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Dona Paula is named after Dona Paula de Menzes, the daughter of a viceroy in colonial India, who threw herself off the cliff, when she was denied permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. Legends have it that Dona Paula is entombed in the Cabo Chapel of the Raj Bhawan and has been supposedly seen emerging from the moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace.

Located 7 kms west of Goa’s capital Panaji, the beach is on the southern side of the rocky hammer-shaped headlands that divide the Zuari and Mandovi estuaries. Providing a good view of the Mormugao harbor, this beach is fringed by palm trees and casuarina groves.

Temperature variations in Dona Paula are mild throughout the year. The climate is moist and humid (above 60 percent in summers). While it is pleasant and temperate from October to May, it is rainy from June to September. May is the warmest month with a temperature of around 30°C and January is coolest with a mean daily temperature of 25°C.

A bus or motorcycle-taxi from Panaji or the ferry service from Mormugao can be availed of to reach Dona Paula. In fact, buses to Dona Paula leave every fifteen minutes from Panaji's Kadamba stand. An interesting mode of conveyance throughout Goa is the motorcycle taxi. Unique to this state, these “taxis” carry only one passenger. However motorcycles can also be hired for personal use, on the basis of financial guarantee. Taxi and auto-rickshaws also are the available means of local conveyance in the area.

The National Oceanography Institute, in Dona Paula, is one of the major oceanography institutes in India. It was set up in the 1960s. It deals not only with marine biology, but with all the major branches of coastal and marine oceanography. The major attraction of the institute is its Marine Biology Museum and Taxonomy Reference Center. The Cabo Raj Niwas or the Governor’s House is half a kilometer away from the National Oceanography Institute. It houses the tomb of Dona Paula de Menzes in the Cabo Chapel. The Raj Bhawan offers an excellent view of the nearby coastline and the Aguada Fort.

With so much of romance and myth attached to it, tourists throng the Dona Paula Beach not only in search of the deceased beloved, but also to indulge in water sports on the clear waters. The Dona Paula Sports Club offers water-scooter, cycle, and motorboat rides. Other water sports include windsurfing, parasailing, water-skiing, toboggan ski-biscuit, skibob, sports fishing, snorkeling, harpoon fishing, kayaking, and yachting.

The main attractions near Dona Paula Beach are Reis Magos Church and the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. Approximately 10 km from the beach is one of the oldest churches built in Goa, the Reis Magos Church. It is dedicated to the three Magi (the wise men of the East)—Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar who were guided by a star to Bethlehem to greet the newborn Jesus. The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is situated on the western tip of the island of Choro, along the Mandovi River, about 9 km from Dona Paula Beach. Spread over 2 sq km. The sanctuary is a mangrove forest. Local and migratory birds are found here all through the year. Visitors require permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden to take a tour.

The festivals of Janmashtami and the Feast of St. Lawrence are particular to the Dona Paula Beach. The beach also hosts a colorful water sports festival in November. There are two other beaches within the proximity of the Dona Paula Beach – the Miramar beach (4 km north of Dona Paula) and the Vainguinim Beach (which is situated 1 km west). Several shops along the beachside, in Dona Paula, sell a variety of goods ranging from eatables to clothes. Feni, port wine — the two Goan liquor specialties — and local liquor is easily available. Indian handicrafts and jewelry are available at the Indian Arts Emporium in Dona Paula.