offwegooo.com
Travel guide
Goa
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: November to March
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Welcome
Goa, in a few days
Goa lines up some 100 km of beaches on the Arabian Sea, UNESCO-listed baroque churches in Old Goa and ochre Portuguese houses in Fontainhas. India's smallest state is easy to get around by scooter, best between November and March, and cheap if you stay in guesthouses.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Old Goa and the Basilica of Bom Jesus free · about 1 h 30The old Portuguese capital, now churches on lawns; the basilica, finished in 1605, holds the body of St Francis Xavier.
- Afternoon · Fontainhas, Panaji's Latin Quarter free · about 1 hAbout twenty narrow lanes between Altinho hill and the Ourem creek, with ochre, indigo and sea-green houses, wrought-iron balconies and curved tiles.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Panjim Inn€65 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fort Aguada free · about 1 hBuilt in 1612 at the mouth of the Mandovi against Dutch fleets, and named after the freshwater spring that supplied passing ships.
- Afternoon · Anjuna flea market free · 2 to 3 hEvery Wednesday from October to May, hundreds of stalls on a slope above the beach, a tradition started by hippies in the late 1960s.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Novotel Goa Candolim€90 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Chapora Fort free · about 1 hRed laterite walls built by the Portuguese in 1717, with no buildings left inside but a view over Vagator beach, the Chapora estuary and Morjim.
- Afternoon · Spice plantations around Ponda · half a dayGuided walks under areca and coconut palms past pepper, cardamom, turmeric, vanilla, nutmeg and cashew, with a taste of feni, the local cashew spirit.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Whispering Palms Beach Resort€85 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Dudhsagar Falls · half a dayWater falling 310 metres in four tiers down the Western Ghats on the Karnataka border; the name means sea of milk in Konkani.
- Afternoon · Palolem Beach free · half a dayA 1.5 km crescent of sand between two rocky points in the far south, sheltered and calm for swimming throughout the dry season.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Casa Anjuna€110 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Thali: a tray of small vegetarian dishes, eaten together rather than in order.
- Curry and dal: mild in one state, fierce in the next. Ask before you commit.
- Tandoori and naan: meat from a clay oven, bread baked on its wall.
- Street food: samosas, pani puri, chaat, eaten standing up.
- Lassi and masala chai: drinking yoghurt, and tea boiled with spices and milk.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Sealed bottled water only, never from the tap, and no ice.
- Unofficial tourist offices are a common scam near stations. Book through your hotel.
- Cover shoulders and knees, above all at temples and mosques.
- Eat food that is hot and freshly cooked, and skip anything sitting out.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Hindi
| English | Hindi |
|---|---|
| Hello | नमस्ते (namaste) |
| Thank you | धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad) |
| Please | कृपया (kripaya) |
| Yes | हाँ (haan) |
| No | नहीं (nahin) |
| Excuse me | माफ़ कीजिए (maaf kijiye) |
| Goodbye | अलविदा (alvida) |
| Do you speak English? | क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? (angrezi bolte hain?) |
| I don't understand | मुझे समझ नहीं आया (samajh nahin aaya) |
| How much is it? | यह कितने का है? (kitne ka hai?) |
| Where are the toilets? | शौचालय कहाँ है? (shauchaalay kahaan hai?) |
| The bill, please | बिल दीजिए (bill dijiye) |
| Help! | बचाओ! (bachao!) |
| Cheers! | चियर्स! (cheers!) |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyIndian rupee (INR, ₹)
BudgetAbout €50 a day, mid-range
Best seasonNovember to March
PlugC/D/M · 230V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingAppreciated, around 10%
Emergency112
EntryAn e-visa is required and must be applied for online before departure, with a passport valid six months, for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Malaria is present in some rural areas, so ask about prophylaxis for your route, and dengue is reason enough to use repellent.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/goa
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.