About Goa

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Goa

Goa is famous for its natural beaches, temples, water falls, hill spots, paddy fields, coconut groves.

History

Goa History Goa is a state in western India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. Its long history as a Portuguese colony prior to 1961 is evident in its preserved 17th-century churches and the area’s tropical spice plantations. Goa is also known for its beaches, ranging from popular stretches at Baga and Palolem to those in laid-back fishing villages such as Agonda.
There are several places to visit & tourist attraction points in Goa, making the Goa travel information and tourism guide incredibly rich with Goa Map & Images. In this amazing beach town, you find a number of options for villas, cheap Goa hotel packages, budget rates for Goa resorts & luxury accommodation with a large range of Goa hotels and resorts. Also there are several affordable tours & packages available for Goa tour. Goa, the smallest Indian state and much-loved tourist place of India, is situated in the coastal Konkan region and on the bank of Arabian Sea which forms its western coast. Beaches in Goa are the best part of the excellence list of the beach state, where you can rejuvenate yourself. The second major attraction in Goa is the religious places like temples and churches in the town.

Weather

Goa Weather Goa features a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification. Goa, being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, has a hot and humid climate for most of the year. Despite a moderate climate in Goa, monsoon takes as many as 5 months – from June to September – to last. Due to its being located in the coastal Konkan region and in the vicinity of Western Ghats, Goa is blessed with a pleasant and sunny weather. The state faces no extremes in temperature and no clear demarcations between two seasons, except in the monsoon. Its average temperature ranges between 25°C to 30°C (67.96F to 81.56F Approx).

Summer (March - June) Summers are not the ideal time to visit Goa. However, the advantages of visiting Goa in the off-season are cheaper accommodation and rates of food, booze, travel and absence of crowd and rush.

Monsoon (July - September) Goa in monsoons could be quite the dampener. However, the flip side to being here this time is that all prices take a dip. You can also enjoy the trek to Dudhsagar Falls and see it in its best form.

Winter (November - February) It is in the month of October that the monsoon starts to fade away and there is a slight chill in the atmosphere. The winter starts setting in from November. Due to proximity to the Arabian Sea, the winters are not harsh. The temperatures in winter are around 20-22 degrees Celsius.

Restaurants and Local Food in Goa

Restaurants and Local Food in Goa Goa is home to everything refreshing, zesty, exotic and colourful. And this includes Goan food. The food here is a blend of Konkani, Hindu, Portuguese and Catholic cuisines, providing wide and vibrant choices. Seafood, coconut milk, rice and local spices are the main elements of Goan cuisine and fish, curry and rice form the staple food. Goan food with its unique combination of coconut, rice, and spices form a rich Portuguese as well as South Indian cuisine. Seafood like prawns, lobsters, crabs, pomfret fish, clams, ladyfish, mussels, and oysters is used to make a variety of curries, fries, soups and pickles. Fish curry, fried fish, fish cutlets are just some of the items that you must savour in Goa. Goa also offers a variety of options to vegetarians, however, don't expect a lot from it.

Food Making your food hunt easier here are some famous restaurants which you may visit

Beach Shacks Thalassa for Greek Salads and Grills, La Plage for French Mediterranean Cuisine, Brittos, a plethora of Seafood and Multi-Cuisine, Souza Lobo for Goan Seafood dishes

Restaurants Waves for Seafood and Italian Cuisine, Zeebop for Goan and North-Indian Cuisine, Home for European Cuisine, Smugglers Inn for British Cuisine, Bean Me Up for American, and Kamaxi Hotel for Goan food.

Fairs & Festivals

Goa Festivals Being a predominantly Roman Catholic society, most of the festivals of Goa are Christianity-specific. Feast days, thanksgiving, monsoon celebrations, processions-all mark the Goanese calendar. Shigmo, the Goanese version of Holi, is celebrated in the month of February and March. The Feast of Our Lady of Miracles, celebrated 16 days after the Easter, is secular by nature and is celebrated with pomp and show by both Hindus and Christians. Igitun Chalne, held at Sirigao temple in Bicholim during May, is one of Goa's most distinctive festivals. The main attraction of the festival comes when devotees of Goddess Lairaya walk across burning coals to prove their devotion. The Feast of St. Anthony in the month of June is also significant as it marks the beginning of monsoon. Besides such religious festivals, Goa is also known for its arts and crafts fairs, and food festivals.

