Goa cities are known for there exceptional charm and appeal throughout the world. Once the hangouts of the hippies the cities of Goa leave the tourists mesmerized. With colonial structures dotting its surroundings, smiling and greeting people, lively music, colourful festivals, ever fascinating beaches, Goa offers everything and more that a traveller's heart desires.

Arambol

Interested in rocking rave parties? Then this is the place for you. Leave the world behind and come to Arambol for an out of the world experience. Arambol is one place where you can leave fairly well on very little money

Location: 32-km, Northwest Of Mapusa, Goa
Also Known As: Harmal
Famous As A: Fishing Settlement
Main Attraction: Beaches And A Freshwater Lake

The Countryside Heaven

Of the fishing settlements dotted along the north coast, only Arambol 32-km northwest of

PLACES TO STAY

Apart from a couple of purpose built chalets on the edge of the Village, most of Arambol's accommodation consists of simple houses in the woods behind the beach. Some of the more posh places have fully equipped kitchens and showers, but the vast majority are standard issue bare huts. Long stay visitors either bring their own bedding and cooking stuff or kit themselves out at Mapusa Market.


NEARBY CITIES
Mapusa: 32-km
Vasco-da-Gama: 34-km
Panjim: 44-km

Mapusa

Mapusa is the place from where you can buy things of every day need. The bustling market of Mapusa stocked with almost all types of items is one major attraction of the state.

Location: Bardez Taluka, 13-km North Of Panjim, Goa
Pronounced As: Mapuca
Main Attraction: The Friday Local Market

The ramshackle market town of Mapusa is the district headquarters of Bardez Taluka. If one arrives by road from and , and have yet to experience the rest of India, wander in on Friday mornings to enjoy the pungent aromas of fish, incense, spices and exotics fruit stacked in colourful heaps on the sidewalks.

Local specialties include strings of spicy Goan sausages ('Chourico'), bottles of 'Todi' (fermented palm juice) and large green plantains. One'll also encounter sundry freak shows, from run of the mill snake charmers and kids dressed up as Sadhus to wide-eyed Flagellants, blood oozing out of slashes on their backs.

NEARBY CITIES
Panjim: 13-km
Vasco-da-Gama: 43-km
Margao: 46-km

Margao

Margao in Goa is a fine combination of culture and commerce. This sleepy town of Goa is the cultural capital of the state and is a perfect base for rural Salcete

Location: Salcete Taluka, 33-km From Panjim, Goa
Also Known As: Madgaon
Main Attraction: Lutolim, Chandor

Margao is for most long distance express services on the Konkan Railway, lies 3-km south of the centre. The Reservation office (Monday-Saturday, 8.00 am-4.30 pm, Sunday 8.00 am- 2.00 pm) is divided between the ground and the first floor; bookings for the superfast Rajdhani Express to Delhi are made at the hatch to the left of the main entrance. Tickets for trains for Mumbai are short in supply so make sure to book the tickets well in advance. There is also a 24-hour Information Centre and round-the-clock pre-paid auto rickshaw stand outside the exit.

Road: Local private buses to Colva and Benaulim leave from in front of the Kamat hotel on the east side of Margao's main square. Long distance bus services one can get at the main Kadamba Bus Stand, 3-km further north, on the outskirts of the town. This is also the departure point for interstate services to Magalore, via Chaudi and Gokarn, and for services to Panjim and North Goa.

PLACES TO STAY

With Colvo and Benaulim a mere twenty-minutes bus ride away the accommodation options are available in plenty at Margao. GTDC Tourist Hotel is standard budget hotel one can stay in at Margao.

USEFUL INFORMATION

GTDC's Information Office: (Monday-Friday 9.30 am-5.30 pm) sells tourist maps and keeps useful lists of train and bus timings.
Exchange Facilities: Available at the State bank Of India (Monday-Friday 10.00 am-2.00 pm, Saturday 10.00 am-noon) of the west side of the main square; the Bobcard office in the market sub-branch of the Bank of baroda, on Luis Gomez road, does visa encashments.

GPO: The GPO is at the top of the municipal gardens, although its Poste Restante is in a different building, 200m west on the Rua Diogo da Costa.

NEARBY CITIES
Lutolim: 10-km
Chandor: 13-km
Vasco-da-Gama: 30-km

Panjim

Panjim the capital city of Goa is the most ideal gateway to the others parts of the state. A perfect amalgam of old and new, the elegant city of Panjim has it own vibrant history.

Location: Goa
Also Known As: Panaji (The Politically Correct Marathi Name)
Significance: Capital Of Goa
Best Time To Visit: October To March

Take any mid sized Portuguese town add a sprinkling of banana trees and auto-rickshaws, drench annually with torrential tropical rain, and leave to simmer in fierce humid sunshine for at least one hundred and fifty years, and one'll end up with something like Panjim. The Goan capital has a completely different feel from any other Indian city.

History For centuries, Panjim was little more than a minor landing stage and customs house, protected by a hilltop fort, and surrounded by stagnant swampland. It only became capital in 1843, after the port at Old Goa had silted up, and its rulers and impoverished inhabitants had fled the plague.

