Must see attractions in South Goa

Artist and restorer Victor Hugo Gomes first noticed the slow extinction of traditional objects – from farming tools to kitchen utensils to altarpieces –…

Braganza House, built in the 17th century and stretching along one whole side of Chandor’s village square, is the biggest Portuguese mansion of its kind…

About 8km southeast of Chandor is the busy small town of Quepem. Here the Palácio do Deão, the renovated 18th-century palace built by the town’s founder,…

Approximately 14km southeast of Margao near the village of Paroda, a number of hills rise out of the plain, the highest of which is Chandranath Hill (350m…

Smaller and less crowded than Palolem to the north, Patnem makes a quiet and friendly alternative. It’s backed by relaxed beach shacks and has a lively…

Agonda’s beach is wide, quiet and picturesque, with a forestry department–staffed turtle centre at the northern end protecting precious olive ridley sea…

One of Goa’s least visited but most fascinating sights is deep in the countryside at Usgalimal: a series of prehistoric petroglyphs (rock art), carved…

Margao’s whitewashed main church (1675) remains in use as a parish church and is finely decorated inside. The impressive reredos (ornamental screen) is…

About 9km southeast of Palolem, and a good day trip, is the beautiful, remote-feeling Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa’s second-largest sanctuary and…

About 26km southeast of Margao, Salaulim Dam is a major reservoir supplying irrigation and drinking water to South Goa. For visitors the dam wall is quite…

The West Wing belongs to one set of the Braganza family’s descendants, the Menezes-Braganças. It’s well maintained and more like a museum than a home,…

The East Wing of Braganza House is owned by the Pereira-Braganza family. It’s not as grand and well-maintained as its western counterpart, but is…

A kilometre east past the church, and open to the public, is the Fernandes House, whose original building dates back more than 500 years, while the…

This quirky museum at the Varca (southern) end of Benaulim, dubbed 'Back in Time', has three floors of carefully presented technology through the ages,…

Loutolim is home to a number of impressive Portuguese mansions but just one, Casa Araujo Alvares, opposite Ancestral Goa, is officially open to the public…

A fort has occupied this bluff guarding the mouth of the Sal River for centuries, and came into Portuguese hands in 1763. There’s not much to see of the…

Hire a local boatman from Palolem Beach to ferry you up to Butterfly Beach and back (₹2000 for the boat), relishing the views of untouched coastline along…

Built in 1580 atop an old Muslim fort, the Rachol Seminary and Church stands near the village of Raia, 7km from Margao. It’s not officially open to…

Approximately 12km southeast of Chandor and 22km from Margao, on the border of Quepem and Sanguem talukas, is the small village of Zambaulim, home to the…

Around 3km south of the village of Zambaulim, the road passes through Rivona, which consists of little more than a few houses spread out along the…