Shopping

Goa Shopping It doesn’t really ever happens that we visit a place and we do not enjoy shopping there. Like most of the other destinations of India, Goa too offers some amazing stuff to its visitors. There are shops, flea markets, stalls, designer fashion boutique, and everything else. Shopping in Goa involves getting your hands on stylish clothes, jholas and other kinds of bags, funky trinkets, showpieces, wall hangings and mirrors made from sea shells, hats, beach wear, sunglasses, spices, cashew nuts, Goa’s own Fenny and much more. Just remember, bargain as much as possible! Following are some of the popular markets in Goa for shopping:

Anjuna Flea Market One of the most famous markets of Goa, Anjuna flea market is known to be the ‘hippie capital of Goa’ and is organized at the Anjuna beach on every Wednesday. You can get your hands on things pouring in from all across the country including bedspreads, saris and bags from Rajasthan; colorful T-shirts from Gujarat; jewelry from Kashmir; spices from Kerala, beach wear, trinkets, hammocks, handicrafts, and other souvenirs. Anjuna flea markets starts around mid-November and continues till the end of April month. After shopping, savor sumptuous food and beverages from the nearest restaurants and bars. To see the maximum, visit the market after 5’o clock. Live trance music is the highlights

Friday Mapusa Market Located in northern Goa, Mapusa is a tiny town that hosts the wonderful Friday Mapusa Market. Drawing huge crowds, this market is explored from locals from all around the state. Observe the typical hustle-bustle of a Goan market. It open around 8 am in the morning and shuts down in the evening at around 6 pm. Some of the best buys here are vegetable, freshest of fishes, fresh fruits, plastic utensils, and earthen cooking pots.

Municipal Market Municipal markets of Goa is basically a narrow street that has been converted into a market. These markets are perfect for a nice stroll where you see clothing shops, aromatic eateries, and shops of daily utility items. The specialty of this market freshest of catches, especially fishes.

Panjim Market Another wonderful market of Goa, Panjim market is equally popular amid locals as well as tourists with its main highlight being a mix of modern shops and local stalls. It is the state’s largest market.

Baga Beach Market Organized every Sunday near the Baga Beach, Baga beach market is also a must-visit to get good quality meat, seafood products, rural products, wood carvings, household ware, textiles. earthenware, and handicrafts. There are tattoo makers and palm readers too.

Calangute Market Square Organized every Saturday near the post office, beside the Calangute beach, this market has leather items, Kashmiri and Tibetan products, pottery, textiles, household ware, jewelry, clothes, meat and fish products, pottery and other things on display.

Ingo’s Saturday Night Bazaar Held at Arpora, this night markets was started by a German National, Ingo Grill who liked the idea of Nite Bazaars. This markets is extremely famous for semi-precious stones; Kashmiri, Tibetan and Rajasthani handicraft items; books, paintings, music, funky jewelry, and clothes. There are a number of food stalls too, serving Indian and popular world delicacies.

Mackie’s Night Bazaar at Baga Quite similar to the above mentioned market, this market has shops owned by Indian as well as foreign nationals. Visitors can savor Indian, Goan, Tibetan and Chinese street food. Live performances by local music bands.

Nightlife in Goa

Nightlife in Goa Fun lovers, people fond of eating out and nightlife lovers have many options to hangout in the “City of Beaches” as the city hosts countless bars, restaurants, casinos and clubs. Try out these popular places of Goa to enjoy to the fullest. Goa becomes more lively and musical at nights. People tap their toes to the music played in the night clubs and bars. As the nightlife strikes the city, the visitors can simply lie on their bed in the hotel room and enjoy the music coming out from the night clubs. The rhythm of dance and the live entertainment of Goa attract the tourists from all over the country and world. Most of the nightclubs and bars in Goa follow the western style and few of them host rave parties as well. In Calangute, Candolim and hilltop location in Arpora are some of the best nightlife locations in Goa and are not restricted to the usual nightlife as in most places of India including metropolitan cities. There are a few nightclubs in Panaji as well. Every Tuesday evening you can visit Kerkar Art Complex in Calangute or Kala Academy in Panaji, if you are interested in Indian classical music and dance. Kala Academy organizes The Pop and Jazz Music Festival in the month of February.

How to Reach

How to Reach Goa Goa by railways. Via railways, it is quite easy to reach Goa as the major railway stations in Goa are located in Margao. The main railway station is known as Madgaon and Vasco-da-gama. These railway stations are well linked with Mumbai and then other major parts of the country as well.

By Air There are daily flights to Goa from Delhi, Mumbai, Banglore, Hyderabad Pune, Chennai, Cochin and Ahmedabad. Goa is also a major International Airport for charter flights from Europe and the United Kingdom. There are direct flights from Dubai, Sharjah, Kuwait and Sri Lanka.

By Rail Goa is well connected by Konkan Railways to Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Secunderabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Bhopal, Jaipur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and other major cities.

By Road Panaji is connected by road to the main national highways crossing through Goa. Panaji is connected by road to Mumbai-594 km, Belgaum-157 km, Bangalore-632 km, Mysore-696 km, Pune-470 km and Manglore-450 km.