Places to visit in Goa

Goa is a small state, not a city: 105 km of coastline and more than 50 beaches, with Panaji (Panjim) on the Mandovi river in the middle and Old Goa's churches just upstream. The first decision is which half to base yourself in, because it also decides your airport.

North Goa is louder and busier. [Calangute and Baga](/en/goa/calangute-and-baga/) are the biggest, most commercial beaches; [Anjuna](/en/goa/anjuna-beach/) is where the party reputation started, with red cliffs and a Wednesday flea market; [Vagator](/en/goa/vagator-beach/) has two coves under [Chapora Fort](/en/goa/chapora-fort/) and the best sunset on that stretch.

South Goa is slower. [Agonda](/en/goa/agonda/) is a long beach with no dense building, [Butterfly Beach](/en/goa/butterfly-beach/) is reached by boat or an hour of forest path, [Cola Beach](/en/goa/cola-beach-and-lagoon/) hides a freshwater lagoon behind the sand, and [Galgibaga](/en/goa/galgibaga/) is one of the least developed beaches in the state. [Varca](/en/goa/varca/), [Mobor](/en/goa/mobor/) and [Cavelossim](/en/goa/cavelossim/) are resort zones for an easy, quiet stay.

The smell of the coast is salt, frying fish and coconut oil; inland it turns to wet laterite, cashew and incense from the temple lamps.

Old Goa and the Mandovi

• [Basilica of Bom Jesus](/en/goa/basilica-of-bom-jesus/): built 1594–1605, it holds the relics of St Francis Xavier in a silver casket. Entry is free, modest dress expected.
• [Church of St. Francis of Assisi](/en/goa/church-of-st-francis-of-assisi/) and [Church of St. Cajetan](/en/goa/church-of-st-cajetan/): the richest gilded interior in Old Goa behind a plain facade, and a scaled-down St Peter's of 1661 that stays calm while the Basilica fills.
• [Museum of Christian Art](/en/goa/museum-of-christian-art/): five centuries of Indo-Portuguese sacred art in the Convent of Santa Monica.
• [Divar Island](/en/goa/divar-island/): a free ferry ride to paddy fields and old villas a few minutes from Old Goa.

Forts

• [Fort Aguada and the lighthouse](/en/goa/fort-aguada-and-lighthouse/): built in 1612, with the best free view in North Goa. Open 09:30–18:00, so come in the late afternoon.
• [Reis Magos Fort](/en/goa/reis-magos-fort/): Goa's oldest surviving fort (1551), restored, with a gallery of Mario Miranda's drawings.
• [Cabo de Rama Fort](/en/goa/cabo-de-rama-fort/): free clifftop ruins in the south, with the sea on three sides.

Inland

• [Shri Mangeshi Temple](/en/goa/mangeshi-temple/) and [Shri Shantadurga Temple](/en/goa/shantadurga-temple-kavlem/): the great temples around Ponda, with lamp towers lit on festival nights. Combine them with the [Sahakari Spice Farm](/en/goa/sahakari-spice-farm/).
• [Mahadev Temple, Tambdi Surla](/en/goa/mahadev-temple-tambdi-surla/): the oldest temple standing in Goa, Kadamba basalt in forest at the foot of the Western Ghats.
• [Dudhsagar Falls](/en/goa/dudhsagar-falls/): a four-tier, 310-metre cascade. Jeep safaris from Collem run roughly from early October to May; in the monsoon the jeep road is closed, and the falls are seen from a passing train or on a guided trek booked through Goa Tourism.
• [Menezes Braganza House](/en/goa/menezes-braganza-house/): the largest Portuguese-era house in Goa, still lived in, in Chandor.

Markets: the [Anjuna flea market](/en/goa/anjuna-flea-market/) on Wednesdays in season, the Saturday [Arpora night market](/en/goa/arpora-night-market/), and [Mapusa](/en/goa/mapusa/), the working market town of the north.

Two days are enough for one half of the state: your beach, one fort at sunset, and either Old Goa or the Anjuna and Vagator stretch.

Three to four days let you add Old Goa with Panaji, an inland day for the Ponda temples and the spice farm, and a Wednesday or Saturday market.

A week is the natural Goa rhythm: time to move between north and south, take the boat to Butterfly Beach, ride a ferry to Divar, and in season do the jeep trip to Dudhsagar. Distances are short on the map, but north to south still means a couple of hours on the road.

November to February is peak season: dry, with days around 32–34°C, a calm sea and every shack open. March and April stay hot and dry; the sea starts to turn rough in April and May. From June to September the official red-flag advisory closes the sea and water sports, the shacks shut and the rain is heavy (about 955 mm in July). October is the shoulder month, with rough sea and the last showers. For the novena and feast of St Francis Xavier, Old Goa fills on the nine evenings before 3 December. Month-by-month figures are on the [weather page](/en/goa/weather/).

By air: pick the airport by your beach, not by the ticket price. Mopa (GOX) in the north is 15–20 km from Arambol and about 35 km from Calangute; Dabolim (GOI) in the south is 25 km from Margao and 65 km from Palolem. The wrong one costs two hours of road. Kadamba (KTCL) airport shuttles cost about ₹150–400; a prepaid taxi or GoaMiles costs about ₹1,100–2,800.

By train: the Konkan Railway stops at Madgaon for the south, Thivim for the northern beaches and Karmali for Panaji and Old Goa. From Mumbai, the Vande Bharat takes about 7 h 45 min; the overnight Konkan Kanya about 12.5 hours.

By bus: overnight sleepers leave Mumbai and Bengaluru in the evening and arrive in the morning.

Around Goa: the scooter is how Goa actually moves, about ₹300–500 a day off season and up to ₹1,000 at peak. You need an international driving permit with category A and a helmet, and police checkposts do fine. For taxis use GoaMiles or the state Goa Taxi app. Buses run through Panaji, Mapusa and Margao and stop around 21:00. River ferries are free on foot and on two wheels. More on the pages about [getting here](/en/goa/how-to-get-there/) and [getting around](/en/goa/getting-around/).