Although the last Portuguese Viceroy managed to drain many of the nearby marshes, and erect imposing public buildings on the new site, the town never emulated the grandeur of its predecessor upriver --a result, in part, of the Portuguese nobles' predilection for erecting their mansions in the countryside rather than the city.

Panjim expanded rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, without reaching the unmanageable proportions of other Indian state capitals.

HOW TO GET THERE

Air: European Charter planes and domestic flights from : 30-km
Vasco-da-Gama: 30-km
Mapusa: 13-km
Calangute: 16-km
Dabolim: 30-km
Terechol: 42-km
Malem: 50-km
Dudhsagar: 60-km
Marwar: 103-km
Londa: 106-km

Pernem

Set between the Chapora and Arondem rivers, the predominantly Hindu Taluka of Pernem --in the Novas Conquistas area - is Goa's northernmost district and one of its least explored regions.

Location: Goa
Nearby Attractions: Arambol & Terekol Fort

Pernem And The Far North

Sandwiched between the Chapora and Arondem rivers, the predominantly Hindu Taluka of Pernem --in the Novas Conquistas area - is Goa's northernmost district and one of its least explored regions.

A Coastal Attraction

Apart from the fishing village of Arambol, which attracts a trickle of backpackers seeking a rustic alternative to the resorts south of the river Chapora, the beautiful Pernem coastline of long sandy beaches, lagoons and coconut plantations has few settlements equipped to cope with visitors. However, the picturesque, if bumpy, journey north from Arambol to Terekol fort, on the Maharashtrian border, provides ample incentive to spend a day away from the beach.

HOW TO GET THERE

Boat: Heading to Pernem from Anjuna, Vagator, or Chapora, one has to travel a few kilometres inland to pick up the Main Calangute Road, as it runs north over a low ridge of laterite hills, to the river crossing at Siolim. Boatmen sometimes paddle tourists over the estuary from Chapora too, although their dugouts are unstable when laden with passengers and they can't carry motorbikes. The two car ferries that chug back and forth across the river from the ramp at Siolim remain the only dependable link, and one of the high points of the journey north.

Once across the river, head straight on until one reaches a fork in the road, where a sign to "Harmal/Terekol" marks the quick route to Arambol.

PLACES TO STAY

The nearest accommodation area from Pernem is Arambol, where tourist resorts are available at resonable rates. For better accommodation options check out the hotels at the nearby cities of Mapusa, Vasco and Panjim.

NEARBY CITIES

Mapusa: 32-km
Vasco-da-Gama: 34-km
Panjim: 44-km

Ponda

Ponda is known as the Hindu heartland of Goa, for its large number of predominant Hindu temples and monuments. This place is just 28 km from Panjim, the state capital.

Location: 28-km Southeast Of Panjim, Goa
Main Attractions: Sri Mangesh Temple, Sri Mahalasa Temple & Safa Mosque
Significance: Administrative Headquarters & The Main Market Town
Ponda can be described as the Hindu heart of

Mahalasa Narayani Temple: 2-km from the Shri Mangesh Temple, is the Mahalsa Narayani Temple. The Vishnu (Preserver of the Universe) Temple is known for the 'Garuda' pillar (the half-man half-eagle vehicle of Lord Vishnu), which stands on the back of a turtle with Garuda perched on top of it. The temple also has a "Deepstambha", and finely carved columns depicting the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Nagesh Temple: The Nagesh Temple is situated 4-km west of Ponda. 'Nagesh' (also spelt as Naguesh) or the 'God of Serpents' refers to Lord Shiva (Destroyer of the Universe). The temple was built in 1413. The 'Mandapa' (an assembly hall, generally pillared, preceding the sanctum sanatorium) has woodcarvings that narrate stories from the Hindu epics - 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata'. The temple compound also houses a five-storeyed "Deepstambha". Not far from the Nagesh Temple, is located the Mahalakshmi Temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga (the Goddess of War). According to the date inscribed in Marathi on the temple, the monument could have been built in 1413.

Shantadurga Temple: Set amidst tranquill forests and hills, the Shantadurga Temple lies 3-km from Ponda in Queula. Shantadurga, one of the consorts of Shiva, is a form of Durga (the Goddess of War) and the Goddess of Peace. Legend has it that once, the Destroyer and the Preserver had a mammoth fight that plunged the entire universe into chaos. Shantadurga stepped in as the arbitrator and succeeded in reconciling the warring parties, thus saving the universe from eternal doom. Hence, she stands in the temple shrine in between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu (Preserver of the Universe) as a symbol of peace.

The Shantadurga Temple was built in 1738, and is the biggest temple in Goa. A distinctive six-storeyed Deepstambha and 'Ratha' (chariot) with some gilt work adorn the temple grounds. It is interesting to note that amongst some other features of the temple, the dome shows a definite influence of Church architecture.

NEARBY CITIES
Panjim: 28-km

Vasco Da Gama

Vasco da Gama is 29 kms southwest of Panjim, the state capital and is one of the major tourist hubs of the state Goa.

