Places to visit and Things to do in Goa

Quote of the Post- "Let's Go A" - Quote about trip to Goa 'Beach Capital of India' - Sachin Kumar Gupta

If you are in Goa or planning to visit, and searching for where to go and what to do in Goa, you are at the right place. On one hand you have the most alluring natural charms whereas on the other hand you have an excellent array of architectural masterpieces, which are dotted in various towns of the state. Goa is a perfect place for sightseeing tour. Every corner of this tropical paradise displays a fine blend of traditional and modern aspects of life. Are you still planning, if you are for a day, two or a week? Choose the best places to visit in Goa as per your stay location and time of the visit.

|| Places to visit in Goa ||

Beach curves of North and South Goa [Best time Oct - March, though can be visited all time of the year]
Aguada Fort, North Goa [Best time Aug - March, though can be visited all time of the year]
Dona Paula, Panajim [Best time Aug - March, though can be visited all time of the year]
The Bom Jesus Church (Old Goa) [All times of the year]
St. Alex Church, Calangute [All times of the year]
'Mae De Deus' church, Saligao near Calangute [All times of the year]
Tropical Spice Plantation (A-14, Arla Bazar, Keri, Ponda) [All times of the year]
Shree Mangesh Prashanna Temple [All times of the year]
Mackie’s Saturday night market (Calangute - Anjuna Rd, Verla, Arpora, Goa) [All times of the year]
An eve at Paradise or Princesa Cruise, Panjim [All times of the year]
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary [Best time Nov - Feb, though can be visited all time of the year]
Arvalem Caves and Waterfall [Best time Aug - Nov]
Carnival of Goa [Feb]

|| Things to do in Goa || Beside indulging yourself in activities like sunbathing at beaches, try out other exciting things to do in Goa to make your trip an experience of lifetime.

Goa Entertainment - Nightclubs and Discos: Things to do in Goa list cannot be complete till we include Nightlife at a nightclub or disco parties at shacks on beaches of Goa. 

Water Sports: The vast sandy expanses of Goa are well known for various kinds of Water Sports like swimming, surfing, scuba diving, boat rides etc.

Goa Casinos and Cruises: Have an exclusive experience of boarding floating casino in Goa. The best casinos of the territory are legalized and boasts slot machines and live gaming. Goa offers best casino gaming which give domestic and international tourists yet another reason to visit the place. Some of the major casino games includes American Roulette, Black Jack, Baccarat, Rummy, Flash and Stud Poker. Don't forget to take a cruise to make your Goa Vacation more memorable.There are also three types of river cruises available in Goa such as day time, sunset and moonlight.

Backwater Swimming: There are few places where you can enjoy swimming in backwater. While the piping hot sun is on your head, enjoy swimming to get rid off the heat. Beautiful backwaters are waiting for you to dip in.

Fishing: Fishing is something you will enjoy when you get one. The best season for fishing in Goa is Monsoon. Traditional fishing style adopted by the local fishermen in Goa is called Rapan.

Camping: If you are wondering about doing something more interesting then beach camping is the perfect match for your instinct. There are many camp tents to campers for camping overnight. People seeking for adventure can also enjoy cycling and kayaking activities.

Dolphin Trip: From Calangute Beach and many other beaches, people can enjoy dolphin watch or opt for a dolphin ride. You must have seen a dolphin in an aquarium but in a sea rarely. You may get the opportunity to view dolphins in their natural habitat. October to December is the ideal season for dolphin watching in Goa.

Kayaking: Last but not the least, kayaking is another one of the popular things to do in Goa.

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Best Beaches of Goa, India

Best Beach Curves of Goa

I already have hattrip to Goa, and planning again this year. Love for Goa and its beaches never diminishes. Best time to visit the beaches of Goa is between the months of September and March. The deep blue sea, soft sand, swaying palms and coconut trees, delicious seafood, water sports and night-life of the Goan beaches makes it a popular and most loved tourist destination. Star (*) mark beaches are good for one or the other reason and for photography locations. List of beaches in Goa are as below.

