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Goa Chitra Museum, Benaulim
Goa Chitra Museum in Benaulim, South Goa, is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00. A ticket costs ₹150 for one of its three museums, ₹250 for two and ₹300 for all three, and every ticket includes a guided tour. It is one man's collection of the everyday Goa that was being thrown away: farm tools, carts, furniture, medical instruments, about 40,000 objects in all.
Victor Hugo Gomes spent years collecting what village Goa was throwing away (ploughs and grain measures, pottery, oil lamps, carts and carriages) and built a museum around it in Benaulim, on a working organic farm. Tens of thousands of objects fill linked sections: Goa Chakra for transport, Goa Cruti for colonial-era artefacts. It is counted among the finest private museums in India, and visits run as guided tours, which is the right way to see it: half of each object is the story of who used it, for what, and until when.
The vanished working Goa, saved object by object and explained on a guided walk
Timings and tickets
- Hours: 9:00–18:00, every day of the week. The café keeps the same hours.
- One museum: ₹150
- Any two museums: ₹250
- All three museums: ₹300
The price includes a guided tour by the museum's own guides, and that is how the collection is meant to be seen: half of every object is the story of who used it, for what, and until when. Groups of 10 or more get discounted rates by appointment, and can book a tour led by the founder or the museum's "Goan Quest" programme.
Each museum is seen on its own guided tour; if time is short, start with Goa Chitra itself.
Three museums, one collector
Victor Hugo Gomes, an artist, actor and restorer, spent some 30 years collecting what Goan villages were discarding. It began with the storerooms and lofts of old Goan houses, where broken and discarded things were kept. The museum opened in 2009 and stands on a working organic farm.
Goa Chitra. The agrarian museum, and the heart of the place. It began as 200 objects and now shows more than 4,000: oil presses, clay pots, ploughs, grain measures, fishing gear and traditional games. The point is how old Goan farming lived alongside nature, and the guides fill in the oral histories collected with each piece.
Goa Chakra. Described by the museum as India's first transport museum: more than 70 non-motorised carts, palanquins, cradles, temple chariots and caravans gathered from across India, some of them from the dump yards of antique dealers in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala, then reassembled and restored.
Goa Cruthi. Opened in 2016 and devoted to colonial-era Goa: furniture and crockery, clocks, cameras, arms and printing machinery. Two galleries stand out. One recreates a lawyer's desk and keeps government gazettes since 1961; the other holds surgical, dental and maternity instruments, including equipment from Goa Medical College, founded in 1801.
There is also an art gallery, an organic shop and a café.
How to get there
The museum is at 498 Benaulim, near Auxilium High School, in Salcete, South Goa. By the museum's own estimates it is 5 km (about 10 minutes) from Margao, 37 km (about 50 minutes) from Panaji, and 45–55 km (70–90 minutes) from the North Goa beach belt. Madgaon Junction is the nearest railway station. A taxi, scooter or car is the practical way in; combine the visit with Benaulim or Colva beach the same day.
Before you go
A morning visit avoids the midday heat on the farm. If you are travelling with children, the museum runs a kids' club and summer camps, and Goa Chakra, with its carts and chariots, is the easiest place to start.
❓ FAQ
What is the entry fee for Goa Chitra Museum?
₹150 for any one museum, ₹250 for two and ₹300 for all three. A guided tour is included in every ticket.
What are Goa Chitra Museum's timings?
9:00–18:00, open all week.
Do I have to take the guided tour?
The tour is part of the ticket and is the way the museum presents its collection. It is worth it: most objects make sense only with their story.
Who founded Goa Chitra?
Victor Hugo Gomes, an artist, actor, researcher and restorer, who collected the objects himself over about 30 years.
Where is Goa Chitra Museum?
In Benaulim, South Goa, near Auxilium High School, about 5 km from Margao.
Is Goa Chitra worth visiting?
Yes, if you are curious about how Goa lived before tourism. It is counted among the finest private museums in India, and the guided tour explains village Goa object by object.