Why should one travel to Goa?
Goa, one of the states located towards the south western part of the country of India attracts tourist from across the globe for its beautiful sea beaches, Portuguese churches and age old temples. Apart from being a hub of varied water sports and sea beach carnivals, the state is even famous to national as well as international tourist for its beach resorts.
Best time to plan a trip to Goa
The state has got a hot and humid type of climate throughout the year. Let us have a look at the three different seasons of this south western state of India:
- Summer: Usually the period in between the months of March and May are marked as summer season in Goa. Mostly, the temperature exceeds 35° C during the month of May though.
- Monsoon: Rainy season in the state stretches from early June to late September. Within this period, the month of July receives the maximum rainfall.
- Winter: The short winter season of the state starts mainly from middle of December and continues till the month of February. During this time the temperature varies from 21° C to 28° C.
How to reach Goa?
Owing to its prime location by the coast of Arabian Sea, the state, apart from the general air, rail and roadways, is even connected to the other parts of the world through waterways. Following are the detailed information regarding how to reach there through the different transport systems:
- By Airways: Dabolim Airport, the sole military cum civilian airport of the state helps people reach Goa through airways. It mainly connects the state to the Indian cities like Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kozhikode, Jaipur, Pune and Mumbai. This domestic airport, situated in Vasco even serves as a stoppage to some international flights from places like Kuwait, Dubai, Sharjah in Middle East and Qatar. Besides that chartered flights from Britain, Germany, Netherlands and Russia arrives at this airport.
To name a few of the airlines operating from the Dabolim Airport are:
- Air Arabia
- Air India
- Go Air
- Air Deccan
- Indian Airlines
- Jet Airways
- Indigo
- Kingfisher Airlines
- Paramount Airways
- M. D. L. R. (Murli Dhar Lakh Ram) Airways
- SpiceJet
- Qatar Airways
- By Railways: Being the location of two rail gauges run by the Konkan Railways as well as the South Western Railways, the state is fortunate to have good network of railways. Two of the most popular railway stations of the state are located at Vasco-da-gama and Margao on the Konkan line. Some of the trains, which connect the place to the major cities of the country like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune etc. are as follows:
- Amaravathi Express (Kolkata)
- Eranakulam Express (Pune)
- Goa Express (Delhi)
- Madgaon Express (Chennai)
- Rajdhani Express (Trivandrum)
- By Road: The state can be reached by the two National Highways located within its proximity. One is NH - 17, which connects the state to the city of Mumbai and the other is NH - 4A that connects it to different cities of the Indian peninsula. Kadamba Bus Stop located at Panaji is Goa's main bus stand. Varied kinds of state owned as well as private buses ranging from luxury to non-luxury ones ply to and from the state. Apart from private taxis, motorcycle taxis are one of the major attractions of Goa's public transport system.
- By Waterways: Goa's Mormugao Harbor located near the Vasco city mainly handles international containers as well as coal, mineral ore and petroleum. Passenger steamers were operated earlier not anymore.
Major tourist attractions in Goa
The state of sun and sea has got numerous places to be visited by a tourist while his or her trip to Goa. Some of the famous places of visit in Goa are categorized below:
- Goa Sea beaches: The below mentioned table shows names of some of the most visited sea beaches of the state along with their location:
- Goa Churches: Some of the Portuguese churches of the state, which are worth visiting, are as follows:
- Basilica of Bom Jesus
- Chapel of St. Catherine
- Chapel of St. Anthony
- Church of Mac De Deus Church or the Rosary
- Church of Our Lady of Mercy
- Church of Our Lady of Miracles
- Church of Our Lady of Mount
- Church of St. John of God
- Church of St. Monica
- Church of Holy Spirit
- Reis Magos Church
- Mary Immaculate Conception Church
- Se Cathedral Church
- St. Anne Church
- St. Alex Church
- St. Augustine Church
- St. Cajetan Church
- St. Paul Church
- St. Francis of Assisi Church
- Goa Temples: Following are some of the temples in Goa, situated in different parts of the state:
- Shree Betal Temple at Pernem
- Shree Brahma Temple at Carambolim
- Shree Damodar Temple at Zambaulim and Vasco Da Gama
- Shree Chandranath Temple at Paroda
- Shree Dattatraya Temple at Sanquelim and Mapusa
- Shree Hanuman Temple at Mapusa
- Shree Kalikadevi Temple at Kansarpal
- Shree Laxmi Narsimha Temple at Nagueshi
- Shree Mahalaxmi Temple at Panaji and Bandode
- Shree Navdurga Temple at Madkai and Borim
- Shree Shantadurga Temple at Kavlem, Fatorpa and Pernem
- Goa Mosques: Though the state has got a lesser number of mosques as compared to the churches and temples, still Safa Masjid and Jama Masjid are two of the famous mosques in Goa.