Best North Goa Beaches: These beaches are full of water-sports, nightlife, activities throughout the year. A visit to Baga and Calangute is must for your itinerary. These beaches are famous for their extensive curved stretches, white sands and palm fringes.

Querim Beach
Kalcha Beach
*Arambol Beach
*Mandrem Beach
Ashvem Beach
Morjhim Beach 

**Morjim Beach (Morgim Beach) - One of my favorite among all north Goa beaches, popularly known as the Turtle Beach. The Morjim Beach is special as it serves as a hatching and nesting habitat of the Olive Ridley turtles, which are an endangered species. The sight of the tiny hatch-lings, turtles and crabs makes your experience at the beach an unforgettable one. Kite surfing is another activity popular at this beach because of its shallow depth.

*Vegator Beach (Nearby Chapora Fort): It boasts of pure white sand, doted with black lava rocks and swaying coconut and palm trees and lies within the backdrop of the 500-year-old Portuguese Fort and takes the visitors down the memory lane depicting the Old Portuguese era. Vagator's broad white sandy beach - Big Vagator Beach also known as "Little Vagator" is undeniably beautiful and offers picturesque vista with the red ramparts of Chapora Fort. 

Ozran Beach
*Anjuna Beach: The beach is famous for its stunning natural beauty with swaying palms trees and soft powered white sands. Now man-made stones are also being developed at one side for cleaner look.

 
**Bagha Beach (Baga Beach): The lovely beach of Baga is one of the oldest preserved beaches in Goa. There are many shacks which are lively even during night famous all over the world. This is for sure the most happening beach in Goa. 

**Calingute (Calangute) Beach: Water Sports and nightlight at the beach. You can also try lighting up Chinese candles up over the sea, and it looks amazing during night.

*Candolim Beach: This beautiful beach begins at Fort Aguada and ends at Chapora Beach.

Coco Beach Dandarim
Kekdole Beach
*Miramar Beach, Panjim: It is a golden beach fringed with palm trees. The soft sands of the beach makes it the best site for evening walks. 

Caranzalem Beach
*Dauna Paula beach
Marivel Beach
Dias Beach
Vainguinim Beach
Odxel Beach
Siridao Beach

Best South Goa Beaches: North Goa beaches are the crowded ones, but if you need few idle or peaceful beaches, South Goa would be the better side to roam around and relax. Clean blue water of the Arabian Sea gives you a pristine view of sea beds.

Baina Beach
*Hansa Beach (Goa Airport Flights passing above this)
Bimbel Beach
Bogmalo Beach
Hollant Beach
Cansaulim Beach
Arossim Beach
Utorda Beach

**Majorda Beach: It is one of the marvelous beaches in Goa that is located about 18 kilometers from Dabolim Airport.

*Betalbatim Beach (Sunset Beach): For sunset and photography lovers. Each one of us has definitely been lucky enough to witness beautiful sunsets sometime but the beauty of the sunsets at the Betalbatim Beach is beyond imagination.

**Colva Beach: The beach consists of fine powdered white sand and is bounded along its coast by coconut palms that stretch from Bogmalo in the north to Cabo de Rama in the south along south Goa's coastline. 

*Varca Beach: It is one of the cleanest beaches in Goa that allows the tourists to spend some time in solitude. 

Carmona Beach
*Cavelossim Beach
*Mobor Beach: This beach is an ideal location for the adventure tourists. It is one of the most popular beaches in South Goa, which enables the tourists to indulge in adventure sports such as water skiing, water surfing, jet ski, banana and bump rides and parasailing.

*Betul Beach
Canaguinim Beach
*Cabo de Rama Beach and Church
*Agonda Beach
Butterfly Beach
*Palolem Beach: The enthralling Paolem Beach instills in us a feeling of tranquility that is one of the major attribute of this serene Goa beach.
Tapona Beach

Ref: Above maps are taken from mapsofindia.com. Keep enjoying all beach curves of Goa.

