Goa & Mumbai’s Top 12
Palolem Beach
The blissful crescent of golden sand, balmy seas, gently swaying palm trees, good food, beach huts galore and a colourful backpacker-oriented beach-bar scene make Palolem a favourite with travellers from across the globe. Even Matt Damon went for a run here in The Bourne Supremacy. Though some say it’s too crowded in the high season, there are few better all-round beaches in Goa for yoga, kayaking, swimming or just lazing in your beachfront hammock, and the quieter beaches of Patnem and Agonda are just a short ride away.
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Panaji (Panjim)
Slung along the banks of the broad Mandovi River, Panaji is an easy, breezy city with the delightful old Portuguese-era districts of Fontainhas and Sao Tomé the perfect setting for a lazy afternoon of wandering. Sip firewater feni with locals in a hole-in-the-wall bar, gamble the night away on a floating luxury casino, clamber up to the wedding-cake-white Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception or poke about in boutiques and book shops. You’ll probably find you’re not missing the beach one bit.
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Anjuna Market
Whether you’re in the market for some serious souvenirs or simply looking for an injection of local life, Goa’s many markets are the place to be. The most famous is Anjuna's flea market, held every Wednesday in season since the seventies. It's a curious blend of traders and stalls from all over India, backpackers, day trippers and the odd dreadlocked hippie, but it's not to be missed. For more local flavour, head to Mapusa for its mammoth Friday market day, where you’ll find fresh produce, spices and textiles in tightly packed stalls thronging with locals.
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Mumbai's Colonial-Era Architecture
Mumbai is not all eating, shopping and Bollywood. After you’ve had your fill of all three, take time to explore the city’s Victorian colonial-era architecture, with a stroll past the Gateway of India, the 1848-built High Court, the splendid University of Mumbai and the extravaganza that is Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) railway station. You can even take up residence in Gothic opulence at the heritage Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai, gazing over Mumbai’s harbour, for that most Raj-era of city retreats.
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Mellow Mandrem
Downward-dog the days away in lovely, laid-back Mandrem, where an early morning yoga class, followed by a refreshing swim, an afternoon on a sun lounge with a good book and perhaps an ayurvedic massage is perfect for your spiritual soul. This is one of Goa's prettiest beach strips and an ideal base for accessing Aswem and Morjim to the south and backpacker-friendly Arambol to the north – all with their own impressive beach huts and activities from surfing to paragliding.
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Spice Farms
South Indian spices were a major attraction for the seafaring Portuguese and today one of the best day trips away from the beach is to one of several commercial spice plantations orbiting around Ponda. They can be a little touristy but the plantation tours are fascinating and aromatic. Most offer a delicious buffet thali lunch served up on a banana leaf, and some farms have a resident elephant or two for rides and bathing. If you're in the south, visit the remote and virtually tourist-free Tanshikar Spice Farm.
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Old Goa
The 17th-century Portuguese capital of Goa once rivalled Lisbon and London in size and importance and was widely known as the 'Rome of the East'. Today all that remains of the once-great city is a handful of amazingly well-preserved churches and cathedrals – but what a sight they are! Basilica of Bom Jesus contains the grizzly 'incorrupt' body of St Francis Xavier, while Se Cathedral is the largest in Asia. Stop by for Mass on a Sunday morning, marvel at the intricately carved alters, and imagine religious life here four centuries ago.
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Cruising the Backroads
Cruising Goa's back lanes and beach villages on two-wheels is practically de rigeur in Goa and is a great way to get around. For just a few dollars a day you can hire a moped or thumping Royal Enfield motorbike at any of Goa’s beach resorts, and head out into the hinterland to experience a slower, pastoral pace of life in the clean, green Goan countryside. Cruise out to villages such as Chandor and Quepem, protected forest areas such as Netravali and cross rivers on old flat-bottomed vehicle ferries to see how rural Goans really live.
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Watching Wildlife
Goa's forests and wildlife reserves offer plenty for nature lovers. Avid birdwatchers will be in heaven spotting dozens of local species in the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary or Goa's many other prime locations. Mingle with monkeys at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, watch baby olive ridley turtles hatch beneath a full moon at Galgibag beach ( GOOGLE MAP ) or hole up in the hinterland at bird-abundant Backwoods Camp. Boat trips are another highlight, where you can spot dolphins playing offshore or mugger crocodiles basking in the river estuaries.
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Mumbai to Goa by Train
The Konkan Railway, linking Mumbai with Mangalore and passing right through Goa, is one of India's great railway journeys. It may be quicker to fly, but nothing beats the romance of the rails if you're travelling between Mumbai and Goa. Construction of the railway was a mammoth and ground-breaking infrastructure challenge only completed in 1998. Today it crosses rivers and valleys with some 2000 bridges and more than 90 tunnels. Whether you're riding in a second-class sleeper or fancy air con, on the 12-hour Konkan Kanya Express or nine-hour Jan Shatabdi Express, make sure you sit near the window to watch the best show in town roll past.
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Fabulous Festivals
Goans love a good festival and the calendar here is packed with cultural events, religious feasts, street parades and music festivals. Among the biggest Catholic festivals are Panaji's Carnival in February and the Feast of St Francis Xavier in Old Goa in December. Major Hindu festivals include Shantadurga in January and Diwali in October. India's biggest international film festival is held in Panaji in November. And what would Goa be without a big dance party? Sunburn Goa is a four-day music fest in Vagator between Christmas and New Year – a time when all of Goa parties hard!
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Dudhsagar Falls
The name translates as 'Sea of Milk' – frothy Dudhsagar is the second-highest waterfall in India (after Jog Falls in Karnataka) and a great day-trip adventure. Located deep in the Western Ghats on Goa's central border with Karnataka, the 300m-high tiered waterfall can be reached from Colem by a bumpy 4WD ride through stunning jungle scenery. Take a dip in the soothing pool or climb the rocky path to the head of the falls for great views.