Location: 29-km Southwest Of Panjim, Goa
Significance: A Key Shipping Centre
Vasco da Gama, 29-km by road southwest of

PLACES TO STAY

Thanks to its business city status, Vasco boasts a better than average batch of hotels. Most are plush mid-range places, although there are several no-frills lodges near the railway station. Best of the budget bunch is available on the Dattatreya Deshpande Road. One can also try the GTDC Tourist Hostel, off Swatantra Path near the station, or the hotels situated east of the main square on FL Gomes Road.

Moving upscale hotels situated at Pe Jose Vaz Road, currently offers the best value for money among Vasco's many modern mid-range places. Finally, for fully air-conditioned comfort, complete with plush bars, restaurants and a gym, check in to the hotels on Swatantra Path.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Exchange Money: If one needs to change money, head for The State Bank Of India at the north end of F L Gomes Road. GTDC's Tourist Information Counter is in the lobby of their tourist hostel.

NEARBY CITIES
Marmagoa: 4-km
Panjim: 29-km

Canacona

Ceded to the Portuguese by the Raja of Sund in the treaty of 1791, Goa's far south - Canacona district - was among the last parts of the territory to be absorbed into the Novas Conquistas, and has retained a distinctly Hindu feel.

Location: Goa
Main Attraction: Pololem, Chaudi, Agonda

The Far South District Of Canacona
Ceded to the Portuguese by the Raja of Sund in the treaty of 1791, Goa's far south - Canacona district - was among the last parts of the territory to be absorbed into the Novas Conquistas, and has retained a distinctly Hindu feel.

The area also boasts some of the state's most outstanding scenery. Set against a backdrop of the Jungle covered Sahyadri Hills (an extension of the Western Ghat Range), a string of pearl white coves and sweeping beaches scoop its indented coastline. Enfolded by laterite headlands and colossal piles of back boulders.

PRIME ATTRACTION

So far, tourism has made little impression on this beautiful landscape. With the exception of the village of Palolem, whose near perfect beach attracts a steady flow of day trippers and longer staying travellers during high season, the coastal settlements remain rooted in a traditional fishing and Todi-tapping economy.

CITIES

Chaudi: Chaudi, 33-km south of Margao, is Canacona district's charmless headquarters. Packed around a noisy junction on the main Panjim-Mangalore highway, it is primarily a transport hub, of interest to visitors only because of its proximity to Palolem, 2-km west. Buses to and from Panjim, Margao, and Karwar in Karnataka Taluka trundle in and out of a scruffy square on the main street, from where taxis and auto rickshaws ferry passengers to the villages scattered across the surroundings fields. The area's only pharmacy stand just off the crossroads, handy if one is staying in Palolem.

Agonda: Agonda, 10-km north of Chaudi, can only be reached along the sinuous coast road connecting Cabo De Rama with NH-14 at Chaudi. No signposts mark the turning and few of the tourists that whizz past en route to Palolem pull off here, but the beach, fringed along its entire length by Todi trees, is superb. Its remote location is not the only reason this 3-km spread of white sand has been bypassed by the bulldozers. Villagers here are opposed to any kind of tourist development. At present, there are only two places to stay over here, both situated at the far end of the beach.

HOW TO GET THERE

Rail: For the last year or two, it has been possible to reach Canacona by direct "Superfast" Express trains from Mumbai , Panjim and Mangalore .

Road: The regions main transport artery is the NH-17, which crawls across the Sahyadri and Karmali Ghats towards Karnataka via the district headquarters, Chaudi. Bus services between here and Margao are quite frequent.

PLACES TO STAY

The best places to near Canacona include Palolem and Agonda. One can easily find quite resonable accommodations at guesthouses near Palolem beach site, while other can check in the resorts of Agonda.

NEARBY CITIES
Margao: 33-km
Vasco-da-Gama: 63-km
Panjim: 64-km

Mormugoa

Just 34 kms from the state capital Panjim, the port city Mormugoa boasts one of India's finest natural harbours.

Location: 34-km From Panjim, Goa

Significance: The Main Port City Of Goa

Also Known As: Mormugoa

Main Attraction: The Marmagoa Fort

Close to the important industrial town of of Goa, minus the monuments, of course. But with the harbour starts another lore. The port is one of India's finest natural harbours. If one wants to extricate oneself from the beaches, a sunset walk around the harbour can be a pleasant change.

HOW TO GET THERE

Air: Dabolim, Goa's airport, lies on top of a rocky plateau, 4-km southeast of Vasco da Gama.
Rail: The nearest railway station is situated at Vasco da Gama.
Road: Arriving by bus from Panjim or Margao, one'll be dropped off to the situated interestate Kadamba Terminus, 3-km east of the town centre from Vasco. From Vasco one can catch ferries to reach Margao harbour.

PLACES TO STAY

Being one of the major cities of Goa and a trade harbour, its not difficult to find good and reasonable accommodations in the city. The options include, mid-range hotels to budget hotels and tourist lodges. One can also find fine beach resort accommodations over here.

NEARBY CITIES
Vasco da Gama: 4-km
Panjim: 34-km