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Explore Goa
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| ▪ Panaji |
| Panaji is one of the most of India's smallest and most pleasant state capital. Built on the south of banks of the wide Mandovi River, it officially became the capital of Goa in 1843. Its 'sights' are few, but among those worth visiting are the old Church of the Immaculate Conception (on the hillside at one end of the Municipal Gardens) and the Mahalakshmi Temple. On the Riverside is the 'Secretariat', formerly the summer palace of 16th Century Ruler, Yusuf Adil Shah. Nearby is the statue of the famed 'Abbe Faria' a goan priest renowned for his hypnotic powers. And the nearest beach is at Miramar, 3 Km along the road to Dona Paula. |
| ▪ Margoa |
| Margoa is the commercial centre of south Goa and capital of Salcete Province. The town still has reminders of the Portuguese past. It is a peaceful and pleasant place. The Church of the Holy Spirit is one of the most magnificent of Goa's churches, Margoa offers the visitor a large garden and a children's park in Gogol. One can view the city from the Chapel of the "Monte", built in 1820 on a small promontory. The history of Margoa is gauged by the presence of the Pandava Caves at Aquem Alto next to the Chapel of St. Sebastian. |
| ▪ Vasco da Gama |
| Goa's most cosmopolitan city Vasco-Da-Gama was originally called Sambhaji. It lies on the narrow western tip of the Mormugao peninsula, overlooking the mouth of the Zuari River. Vasco was acquired by Portuguese in 1543, this place was earlier among the busiest ports on India's west coast, and it is still a important shipping center. Imposing multi-storeyed buildings and a church dominate the city centre here. Close to Marmagoa Harbour and three km from Dabolim airport, Vasco-Da-Gama is the terminus of the railway line into Goa. |
| ▪ Old Goa |
| Old Goa, nine km west of Panaji, half a dozen imposing churches and cathedrals (among the largest in Asia) are all that remain of the Portuguese capital that was once said to rival Lisbon in magnificent. Some of the old buildings have become museums and maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. |
| ▪ Mapusa |
| Mapusa is a small town clustered around the Mount Alto. It is the main centre of the population in the northern provinces of Goa with a number of residential and commercial establishments. and the main town for the supplies if you are staying at either Anjuna or Chapora. There's not much to see in Mapusa, though the Friday market is worth a visit. |
| ▪ Ponda |
| Ponda is also known as Antruz Mahal. It's called so because of the concentration of culture, music, drama and poetry. It boasts an old mosque and in the surrounding areas numerous unique hindu temples. The temples near Ponda have been rebuilt from originals destroyed by the Portuguese, and their lamp towers are a distinctive Goan feature. The oldest mosque remaining in Goa is the Safa Shahouri Masjid at Ponda built by Adilshah in 1560. |
