Shopping in Goa

Shopping Guides
No journey is complete until you take home some souvenirs to make your trip memorable. Therefore shopping is always a priority for every tourist.

The wonderful handicrafts of Goa are a must buy for everybody. Brassware, terracotta, shell work, crochets, carved furniture, bamboo work, papier-mâche, etc make excellent souvenir and are available in Government Emporiums and also at shops and stalls near the popular tourist spots. Another item that is also very popularly sought out by many shoppers is a pack of famed cashews. Goa's cashew nuts are famous in India and abroad. There are a wide variety of cashews available for sale: plane, salted and roasted. Goa also have some famous market places, which are a must visit for all tourists.

Anjuna
Goa's famous Wednesday Market is a must go. With a nonstop trance soundtrack setting the scene, thousand stalls sell almost everything. This place offers a unique collection of handicrafts, beachwear, souvenirs and trinkets sold at bargained prices. People from all over the world are gathered here. It also has an outdoor restaurant, Mango Shade, where one can relax after a fulfilling shopping experience.

Mapusa
At this Friday market at Mapusa you get you get everything from dried fish and spices to curios and old coins.

Ingo'S Saturday Night Bazaar
Come weekends and along comes Ingo's Saturday night Bazaar, where most of the money goes in liquor and food. Here people with happy-go-lucky attitude cruise around dancing and have a merry time.

Casa Goa
It's a stylish boutique featuring designer wear by celebrated Goan designer Wendell Rodericks, as well as local artwork, silk drapes, and a variety of antiques.

Sangolda
Based in a 200-year-old Portuguese mansion, in this boutique you can shop for unusual home accessories and furniture from all over India. Here you can find Kerala's rattan loungers as well as Rajasthani chests, all under one roof. Apart from these, there are traditional markets located in the small towns and villages of Goa. These markets symbolize the ethnic culture and the cultural heritage of Goa. Get More Details about Shopping in Goa and Christmas festival in Goa.

Markets in Goa

Arjuna Market

The famous Anjuna market, known more popularly as the flea market is held on every Wednesday in a grove of coconut palms between the rocky beach of Anjuna and the fallow rice paddies.

The concept of flea market was started by the hippies in early 80s, when they used to gather at the same place in Anjuna while many needy foreigners used to sell their electronic items or barter other stuffs to the locals. The market is said to have originated on Valentine's Day 25 years ago by an American hippie, Eddie Mazmaniam, for raising small scale funds. So sometimes the market is also called the "hippie market".

Currently Indians and Westerners, both sell their merchandise on this market. Everything from Indian crafts, silver jewellery, wooden chess sets, wide brimmed straw hats and bags, trinkets of shells and beads to the hottest London Clubwear, is sold in this resourceful market. Tattoo-Artists and Piercers are also present to display their art. It's also full of westerners who came to Goa to drink and party and "chill out" and who somehow just never left.

Calangute Market square

The streets of Calangute are packed with shops offering a wide range of goods, namely souvenirs, metal crafts, leather items, clothes and jewellery, not just from Goa, but from other parts of the country as well. The beach stretch is full of shacks, hawkers selling sarongs or astrologers or fortune-tellers waiting eagerly to read the fortune of the tourists.

The Kerkar Art Complex is at a stone throw distance of the beach. Mostly Goanese handicrafts are exhibited here. Classical Indian music is available on Thursdays and Fridays at the Complex.

The Saturday bazaar held in the Beach of Calangute, near the post office has plenty of good deals for shoppers. Fish, meat, and grocery are available if you stay there for a long time. There are also textiles, pottery, and other provisions. There is also a Tibetan market in Calangute. Kashmiri merchants also frequent Goa with carpets, embroidery, and other merchandises.

Mapusa market

Mapusa, a small town huddled around the Mount (Alto), 13 kms away from Panaji, has been the market hub of North Goa since ancient times even before proper roads were constructed. Mapusa market is also fondly known as 'Mapusa Friday Market' as it takes place every Friday.

Mapusa market was first cited by a Dutch Chronicler in 1580, who described it as The "Bazaar Grande". The town's name evolved from the Konkani words "maap" meaning 'volumes of measure' and "Sa" meaning 'to fill'. This can be taken to mean a place where goods are measured and bought.

The popularity of Mapusa as a market center grew out of ancient festivals in honour of the God Kanakeshwar Baba, revered at the Bodgeshwar Temple. Mapusa's location at the center of commercial activity as well as its proximity to a religious site has caused the Mapusa market to develop to its current size and scope.

Last Updated on: 20^th March 2013