The Bardez coast, north of the Mandovi estuary, holds most of the state's hotels and beach shacks. Candolim, below Aguada Fort, is the most relaxed; Calangute and Baga, a few kilometres away, are the busiest, with water sports, nightclubs and traffic jams in December. It is a good choice for a short stay, about 15 km from Panaji. Avoid the week from Christmas to New Year if you want peace and quiet: prices soar and the beaches overflow.
Further north, Anjuna and Vagator alternate coves and red laterite cliffs. From the 1960s these villages were a stop on the hippie trail, and they keep a bohemian spirit, with cafés, yoga studios and electronic music nights. The Anjuna flea market runs on Wednesdays in season, the Arpora night market on Saturday evenings. Currents are strong on several beaches: swim near lifeguard posts. Indian drug laws are very severe, and checks are frequent in this area.
Beyond the Chapora river, the Pernem district offers longer, quieter beaches, about half an hour from the new Mopa airport. Morjim, Ashwem and Mandrem attract long stays and yoga practitioners; at Morjim, olive ridley turtles come to nest in winter on protected stretches of beach. Arambol, the northernmost, gathers musicians and travellers around a freshwater lake and classes of every kind. Plan on a scooter: public transport is scarce.
The capital, Panaji, can be explored on foot in a day, along the Mandovi. The Fontainhas quarter, often called the Latin quarter, has kept its lanes of Portuguese houses with yellow, blue or ochre facades, balconies and azulejos; visit in the morning, when the light is soft. The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and its white staircase overlook the main square. In the evening, sunset cruises leave from the quays. Nearby Miramar beach is flagged by France's foreign ministry as dangerous for swimming.
About ten kilometres east of Panaji, Old Goa, the former Portuguese capital, gathers churches and convents listed by UNESCO in 1986: allow half a day, in covering clothes, ideally before noon. The free ferry to nearby Divar island leads to villages that remain agricultural. Further on, around Ponda, the Hindu temples of Mangueshi and Shantadurga and the spice plantations open to visitors fit into one day. The Dudhsagar falls, on the Karnataka border, can be added outside the monsoon.
In the south, the Salcete district unrolls an almost continuous strip of sand from Majorda to Mobor, more family-oriented than the north. Benaulim and Varca are quieter than Colva, the most built-up. Margao, about ten kilometres away, is the main Konkan Railway station and the commercial town of the south. Inland, Chandor and Loutolim preserve large mansions of Goan families, some open to visitors. This area is about 30 minutes from Dabolim airport.
The Canacona district, about 70 km south of Panaji, holds the state's finest bays: Palolem and its crescent of sand, quieter Patnem, and Agonda, almost empty early in the season. Accommodation is mostly huts and small guesthouses, often dismantled during the monsoon. Plan at least three nights to enjoy the slow pace, boat trips to spot dolphins and the nearby Cotigao sanctuary. This area is ideal at the end of a tour of southern
India.
