Goa is a state in western India with a coastline stretching along the Arabian Sea. Its long history as a Portuguese colony prior to 1961 is evident in its preserved 17th-century churches and the area’s tropical spice plantations. Goa is also known for its beaches, ranging from popular stretches at Baga and Palolem to those in laid-back fishing villages such as Agonda.
Goa is the smallest city in India, yet it is considered one of the most beautiful places in the country. This is also a dream destination for the majority of people to spend their holidays. Goa offers several tourist attractions for everyone.
There are beautiful beaches, churches, temples, rivers, wild life sanctuaries, forts, etc. All these places are more than enough to make your Goa holiday a lifetime experience. Goa beaches offer peace of mind to tourists. The people of Goa are used to having many tourists and do not interfere with the fun activities of those who come to enjoy themselves here.
Basically, Goa is divided into two parts: North Goa and South Goa.
Both parts offer many places for tourists. Let us start with South Goa. This place is the main city of the state. Here, you can find several commercial places to do shopping; you can also go on a cruise ride and make your evening more happening. Besides this, there are several beaches also present here, like Dona Paula, Miramar, Varca, Palolem, and many more. You can see the beautiful sun rise from Dona Paula beach. This beach is also famous for several types of water sports.
South Goa is also popular for its famous and magnificent churches that are the legacy of Portuguese colonization. You can start by visiting the St. Cathedral Church. This is a great example of beautiful architecture. Then you can explore the Ruins of Church of St. Augustine, The Church of St. Anne, Basilica of Bom Jesus, Reis Magos Church, St. Cajetan Church, Church of St. Francis of Assissi and the Church of St. Paul. All these churches reflect the rich Catholic culture of Goa.
Additionally, you can also explore several beautiful temples in Goa like Shri Anantha Temple, Shri Nagesh Maharudra Temple and many more.
This part of Goa is the hot favorite place especially for foreign tourists. You can have some larger than life experience of Goa in this part of the state. It is popular for several beautiful beaches, forts and water sports.
You can start your trip of North Goa from Fort Aguada. This place is famous for several beautiful structures built by the rulers Portuguese. It is also famous for the light house that reflects the rich and the beautiful culture of Goa. You can also see some beautiful sceneries as this fort is surrounded by the sea and several green plants.
In order to get a view of some breath taking water falls, you can visit Dundhsagar Waterfall. This is one of the major tourist destinations in Goa.
The best time to visit this place is in monsoon when these water falls are on their fullest.
There are some beautiful beaches in North Goa as well. You can visit Calangute beach, Baga beach, Anjuna Beach, Arambol beach and many more. All these beaches are famous tourist destinations in Goa. You can also enjoy different types of water sports like Para Gliding, water rides, under water diving etc.
The winters are the best time to visit Goa but it is also when Goa is the most crowded. Summers in Goa are more popular with families with kids. Goa looks beautiful in monsoon as well and monsoon tourism is fast catching the traveller’s frenzy as well. Though you miss out on some water sports at the beach, which are closed monsoons, you can indulge in some white water rafting which runs only during monsoons.
Goa continues to remain an eternal favourite with both domestic as well as international travellers because there is no place quite like it in the whole of India. Apart from being a top honeymoon destination, it is also an equally popular family holiday destination. If the sea and sun doesn’t lure you, you still have enough reasons, listed above, to visit this wonderful place.