Old Goa
Old Goa was a historic city situated on the southern bank of the River Mandovi, on the island of Tiswadi.The city was established by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century AD.
Old Goa was a historic city situated on the southern bank of the River Mandovi, on the island of Tiswadi.The city was established by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century AD. Following its conquest by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, the city rapidly grew in importance and became the capital of the Portuguese East Indies, becoming a flourishing metropolitan city of 2,00,000 by the 17th century.Goa tremendiously influenced its surrounding territory and eventually gave the modern state of Goa its name. The city was remarked by numerous travellers as being one of the wealthiest cities in Asia, filled with splendor and pomp. The city reached its zenith during 1580–1630, rivalling the cities of London and Lisbon of that time.The city was struck by numerous plagues and epidemics all through the 17th century, and it rapidly decayed following the decline of Portuguese supremecy in the east. It was already deserted by the 1760's.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Old Goa
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Basilica of Bom Jesus
The Basilica of Bom Jesus is a Catholic basilica in Goa, in the Konkan region of India. The church is a pilgrimage centre and recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
200 m · church in Velha Goa, India · Wikipedia - 02Se Cathedral
The Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Latin Church Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and the seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies. It is part of the World Heritage Site, Churches and convents of Goa located in Old Goa, India.
100 m · church in Velha Goa, India · Wikipedia - 03Churches and Convents of Goa
Churches and Convents of Goa is the name given by UNESCO to a set of religious monuments located in Goa Velha, in the state of Goa, India, which were declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. Goa was the capital of Portuguese India and Asia and an evangelization center from the 16th century.
100 m · Indian World Heritage site · Wikipedia - 04Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary is a Catholic church built between 1544 and 1547, in Old Goa, State of Goa, India. This church is part of the collection belonging to the World Heritage Site of churches and convents of Goa.
800 m · church in Old Goa · Wikipedia - 05Goa State Museum
Goa State Museum, also known as the State Archaeology Museum, Panaji, is a museum in Goa, India. Established in 1977, it contains departments including Ancient History and Archaeology, Art and Craft, and Geology.
8.4 km · museum in Goa, India · Wikipedia - 06Goa University
Goa University is a public state university headquartered in the city of Panaji, in the Indian state of Goa. The traditions of Goa University date back to the 17th century, with the creation of the first university courses by the Portuguese Empire.
9.7 km · state public university in North Goa, Goa, India · Wikipedia - 07Church of St. Francis of Assisi
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi was built in 1661 by the Portuguese in the Portuguese Viceroyalty of India.
100 m · church and cloister in Velha Goa, India · Wikipedia - 08St Catherine's Chapel, Old Goa
The Chapel of St. Catherine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Old Goa in the same compound as Se Cathedral and the Church and Convent of St.
200 m · church in Old Goa, India · Wikipedia - 09Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church
The Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church is located in Panjim, Goa, India. The Church conducts Mass every day in English, Konkani, and Portuguese.
8.9 km · church in Panjim, Goa · Wikipedia - 10Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery
Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery was set up in 1964, NS reorganised in 1981–82. It is run by the Government of India's Archaeological Survey of India and is situated in the former Portuguese colonial capital of Old Goa, a historic one-time city which now attracts a large number of tourists.
100 m · Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery in Old Goa · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Archaeological Museum and Portrait Gallery
- 02Basilica of Bom Jesus
Home to the grave of St.
- 03Church of St
Cajetan.
- 04Chapel of St
Catherine.
- 05Church and Convent of St
Francis of Assisi.
- 06Church of Lady of Rosary
From Wikivoyage: Old Goa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Spend time walking around the monuments and see how Old Goa fits into global history and the meeting points of cultures of another century.
From Wikivoyage: Old Goa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Options for food and drink are limited in Old Goa. There are a few restaurants in the area, and along the highway that passes through the area.
From Wikivoyage: Old Goa, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Old Goa
- Airports
- Goa Dabolim (GOI), 16 km · Manohar (GOX), 27 km
- Stations
- Karmali railway station, 2 km
- Mangaluru → Old Goa305 km · quickest by road, 6h 38m · ₹2,330–2,920
- Pune → Old Goa336 km · quickest by air, 4h 28m · ₹5,420–8,320
- Navi Mumbai → Old Goa404 km · quickest by air, 5h 3m · ₹6,050–9,260
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Old Goa
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Old Goa. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFrom the railway station, taxis, rickshaws and buses go to Panaji, but if you are carrying only a backpack, motorcycle taxis are a bargain, plus you get to ride on the pillion seat!
From Wikivoyage: Panaji, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01115 km
- 02274 km
- 03548 km
- 04629 km
- 05686 km
If you know how people move in Old Goa – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.