- Goa Forts: The forts located in the state, which are associated with some of the known historical events, are as follows:
- Aguada Fort
- Chapora Fort
- Cabo de Rama Fort
- Tiracol Fort
- Mormugao Fort
- Other tourist attractions in Goa: Apart from the places mentioned earlier, some of the most visited places in and around Goa are:
- Arvalem Caves
- Bambar Sacred Groves
- Carambolim Lake
- Dudhsagar Waterfalls
- Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary
- Goa Chitra Ethnographic Museum
- Mayem Lake
- Kesarval Spring
- Netravalli Lake
- Salaulim Dam
| Sea beaches in North Goa | Sea beaches in South Goa |
|---|---|
| Aguada Beach | Agonda Beach |
| Arambol Beach or Harmal Beach | Betalbatim Beach |
| Anjuna Beach | Benaulim Beach |
| Baga Beach | Bogmalo Beach |
| Candolim Beach | Betul Beach |
| Calangute Beach | Colva Beach |
| Morjim Beach | Cavelossim Beach |
| Miramar Beach | Mobor Beach |
| Vagator Beach | Palolem Beach |
| Sinquerim Beach | Majorda Beach |
Best places to dine in Goa
The state is dotted with numerous restaurants, many of which are famous for sea food. The mouth watering dishes that are more popular in Goa are Vindaloo, Cafreal and Zacuti. Rice and Fish curry forms the state's staple diet. Feni is the most popular Goan drink. Some of the renowned restaurants in Goa that a food lover cannot afford to miss to visit are as follows:
- After Seven: This Candolim based restaurant serves lip smacking preparations of seafood.
- Britto's: This multi-cuisine restaurant is situated near Baga and offers varied kinds of grilled food.
- Hotel Vrundavan: This restaurant in Mapusa is famous for serving authentic local dishes.
- Sublime: Located near Anjuna Beach, this restaurant is known for serving delicious western cuisine.
Where to stay while on a visit to Goa?
This south western state of the nation has got innumerable hotels and resorts, which will make your Goa trip memorable. Names and contact details of some of them are mentioned below:
| Name of Hotel or Resort | Category | Address | Telephone Number | E-mail Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alila Diwa | 5 Star | 48/ 10 Village Majorda, Adao Waddo, Salcette, Goa - 403 713, India. | + 91 - 0832 - 2746800 | diwagoa@alilahotels.com |
| Dona Sylvia Beach Resort | 4 Star | Cavelossim, Mobor, Goa - 403 731, India. | + 91 - 0832 - 2871888/ 6727777 | info@donasylvia.com |
| Casablanca Beach Hotel | 3 Star | Wadi Candolim, Bardez, P. O. North Goa, Goa - 403 515, India. | + 91 - 0832 - 2479224/ 9480 | info@casablancagoa.com |
| Alor Holiday Hotel (A unit of Armacar Group) | 2 Star | Poriat, Naika Vaddo, Calangute, Goa - 403 516, India. | + 91 - 09922998350/+91 - 0832 - 6640777 | alorresort@rediffmail.com |
| Valentines Beach Retreat | Budget Hotels | Sequeira Waddo, Candolim, Bardez, Goa - 403 515, India. | + 91 - 0832 - 2479828/ 9431 | pundalik_goa@valentinesretreat.com and info@valentinesretreat.com |
Last Updated on 11/02/2011