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Trip To South Goa

Quote of the Post- "Let's Go A" - Quote about trip to Goa - Sachin Kumar Gupta

Previous Day 1 Goa Trip : Calangute Beach, Dolphin Trip, An eve at Bagha Beach

Day 2 Goa Trip: Sunrise at Calangute Beach, St. Alex Church, Dona Paula - Panaji, Miramar Beach - Panaji, Paradise Cruise, Saturday Night Market
Next Day 3 Goa Trip : Aguada Fort, North Goa

Sunrise at Calangute Beach:

It was quite early in the morning when we rushed for catching the Sun waking up, at Calungute Beach...Meenal was more excited than me. Two of us enjoyed serenity of the morning while the sun rose, and with a cup of tea while playing with shore waves. Ah! What more can we ask for. She clicked some of the best snaps of the day - birds flying towards the sun, me trying to catch the Sun on my palm, my jump into the water etc.

Next destination was South Goa. We had booked for the evening Paradise cruise and we had whole day with us to explore southern part of the tiniest state of India. On our way to Panaji, the first stop was at St. Alex Church, which is just at the first round about turn to Calangute - Panaji way. 

Dona Paula - Panaji:

I visited this place again, but this time as a free biker with Meenal, Piyush and Monika. The panoramic view of the huge Ocean and Marmagoa Harbour, makes this place even prettier and hence it is a popular venue for film shoots. All this while, the sun was at its best. To beat the heat, we helped ourselves with Kokam juice and moved ahead for our hunt for lunch & our next destination. 

Post a good vegetrian lunch, we visited Panaji Police Station - (of-course from outside)

Miramar Beach:

On the banks of the river Mandovi, lies the beutiful Miramar Beach. There are very good facilities for children to play here, the highlight being a giant concrete fish. The place is much suited for people from age groups, For the couples there are many places like "Just for two of us" under the coconut and palm tree, walk along the beach hand in hand. For the groups 'to play at the ground lying between the road and the beach. For individual 'just to relax and calm' or 'to have eye-tonic' oops. We spent quite enough time here.

Sunset Paradise River cruise along Mandovi River:

We clubbed up with Amit Ladge, Divya, Ravi and others at the cruise entrance. Cruise sailed along the river Mandovi, while we enjoyed the glimpse of Goan culture. We were greeted on Cruise by Goan traditional songs and dance live performances. After that the stage was open for all of us, and we were the first one to rock on the floor. An hour's journey was completed within blink of an eye, with we all dancing, singing and enjoying. It was a totally worth, must-enjoy experience, just INR 150.

'Mae De Deus' church, Saligao:

While coming back from Panaji, we saw divine lights, that was coming from 'Mae De Deus' church at Saligao. We stopped here for some time, and clicked some pics in yellow and orange lights. After seeing this church, You can say that beautiful churches are not only in Europe, but in Goa as well. It looks simply magnificent at night. It enshrines the statue of Mae de Deus the literal translation of which is 'Mother of God'.

If you are idle on one of the evenings in Goa, and interested in visiting exquisite church, then visit the Mae De Deus church during night and enjoy the spectacular views of the awe-inspiring structure.

Mackie’s Saturday night market:

For Mackie’s Saturday night market, you have to follow Calangute - Anjana road. *** Open from November till April, unmissable, every Saturday 6.00 p.m. onwards. *** This market is very famous among foreign tourist birds. Here you can see different kind of bric-a-brac, clothes, trinkets, exotic delicacies and Goanese Cuisine. You'll see the most outlandish shows and some colorful people from all around the world roaming around with a drink in one hand and a shopping list in the other! If you want to buy something from this Saturday night market, then be prepared to bargain hard. There is also a stage for spectacular performances like, acrobats, fire dancer/ Jugglers, Oriental belly dancers and many more.

Other places to visit in Goa:
Nightlife and watersports at Calangute

Goa in a day: The Bom Jesus Church, Tropical Spice Plantation, Shree Mangesh Prashanna, Dona Paula-Panaji, Princesa Cruise

One day visit to North Goa: Calangute Beach, Dolphin Trip, An eve at Bagha Beach

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