It is situated 13 km north of the state capital of Panaji. The city is the headquarters of Bardez taluka. During Portuguese India, the city was known as "Mapuçá".
Getting to Mapusa
- 01Manohar Parrikar International Airport
Goa's second airport after Dabolim Airport Easily reachable by bus from Panaji (the state capital) and the north Goa beach belt.
Worth seeing
Besides the weekly colourful Friday Market, Mapusa is known for its educational institutions. It also has scenic (though not very famed) churches and temples. An alternative bookshop, the Other India Bookstore, is known to attract a number of tourists and visitors because of the wide range of off-the-beaten-track books that it stores.
Things to do
Visit the weekly Friday Market. Church out the Our Lady Of Miracles Church (an example of Catholic-Hindu amity during its feast time). See if the circus is visiting Mapusa when you're there (usually around Christmas). Visit the many 'sales' of low-end inexpensive items available in Mapusa. Buy a plant or tree from the Friday Mapusa Market, keep Goa green. Visit the century-old Athaide Municipal Library at Mapusa.
Where to eat
This is the place to eat traditional Goan food, both prepared in the Catholic and Hindu styles. Though there are a few eating outlets in Mapusa, the traditional styles of cooking still hold reign in places like Cafe Xavier (in the market), while Babaji's cold drinks outlet, which also offers snacks, is a prominent draw for the younger crowd.
Getting around Mapusa the local way
- Get inThis can be done by taxi, hitchhiking or buses with transfers.
- Get aroundThere is a wide range of taxis and rickshaws easily available.
From Wikivoyage: Baga, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. That article was last edited 2025-02, so a service it names may have changed or stopped.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0.