North Goa Travel Guide: Beaches, Forts, Markets and Planning

The beach coast runs about 30 km from Fort Aguada, at the mouth of the Mandovi, through Candolim, Calangute, Baga, Anjuna and Vagator to Chapora, and carries on north past Morjim, Ashwem and Mandrem to Arambol and the Terekhol river on the Maharashtra border. Inland, the district holds forts, a Gothic church, a lake and waterfalls. Every trip we run here is on our North Goa tours and experiences page.

Fort Aguada and Sinquerim

Fort Aguada stands on the headland where the Mandovi meets the sea. GTDC calls it the best preserved Portuguese fort in India, named for the freshwater spring (agua) that supplied passing ships, and Incredible India dates it to 1612, built against the Dutch. A 4 km road from Sinquerim beach takes vehicles up; a shorter 2 km footpath is steep. The old Aguada Central Jail, Goa's biggest prison until 2015, is now the Freedom Struggle Museum, though GTDC's own pages disagree on whether the jail is open, so ask at the gate. Below the fort, Sinquerim's firm sand runs north to Baga, and dolphin boats leave from here.

Candolim and Calangute

Candolim is the first beach reached from Panjim, a gateway to the better-known ones, and GTDC lists parasailing and water skiing among its attractions. Calangute, 15 km from Panaji, is a seven-km sweep of sand that GTDC calls the Queen of Beaches. Hotels and guesthouses run unbroken from Calangute to Baga, and handicraft showrooms line the main road towards Anjuna. Swimmers should be a little cautious: the sea drops away suddenly and the waves rise.

Baga and its creek

GTDC calls Baga the party capital of Goa, with nightclubs along Titos Lane, speed boating and water sports on the beach, and in the season a Saturday night market beside the creek. Boat rides run along the creek through mangroves, and Incredible India says dolphins can be seen about one to two kilometres from the shore. By GTDC's count Baga is 16 km from Panaji.

Anjuna and the Wednesday flea market

About 18 km from Panaji, Anjuna was made famous by the "flower power and peace" generation of the 1960s and early 1970s, and later by trance parties. The beach is known for breeze-catching palms, soft sand and a black rock that juts into the sea. Its flea market is held every Wednesday and sells clothes, jewellery, chess sets and yak cheese. Official pages give different opening hours, so check the times locally.

Vagator and Chapora Fort

Vagator, about 22 km from Panaji, is a crescent of sand in Caisua Bay below the hill crowned by Chapora Fort. The laterite fort stands above the Chapora river; GTDC says the Marathas took it in 1684 and 1739 and the Portuguese won it back in 1741. Go in the evening, once the afternoon heat has gone, for the view over the river and the beaches of Chapora, Anjuna and Vagator. Many visitors know it as the fort from the film Dil Chahta Hai. Mapusa is about 10 km away, and buses from Mapusa to Anjuna and Vagator stop at the fort.

Morjim, Ashwem and Mandrem

Beyond the Chapora river the beaches turn quieter. Morjim is one of Goa's three Olive Ridley turtle nesting beaches, where volunteers guard the nests and help hatchlings to the sea, and the Department of Tourism asks visitors to keep away from nesting areas. Ashwem runs from the north bank of the Chapora almost to Querim, about 30 km from Panaji; GTDC says it has no water sports and suits a peaceful day. Mandrem, GTDC says, is a still beach for yoga and meditation with relatively uninhabited sands for long walks.

Arambol

Arambol, or Harmal, is a haunt of foreign visitors, with Tai Chi, yoga and meditation centres. GTDC says it is the one beach you cannot drive on to: you walk down a slope, and the black rocks on the silver sand make for dramatic sunsets. The beach holds a flea market on Saturdays at sunset. Incredible India lists paragliding at Arambol among the adventure options in the state.

Fort Tiracol

At the northern tip of Goa, Fort Tiracol crowns a hill where the Tiracol river meets the Arabian Sea, about 40 km from Panaji. GTDC says you cross by ferry and that the Maharaja of Sawantwadi's fort was taken by the Portuguese in 1746 and rebuilt in 1764. Part of it is now a hotel, and GTDC lists the fort open to the public daily from 9 am to 7 pm. The ramparts look down on Querim and Kalacha beaches.

Mapusa and its Friday market

Mapusa, the market town of Bardez, is the main gateway to the north, with daily buses from the Kadamba bus stand in Panaji. Its Friday market sits within the main bus stand and market, fills from about 9 am or earlier, and sells vegetables, clothes, furniture and saplings. St Jerome's Church, also called the Milagres Church, was built in 1674 and is sacred to Christians and Hindus alike.

The church at Saligao

In Bardez, the white Church of Mae de Deus at Saligao was built in 1873 and GTDC calls it the finest example of Neo-Gothic architecture in Goa, with Gothic spires lit up after dark. It keeps a gold-painted wooden statue of Mae de Deus brought from the ruins of the Mae de Deus convent in Old Goa; our Old Goa travel guide covers the churches that remain there.

Reis Magos Fort

At the narrowest point of the Mandovi's mouth, opposite Panjim, the reddish laterite walls of Reis Magos Fort at Verem can be seen from the capital. GTDC traces an outpost here to 1493 under the Bijapur sultans, a Portuguese fort of 1551 and a complete rebuilding in 1707, and lists it open Tuesday to Sunday. Our Panjim travel guide covers the city across the water.

Mayem Lake, Arvalem Falls and the Mhadei sanctuary

Inland from Mapusa, Mayem Lake in Bicholim taluka is a picnic spot among cashew and areca trees that GTDC says is lovely all year; Incredible India lists Goa's first permanent bungee jumping site there. Arvalem Falls, near Sanquelim and Bicholim, drop about 50 m and are at their zenith in the monsoon, drying to a trickle in winter and summer. In the north-east, in Sattari, the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is where white-water rafting is available from June to October.

• By air: Manohar International Airport at Mopa, in the north of the state, began operating on 5 January 2023 and is about 34 km from central Panjim by GTDC's reckoning. Dabolim (GOI), near Vasco da Gama, is about 30 km from Panjim, and the Mopa airport's operator names it, about 35 km away, as the nearest airport to Sinquerim at the southern end of the coast. The better airport depends on where you stay.
• By train: on the Konkan Railway, Thivim is the nearest station to Sinquerim, about 21 km away, and Karmali serves Panjim and Old Goa. The Mopa airport's operator runs bus services between Calangute, Mapusa and the airport, and between the airport and Thivim station.
• By road: buses run daily from the Kadamba bus stand in Panaji to Mapusa, and from Mapusa and Calangute to Vagator. Mapusa is the nearest interstate bus station.