9 reasons to visit Goa (which don't involve beaches)
Let's face it: finding a reason to visit Goa*, with its golden sand, swaying palm trees and beachfront bars will never be much of a struggle.
Our take? If you're planning a visit to India's sunshine state, don't just stick to its (admittedly gorgeous) beaches. We've got nine great reasons to explore beyond its coastline.
Getting to Goa: find a great value break with TUI and you'll fly direct from London to Goa. Browse deals on holidays with TUI* for all budgets and book your escape today.
Get a culture fix at Carpe Diem
An enormous sculpture of a bowtie-wearing beagle greets visitors to South Goa's Carpe Diem, which is a gallery, café and cultural centre.
It was founded by Daegal Godinho, who was living in Dubai when he decided to return to the Goan village of Majorda* and spruce up his ancestral home, which he transformed into an arts centre.
Visit Carpe Diem to admire beautiful artwork by local talent, feast on homemade dishes at the café (we recommend the waffles) or attend one of Carpe Diem's regular film screenings, painting workshops and poetry recitals.
Visit the Figueiredo House
A visit to the beautiful Indo-Portuguese Figueiredo House provides a fantastic insight into Goa's history. Built by Jesuit priests in the 1500s for a (very wealthy) family the priests had converted to Christianity, the mansion, which you'll find in the village of Loutolim, is both a homestay and a museum.
Don't worry if you're not staying at the property: visit in the morning and afternoon for guided tours of this antique-stuffed mansion, and to learn about its previous inhabitants.
BLive bike tour
BLive is the first electric bike tour company in India. Tours, led by local experts passionate about Goa's history, wildlife and food scene, cover a wide range of areas, whether it's South Goa* and its ancient villages, or Old Goa, famous for its forts and chapels.
What sets the tours apart is the relationships between the guides and various locals, many of whom open their houses to BLive's cyclists. These include Joao Barros Pereira, who recently returned to Goa from Kyoto to restore his ancestral home, which he's now opened to the public.
Sign up for BLive's tour of South Goa's villages and you'll enjoy tea with Pereira, who'll happily show you around his antique-stuffed Indo-Portuguese mansion.
Heading to Goa soon? Don't miss our weather forecast to Goa to help you plan and pack accordingly.
Divar Island
You'll find this forested chunk of land in the middle of Goa's Mandovi River. Getting there is simple: it features on the itineraries of several guided tours (including BLive's cycling tours) and if you fancy going it alone, simply hop on the ferry (the fee for which is 10 Rupees (10p) in Old Goa for the three-minute crossing.
The island's known for its lush paddy fields, numerous churches (the Church of Our Lady of Compassion, atop a small hillock, is one of the prettiest), and tiny villages.
Head to Naroa, one of the smallest, to check out some of the island's oldest churches and the remains of Fort Naroa, abandoned in the 1800s.
Visit a cashew farm
Cashew is one of Goa's biggest cash crops, and there are plenty of places where you can learn more about India's favourite nut. One spot is the NV Ecofarm, which you'll find near the popular Goa beach resort of Panjim*.
You'll learn about the trees on which cashew apples grow (and no, we didn't know that cashews came from cashew apples either) and about how fermented cashew juice can be used to make a potent drink known as feni.
We also recommend signing up for a tour of the farm's spice plantation (black pepper, turmeric, nutmeg and chillies are all grown here). The highlight is the buffet lunch, during which you'll get to sample various local dishes.
Do a church tour
Goa has a huge number of churches, many built by Goans who converted to Christianity during and after Portuguese rule. Lesser-known examples include Cansaulim's Three Kings Church, built in the late 1500s by the Portuguese.
You'll find this pretty whitewashed church at the top of a small hill, and the views over Goa are fantastic. The region's most famous church is the UNESCO-listed Basilica of Bom Jesus, in North Goa*.
An explosion of baroque architecture built in the 1500s, the church, which holds the remains of St Francis Xavier, is the only one in Goa which hasn't had its exterior plastered. Make sure you check out the beautiful mosaic floor, inlaid with precious stones.
Check out a Goan fort
Forts are another thing you'll find in abundance in Goa. Most of the forts were built by the Portuguese, and the finest examples include Bardez's Reis Magos Fort, which clings to a lush hillside and has been transformed into a museum.
Then there's Candolim*'s sprawling Aguada Fort, famous for its four-storey lighthouse (the only one in India) and deep moat.
Built in 1612, the fort was given its name because the fort once encompassed a reservoir which could hold 2,376,000 gallons of water ("agua" in Portuguese).
Fancy channelling your inner Indiana Jones? Head to Cabo de Rama Fort, which is Goa's oldest, and where tangles of vines now cling to the weathered stonework.
Sample some local cuisine
You're never far from a cookery class in Goa, whether it's a masterclass which is part of a food-themed tour or a standalone cooking experience.
We recommend signing up for one of the cookery classes offered by Rita Shinde at Rita's Gourmet cookery school in Dabolim, although numerous hotels and homestays offer cookery classes, too.
Visit a wildlife reserve
Fun fact: Goa has several wildlife-packed reserves, and they're refreshingly crowd-free. Twitchers should consider North Goa's Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, where winged residents include eagles, drongos, kingfishers, mynas, kites, curlews and sandpipers.
The Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary is a little further afield (it's an hour's drive from the popular tourist spot of Majorda) but it's a fantastic spot for a walk on the wild side. Get lucky and you'll see barking deer, panthers, leopards and macaques.
Meanwhile, Molem Wildlife Sanctuary is another great spot to see various creatures in the wild. There are over 100 species of birdlife here, along with barking deer, bonnet macaques, leopards and tigers.
Weather in Goa
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum daytime temperature °C | ||||||||||||
| Hours of sunshine (daily) | ||||||||||||
| Days with some rainfall | ||||||||||||
| Sea temperature °C |
The above guide shows the climate in Panaji. Find out more about conditions across the country in our complete guide to the climate in Goa.
Ready to explore Goa? Check out the latest online offers and savings on holidays with TUI.
More about Goa
- Overview
- Best time to visit
- Weather by month
- 5-day weather forecast
- Destinations
- Travel advice
- Deals & discounts
Goa by month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Explore holidays in the sun for less
- Beach holidays
- Family holidays
- City breaks
- Summer holidays
- Winter sun holidays
- Holiday offers
- Top travel brands
- Airlines & flights
- Discount hotels
- Airport parking deals
- TUI
- Jet2holidays
- easyJet holidays
- Love Holidays
- British Airways
Airport parking
- Manchester Airport
- Stansted Airport
- Bristol Airport
- Luton Airport
- Birmingham Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- Gatwick Airport
- Glasgow Airport
- Newcastle Airport
Airport lounges
- Manchester Airport
- Birmingham Airport
- Bristol Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- Glasgow Airport
- Heathrow Airport
- Newcastle Airport
- Stansted Airport
- Gatwick Airport
Be inspired
Get your weekly fix of holiday inspiration from some of the world's best travel writers plus save on your next trip with the latest exclusive offers
We promise not to share your details
