Goa has had a long history as the backdrop for the meeting of cultures. Portuguese colonists controlled this area of West India for a long time. Though independence has brought an Indian flavor to Goa, there are still many elements of Portuguese culture, including the colonial buildings and a noticeable minority of Roman Catholic Indians. Though the colonial days are long past, Goa is still a meeting point for many of the world’s cultures.

Goa has long been a tourist hot spot. It was a hippie hangout in the 70s and has retained elements of the counter-culture attitude. Visitors are still likely to run into an aged flower child here or there. Of course, there is plenty more to do in Goa than relive the past.

Why do half-a-million foreigners and over a million Indian nationals visit Goa each year?

For the beaches, of course.

Goa’s beaches are world famous and the area is so familiar with the tourist industry that it’s possible to find something to like on Goa no matter what your motives for visiting are.

Raves and beach parties still occur. Laid-back hangouts and upscale resorts vie with beachside bars and food carts for sand space. Luckily there is enough of Goa to go around. Some of the best resorts are founding Southern Goa, while budget places sit further north; as a destination, Goa has a choice to suit everyone. It is expensive by Indian standards, but still quite cheap when compared to western prices.

Goa’s old city, which is filled to the brim with aged buildings and monuments, is a located near the state capital of Panjim. Visitors are transported back to a time when spice was king and Goa was the gateway to an endless frontier. Many fortunes were made, and many more lost, in and around Panjim. Goa is about the beach, but there is so much more to see.

Tags: beaches, india