Where to go in Goa?

Travellerette

Soooo - I have most of my trip planned, most of my hotels and long trains booked. Now all I have to do is plan my south leg.

I arrive in Mumbai on the Ranukpur express... then I get to go to mumbai, aurangabad and goa for my last 11 days.

Day 1 - arrive in Mumbai @ 1145, fly out to Aurangabad at 1830.
Day 2 - Ajanta Caves
Day 3 - Ellora Caves
Day 4 - Fly to Goa
Day 5 - Goa
Day 6 - Goa
Day 7 - Goa
Day 8 - Goa
Day 9 - Fly to Mumbai
Day 10 - Mumbai
Day 11 - Mumbai
Fly out early on day 12 (2am - eeew)

I just don't know where to go in Goa... I've heard that the southern beaches are the nicest (eg. Palolem) but I also want to see Old Goa and maybe check out the Ajuna market on the wed.

From using my roughguides, it seems like I can station myself in Panjim and take bus trips to both north and south. Since I'm doing quite the whirlwind tour through Rajasthan prior to going south, I'd like somewhere to unwind, somewhere low-key that I can walk around safely by myself and easily meet some people 'chill' with .

Any ideas?

oh.. and I know this should prolly go under the transportation heading.. but how far in advance do you need to book flights? I'm thinking of going for the cheaper ones (Deccan) if possible.

matt_the_hat_82

Hey there!

If you want to chill i'd head north. Anjuna's a cool place to meet groovy people but if you want things a little more secluded and quiet head north to Arambol/Mandrem and chill your boots in a bamboo hut on stilts for a few days. If you base yourself in Anjuna you get to chill with enough groovy people and Arambol is about 30/40 mins on a scooter.

Enjoy

johnmuir

If you have 4 full days in Goa, I would suggest you spend 2 days in North Goa. Baga, Anjuna and Calangute beaches in North Goa are great for chilling out, meeting people and for the their shacks, food and drinks. The Flea market at Anjuna is great for bargain shopping. Vagator beach is also very beautiful and demands a visit.

You can spend 1/2 day visiting Old Goa, especially the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Se Cathedral just opposite the Basilica. For the rest of the day try to keep aside 2 hours and visit a Spice Plantation in Ponda. It is quite an experience to see spices growing on the tree. They also include an authentic Konkani lunch made using fresh spices from the plantation in the visit. It is quite an experience. If you have time in the evening, you can take one of the touristy Mandovi River Boat Cruises.

Your last two days can be spent exploring the beaches of South Goa, like Palolem, Colva etc. If you are interested you can visit an old Goan mansion to get the feel of Goan living. Braganza House in Chandor is famous.

Apart from these you can also visit the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, or go Crocodile spotting in Mandovi backwaters. Goa has something for everyone and you will have to come back again and again to experience all it has to offer!

Happy Travels!!

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Flight Guru

anjuna mark

You have a pretty busy itinerary; I suggest you just relax during your 4 days in Goa.
Don’t stay in Panjim; it’s a loud busy city. Stay on one of the beaches.
I wouldn’t bother with old Goa either, unless you have a thing for big plain Catholic churches.
Choose north or south, and hang out for a few days. It’s hours of road travel the get from one end to the other, and there isn’t much point, and you’re going to spend enough of your holiday traveling. Both are nice.
In the south, stay at Agonda. In the north, Morjim or Arombol if you want quiet, vagator [funky] or baga [straight] if you want a busy night. There is lots of comparison and debate on this site about the subject.
My home, Anjuna, is a dump now. The beach has mostly been taken away for building material and the remainder is overcrowded.
The flea market is great for clothes and gift items, but is a huge dusty chaos. I’m partly responsible for its creation, now it’s a monster. Every Wednesday in Anjuna.
Have fun, and remember to leave some time free to just relax!

Travellerette

Thanks you guys. AMark, you're right on when you say that it's a good that it's a good idea to just relax for my last few days... that's exactly why I wanted to finish my trip in Goa.

But I do think that I still want to see old Goa, and the Spice Plantation sounds awesome as do the croc spotting and bird sanctuary (are those near old goa and is there a specific tour I can participate in?)- sounds like something to do and see that's pretty mellow. John, is there a specific tour offered for this?

As much as I'd like to see the south, I think I'll leave it for another trip (I've been told that I'll likely want to go back - we'll see)

Now I just have to decide on what place in the north... AMark, when you say 'funky' and 'straight' ... do you mean gay and straight, or something else? I'm not really want a crazy night person .

jyotirmoy

You have just 4 days in Goa so choose a place which is well connected. Calangute/Baga in the north and Colva/Bennalim in Soth are very wel connected.
You will need a day to visit Old Goa.

Travellerette

Can you recommend a good place to stay in north Goa - close enough access to a fairly busy beach - but quiet. I'm hoping to spend not much more than Rs800-1200 / night (less is fine - I'll be doing the budget thing up until then, so I'm allowing myself to splurge a bit for my last few days) - is this do-able at peak season? - I'll be there sometime between Nov 30-Dec 9.

anjuna mark

No, I mean like more drugs + parties Vs. less drugs and parties.
calangute / Candolim is fairly quiet. Anjuna / vagator / Shapora can be loud sometimes.