Things to do in Goa

Goa is very different to other Indian states and is the reason it is a popular tourist destination. Hotels are reasonably priced, weather is warm, as an ex Portuguese colony tourists are made welcome and the climate is generally relaxed and easy going. Public transport leaves a lot to be desired so the roads and driving standards take a bit to get used to. A good starting point is to ignore the cows, bicycles, pedestrians, dogs and anything else that you think would create traffic incidents and concentrate instead on the lush greenery of the countryside and the bright colours of beautiful saris and fruit stalls

Wherever you stay in Goa, it is relatively easy to travel around from north to south. There is no consensus to which location is the best, so go to both.
We stayed in the south in Benaulim and used a taxi driver recommended by the hotel.

A good place to start is Dona Paula jetty and market. A popular place for local visitors to wander during weekends.

Next on the way up north is Fort Aguada. Built by the Portuguese in 1612 overlooking the Arabian Sea, it contains water tanks that were once used to pump drinking water down to the ships below. The lighthouse could do with a coat of paint, however as it is one of the oldest in Asia, dating from 1864, we can overlook the maintenance issues.

Walk along the wall both east and west for view over the bay and keep your eyes peeled for the grey langur monkeys.

From here, travel north along the coast road up to Candolim and further still up to Baga. Both are tourist filled towns with cafes, hotels and shops galore.
Returning south, keep your eyes peeled over the spectacular Mandovi river bridge and drive into Panaji. Make your way to the area of Fontainhas. Here are the lovely old Portuguese colonial houses in the old Latin area. Some are now Indian administrative buildings, others are beautifully restored hotels and restaurants, some are private dwelling and the are a few renovation projects around too.

Surprisingly, despite the mass of tourists drawn to the area, there are numerous arsy signs around forbidding photography.
Carry on through the town to see Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, proudly situated at the top of the steps.

As you leave Panaji, keep an eye open for the casino boats along the river who have made Goa a prominent casino tourism destination.

Old Goa or Velho Goa is the former Portuguese capital of India.

We were lucky enough to be invited for tea at a beautifully restored Portuguese family house in Curtolim. Ernesto and his family welcomed us in to their fabulously renovated home and we had a lovely conversation over refreshments.

This set us up well for a day visiting Old Goa with its many, many, many churches. There is also a museuma and a small market area to break up visits to the many churches. It is a UNESCO world heritage site, so a calm relaxed area with plenty of ice cream vans if you are tempted.

The first church is the Basilica of Bom Jesus with St Francis remains in casket. It is a brick built Baroque style church There is a gallery upstairs which is worth a quick tour round.

The second church is Se Catedrale, a white painted Roman Catholic Church, across the road from the Basilica.
The third church is St Francis of Assisi with an archaeological museum located next door.

At this point, despite there being more churches to visit, we couldn't manage another one. However it does explain why Goa was known as “Rome of the East”.

Safa Masjid is a small mosque, in Ponda. It dates from 1560 and underwent renovation in 1980’s. An interesting feature is the large water tank in front of the mosque built in the pink stone laterite.

Just to balance out the religious visits, we visited the Shri Mahalasa Temple in Mardol. It survived Portuguese rule as the locals moved the statue of Mahalasa from Goa to Mardol, where Portuguese did not have control. A very friendly chap will give you a guided tour with a running commentary for a "donation" demanded at the end of the tour.

South Goa felt immediately more chilled than the north and continued to feel this way throughout our stay.

Start with a visit to Cabo de Rama Fort at Canacona Taluka, where you can wander over the ruined fort. Admire the remains of the prison that was used until 1955.

it will be no surprise to find the pretty little church of St Anthony built next to the fort.

Drive south down the beach road and stop off en route where you fancy.

Agonda beach is busy with beach huts, shops and cafes and really lively. Our target was Palolem. A lovely cocktail on the beach for sunset is a perfect finish to the day.

In our case, the rains came down so we hunkered under a tiny canvas with the ladies selling beach souvenirs. They were a lovely fun group and with a bribes of hot tea, they gave up flogging their wares and giggled and joked with us until the rain passed

iBenaulim was such a calm, chilled location that we extended our stay and explored the immediate area. The beach is walking distance from the town and is 2 kms long. It's relatively clean with beach cafes dotted along and fishing boats being launched all over the place

it gets busy coming up to sunset as the locals and tourists alike come for their selfies, play football or cricket on the beach.

The town has plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants with an excellent recommendation for the Cavatina restaurant.

So, to answer the question "what to do in Goa?" Take in the sights, some history, lots of great food and most certainly take time to relax.