Goa Beach Travel Guide

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Colva Beach, Goa, India (Cliff Smith/Flickr)

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Goa Beach Travel Tips

By Matt Link

Monsoon season in Goa occurs from June until the end of September, when many businesses simply close and foreign tourists stay away. However, the weather is sublime from late October to February.
Be sure to book early for the uber-popular season from Christmas through the first week of January, when both international and Indian tourists descend on Goa in noisy throngs and rates skyrocket.
Although self-drive car rentals are available, it's far easier to rent a taxi or a cheap auto-rickshaw to get to the more remote beaches.
At the beach or in town, female tourists will feel more comfortable dressing modestly, keeping with local customs.
Goa offers a wide range of accommodations, but the luxury resorts tend to have the best proximity to the more secluded beaches.

Beach Overview: Goa, India

By Matt Link

Isolated from the rest of India during 400-plus years of Portuguese rule, the state of Goa on the subcontinent's west coast boasts a rare blend of cultures. Portuguese influences are everywhere, from Catholic churches (about a quarter of the state's 1.4 million population is Christian) to afternoon siestas, cuisine, and European-style villas—but all with an Indian fusion making for a distinct local culture. In recent decades, Goa was synonymous with dropped-out, tuned-in, flower children and New Agers who populated the nude beaches and all-night raves. Although Goa is a little more mainstream and five-star now, it retains an alternative edge and freshness that makes it one of the most interesting places to visit in India, and an easy introduction to traveling in the sometimes challenging country. Read More