Panaji
Panaji, also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of the North Goa district.
Panaji, also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of the North Goa district. It was previously the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary in the Tiswadi sub-district (taluka). With a population of 114,759 in the metropolitan area, Panaji is Goa's largest urban agglomeration, ahead of Margão and Mormugão.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Panaji
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.
9 km · 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.
9.1 km · 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.
9 km · Indian World Heritage site · Wikipedia - 04Fort Aguada
Fort Aguada is a seventeenth-century Portuguese-era fort, built in 1612, along with a lighthouse, standing in Goa, India, on Sinquerim Beach, overlooking the Arabian Sea. It is an ASI protected Monument of National Importance in Goa.
5.8 km · seventeenth-century Portuguese fort in Goa · Wikipedia - 05Church 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.
8.3 km · church in Old Goa · Wikipedia - 06Goa 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.
700 m · museum in 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.
9 km · church and cloister in Velha Goa, India · Wikipedia - 08Goa 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.
4.6 km · state public university in North Goa, Goa, India · Wikipedia - 09St 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.
8.9 km · church in Old Goa, India · Wikipedia - 10Shanta Durga Temple
Shri Shantadurga Temple is a Hindu temple, belonging to the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community located 30 km from Panaji at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka, Goa, India. Shrimad Swamiji of Kavale Math is spiritual head of Shree Shantadurga Saunsthan, Kavale.
2.8 km · Hindu temple in Goa, India · 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
Panjim Church; Heritage houses along the altinho slope, 1 Bishops Palace at Altinho, High COurt Complex & Lawyers Building at Altinho, Maruti Temple, 2 Mahalaxmi Temple, Customs Museum, Santa Monica Jetty Boat Rides, Old GMC Complex, INOX theatre, Salida Del Sol (one of its kind Hotel in India) on Bernard Gues Road, Kala Academy at Campal Don't miss out on the old city.
From Wikivoyage: Panaji, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Casino Caravela, Caravela Jetty, Opposite Mandovi Hotel, Fisheries Building, D B Mart, In the starting point for the cruise, fax: +91 832 745-225. Casino Caravela, on board a yacht, offers a combination of sightseeing and gaming - American Roulette, Black Jack, Rummy, Stud Poker, Baccarat, Pontoon and Flash. ₹2000 (For entry and buffet.) Includes ₹1000 casino chips that cannot be cashed in. Dive Goa,.
- 01INOX - Old GMC
Watch the latest Bollywood flicks at the INOX theatre at Panaji.
- 02Mandovi River Sunset
Go for a short boat ride on one of the many "Cruise" boats, that sail up and down the river, with loud music, and frantically dancing revellers.
- 03Miramar Beach
Relax under a palm tree on Miramar beach, feel the sea breeze in your hair and watch the surf on the waves.
From Wikivoyage: Panaji, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Some great food can be found in this calm and breezy capital city. Goan chefs have for generations graced many a royal kitchen in Europe and have been practising their culinary skills on some of the grandest cruise ships in the world. If you like spicy food, then try the native Vindaloo curry with fish or chicken. It's hot!
- 01Avanti Bar & Restaurant
Fontainhas, St Tome Road, Altinho (near Panaji bus stand),.
- 02Cafe Real Tea Room
Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Ozari (near the Azad maidan),.
- 03Fidalgo Hotel
6 restaurants serving different types of food (veg, non-veg, Goan, etc.) Prices are high by local standards, but inexpensive for foreigners.
- 04George
Recommended for the Goan specialty of tongue roast.
- 05Godinho's and George Bar and Restaurant
Ormuz (near Cine National - Municipal Gardens),.
From Wikivoyage: Panaji, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Panaji
- Airports
- Goa Dabolim (GOI), 13 km · Manohar (GOX), 28 km
- Mangaluru → Panaji308 km · quickest by road, 6h 39m · ₹2,350–2,930
- Pune → Panaji336 km · quickest by air, 4h 20m · ₹5,370–8,240
- Navi Mumbai → Panaji403 km · quickest by air, 4h 55m · ₹5,990–9,190
- 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 Panaji
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 Panaji. 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.
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If you know how people move in Panaji – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.