of Terekhol, with Terekhol (Tiracol) Fort situated on a plateau above it.

best goa places to visit

Palolem

Palolem’s remote location, away from the crowded beaches of central Goa, makes it an ideal for a quiet holiday. Famous for its spectacular sunsets, this bay is enclosed by a rocky outcrop at one end, and Canacona Island, a good campsite, at the other. Among its attractions are the boat rides offered by fishermen, who take visitors out to sea for dolphin- watching trips.

Cavelossim

The ornate Church of the Holy Cross, is situated in a pretty square.It also has a golf course, luxury resorts and excellent seafood restaurants, such as the Seaways Bar.

A favourite with Indian celebrities, Cavelossim has an enchanting 2-km (1-mile) stretch of sand.Environs Mobor, 5 km (3 miles) south of Colva, is an idyllic spot, with its backdrop of hills and the pretty fishing village of Betul nestling near the Sal river.

Colva

Today, Colva draws vast numbers of visitors, who spend the day enjoying the lively atmosphere of its many beach shacks, set high on stilts and backed by shady palms. It is one of South Goa’s oldest and most developed beach resorts, and its 25-km (16-mile) long sandy beach, from the Mormugao peninsula in the north to Mobor in the south, is the longest uninterrupted stretch in the state.

These serve delicious grilled lobster and other seafood specialities. Bogmalo Beach, 20 km (12 miles) northwest of Colva, is a popular venue for wind-surfing.

Margao

The town square, Praça Jorge Barreto, has the large, colonial Municipal Building, which houses the library on its southern side, and a pop ular café called Longinhos nearby. Margao (Madgaon), Goa’s second most important city after Panaji, is the admin istrative and commercial capital of the South Goa district.

Pilar

The adjoining Church of Our Lady of Pilar has an elaborately carved stone doorway with a figure of St Francis of Assisi above it. Inside is a statue of Our Lady of Pilar, brought here from Spain.

Beaches

The sunset views here are spectacular. Siridao, a small, secluded beach a short drive from Panaji, is strewn with pretty seashells. Querim, close to Terekhol, is a lovely, unspoilt stretch of sand.

Palolem’s crescent- shaped beach, the loveliest in South Goa, offers dolphin-watching trips and tree houses for rent.

Colva has one of Goa’s longest uninterrupted stretches of sand, backed by shady palms. It is the most popular of South Goa’s beaches, and has a busy market square and a number of bars and seafood cafés.

Vainguinim has facilities for sailing, wind-surfing, water-skiing, parasailing, canoeing and scuba diving, as well as motor boats and jet skis for hire.

Bogmalo, safe for swimming, is an ideal family beach with adequate facilities for water sports. Baga, an extension of Calangute, Goa’s most developed beach, has lots of activity, with numerous bars, resorts and shacks, and some lively night spots.

A few reliable operators offer a range of water sports facilities as well as boat trips.

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