Goa
Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region.
It is geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bordered by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its western coastline. It was the capital of the eastern Portuguese empire until 1961. It is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. Panaji (Panjim) is the state's capital, while Vasco da Gama is its largest city by population. The state's official language is Konkani, spoken by the majority of its inhabitants.
Getting to Goa
Goa can be reached by two airports, by train, and by the many buses connecting the state with cities in India (primarily Mumbai, Mangalore and Bengaluru). If you are travelling from Mumbai or Pune, car travel will provide you a journey through breathtaking scenery of the Konkan area. Two airports serve Goa, each one having approximately the same number of airlines and destinations. The
- 01Dabolim Airport
- 02Manohar International Airport
Worth seeing
= = Goa has more than its fair share of museums, art galleries and libraries. You will find many government run museums in Panaji, including the Goa State museum, the Kala Academy, the Central Library and the Goa Science Centre. In Vasco da Gama, you can find the Naval Aviation Museum, a great place to see vintage aircraft.
Things to do
Carnival. Held in mid-February, just before Lent, the four-day event features lively processions, floats, the strumming of guitars, graceful dances and non-stop festivity. Diving — the season is between mid-October to mid-May. Diving is not possible during the monsoons in India (June till mid-October). The water temperature is 27-30⁰ C.
Where to eat
The Goan staple diet consists of rice and fish curry, along with pickles and fried fish. This can be found on many of the beach shacks. The Goan cuisine is a blend of Portuguese and local flavours. Many dishes such as prawn balchao and kingfish in garlic have distinct Portuguese flavour. The cuisine is mostly seafood based, the staple foods are rice and fish.
Getting around Goa the local way
- Get inFlights can be chartered to the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and Switzerland.
- Get aroundAs of early May 2022, rentals cost around ₹2,200 a day for Innova and around ₹3,500 for Tempo traveler, ₹4,500 for Camry, and a little more for others.
From Wikivoyage: Goa, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Sam 8393 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
