Panaji

One of India’s most relaxed state capitals, Panaji (Panjim) crowds around the peninsula overlooking the broad Mandovi River, where cruise boats and floating casinos ply the waters, and advertising signs cast neon reflections in the night.

A glorious whitewashed church lords over the animated city centre, a broad leafy boulevard skirts around the river, and colonial-era buildings rub shoulders with arty boutiques, old-school bookshops, state-of-the-art malls and backstreet bars.

But it’s the tangle of narrow streets in the old Latin Quarter of Fontainhas that really steal the show. Nowhere is the Portuguese influence felt more openly than here, where the late afternoon sun lights up yellow houses with purple doors, and around each corner you’ll find restored ochre-coloured mansions with terracotta-tiled roofs, wrought-iron balconies and arched oyster-shell windows.

A day or two in Panaji really is an essential part of the Goan experience.

Explore Panaji

Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Panaji’s spiritual, as well as geographical, centre is this elevated, pearly white church, built in 1619 over an older, smaller 1540 chapel, and stacked…
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Goa State Museum & Secretariat Building
Currently housed in the Secretariat, the oldest colonial building in Goa, the state museum features an eclectic, if not extensive, collection of items…
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Altinho Hill
On the hillside above Panaji is the well-to-do residential district of Altinho. Apart from good views over the city and river, the main attraction here is…
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Mario Gallery
This gallery and shop showcases work by India’s favourite cartoonist, Loutolim local Mario de Miranda, who died in 2011 at the age of 85. Along with…
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Goa State Central Library
Panaji’s modern state library has six floors of reading material, a bookshop and gallery. The 2nd floor features a children’s book section and internet…
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Gitanjali Gallery
Worth a look while walking around the district of Fontainhas, this spacious gallery in the beautiful Panjim Peoples displays works by local and…
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Statue of Abbé Faria
Beside the Secretariat Building, look out for the sublime, starkly black statue of a caped man, arms, hands and fingers outstretched, towering over an…
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Miramar
Miramar, 3km southwest of the city, is Panaji’s nearest beach. The couple of kilometres of exposed sand facing Aguada Bay are hardly inspiring compared to…
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Chapel of St Sebastian
Fontainhas is notable for being home to the pretty Chapel of St Sebastian, built in 1818. This small whitewashed church contains one of only a few relics…

Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Panaji’s spiritual, as well as geographical, centre is this elevated, pearly white church, built in 1619 over an older, smaller 1540 chapel, and stacked…
G
Goa State Museum & Secretariat Building
Currently housed in the Secretariat, the oldest colonial building in Goa, the state museum features an eclectic, if not extensive, collection of items…
A
Altinho Hill
On the hillside above Panaji is the well-to-do residential district of Altinho. Apart from good views over the city and river, the main attraction here is…
M
Mario Gallery
This gallery and shop showcases work by India’s favourite cartoonist, Loutolim local Mario de Miranda, who died in 2011 at the age of 85. Along with…
G
Goa State Central Library
Panaji’s modern state library has six floors of reading material, a bookshop and gallery. The 2nd floor features a children’s book section and internet…
G
Gitanjali Gallery
Worth a look while walking around the district of Fontainhas, this spacious gallery in the beautiful Panjim Peoples displays works by local and…
S
Statue of Abbé Faria
Beside the Secretariat Building, look out for the sublime, starkly black statue of a caped man, arms, hands and fingers outstretched, towering over an…
M
Miramar
Miramar, 3km southwest of the city, is Panaji’s nearest beach. The couple of kilometres of exposed sand facing Aguada Bay are hardly inspiring compared to…
C
Chapel of St Sebastian
Fontainhas is notable for being home to the pretty Chapel of St Sebastian, built in 1818. This small whitewashed church contains one of only a few relics…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Panaji.

See
Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Panaji’s spiritual, as well as geographical, centre is this elevated, pearly white church, built in 1619 over an older, smaller 1540 chapel, and stacked…
See
Goa State Museum & Secretariat Building
Currently housed in the Secretariat, the oldest colonial building in Goa, the state museum features an eclectic, if not extensive, collection of items…
See
Altinho Hill
On the hillside above Panaji is the well-to-do residential district of Altinho. Apart from good views over the city and river, the main attraction here is…
See
Mario Gallery
This gallery and shop showcases work by India’s favourite cartoonist, Loutolim local Mario de Miranda, who died in 2011 at the age of 85. Along with…
See
Goa State Central Library
Panaji’s modern state library has six floors of reading material, a bookshop and gallery. The 2nd floor features a children’s book section and internet…
See
Gitanjali Gallery
Worth a look while walking around the district of Fontainhas, this spacious gallery in the beautiful Panjim Peoples displays works by local and…
See
Statue of Abbé Faria
Beside the Secretariat Building, look out for the sublime, starkly black statue of a caped man, arms, hands and fingers outstretched, towering over an…
See
Miramar
Miramar, 3km southwest of the city, is Panaji’s nearest beach. The couple of kilometres of exposed sand facing Aguada Bay are hardly inspiring compared to…
See
Chapel of St Sebastian
Fontainhas is notable for being home to the pretty Chapel of St Sebastian, built in 1818. This small whitewashed church contains one of only a few relics…

Guidebooks

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