North Goa - Calangute, Baga 3 Nights and 4 Days

Calangute Beach, Baga Beach, Anjuna Beach, Vagator Beach, Chapora Fort

Published on 2021-12-23

Calangute Beach

Calangute Beach

Destination

beach

Best time to visit

October to January

  • Goa is the most travelled tourist destination of India, very popular for its beaches, nightlife, seafood and rich culture. You will enjoy visiting different beaches, unique places and food, especially the typical Goan cuisine.
  • Geographically, Goa is divided into North and South Goa and has approximately 35 beaches. There are varieties of beaches in Goa, if you want to see lots of crowds and activities, then Baga and Calangute beaches are good choices and for a peaceful environment, Sinquerim, Arambol are recommended beaches to spend time at.
     
  • Best time to travel – Goa is open all round the year, peak season being October to January. Rates of the hotel and related activities are higher during the peak season.
    Monsoon season visit is slightly cheaper but sea sport activities will not be accessible during this time.
  • Madgaon (35kms from Panaji), is also very well connected to other parts of India and one can commute to and fro from here as well.

How to reach North Goa, Calangute?

  • Railhead: The nearest railway station is the Vasco Da Gama (approx. 11Km), having good connectivity from all the major cities of India.
  • Airport: Goa International Airport at Dabolim is about 30 km from Panjim. It connects Goa with major cities of India and abroad. Chartered flights from Europe and Russia are a common feature.
  • By Road: Panjim is easily accessible by road from the state of Karnataka to the south and Maharashtra to the north by winding highways.
    Panaji KTC Bus Station, Patto Centre, Goa is the major bus stand in Panjim, which connects Panjim to other major cities like Mumbai, Pune. Intracity buses are also available for Calangute and other major locations in Goa.
  • Local commute: A popular mode of transportation in Goa is the motorcycle taxi, operated by drivers, locally called pilots. You are recommended to hire geared or non-geared bikes on a ‘per day’ basis. Also, local private buses in Goa have a wide network and are available even in the remotest areas.

Highlights

  • Beaches :  Calangute, Candolim, Baga, Vagator, Arambol, Sinquerim are must visit beaches.
  • Sea Food : Tourists who enjoy seafood , Goa is one of the best place to be at.
  • Flea Market : Setup on a few days in a week near Anjuna and Vagator beach.
  • Adventure Sports : Banana boat ride, jet skiing, parasailing, rafting etc.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Goa and Beach Visit

Check-in at the Hotel –  We stayed at Fab Express, the Sky, which is about 1 km from Calangute Beach, charging about Rs.2200 per day. The room had a beautiful balcony with lots of greenery around.

Explore more Hotel Options

  • Evening can be spent at the Calangute or Baga Beach, where there are shacks serving a good variety of food and drinks. Both Calangute beach & Baga beach are situated at a distance of around 1.5 km from each other.

Baga Beach– A very popular beach which has a row of shacks and fishing boats. During high tide, the beach is narrow. Mainly known for its night life.

Calangute Beach: Very popular beach among tourists, famous for its shacks and adventure activities like parasailing, banana boat ride, jet skiing and many more.

Calangute Beach, Goa
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Calangute Beach, Goa

Dinner can be taken at  Brittos, located at the Baga Beach which is very well known restaurant. Seafood Platter & Balchao Prawn are the must try delicacies when at this place. It is an amazing experience to sit at Baga Beach and enjoy the freshly cooked seafood.

  • Overnight stay at Calangute
Brittos @ Baga Beach
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Brittos @ Baga Beach

Day 2: Beach and Chapora Fort Visit

Breakfast can be taken at the hotel itself and then head to the popular tourist destinations in North Goa.

  • Anjuna Beach – Another exciting beach of North Goa (about 7 km from Calangute), where one can witness the vastness of the Arabian Sea and waves gushing in over the rocks. It is famous for its unusual rock formation on white sand and black rocks.
    The beach has two areas which tourists can choose to explore, based on their interest, one being surrounded by rocks and another having a sand beach.
  • A flea market is setup every Wednesday near this beach where tourists can buy various items like clothes, souvenirs etc at a very affordable price.
  • Vagator Beach – A rocky beach, which is one of the most scenic and picturesque beaches in Goa,situated in the north of the Anjuna beach overlooked by very steep laterite hills. One can sit here on the rocks for a couple of hours and enjoy the natural beauty. Another side of Vagator beach is surrounded by trees.  
  • Chapora Fort – It is a tourist destination which earlier was a fort built by the ruler Adil Shah, located on the Chapora river, near Vagator beach. The route to the fort is a bit steep, about 600 m uphill, taking about 15 to 20 mins to reach on foot.
    This fort has seen the reigns of the Portuguese, Mughals and Marathas. The movie Dil Chahta hai was also shot here. On reaching the fort, one can enjoy the beautiful view from the top, getting the aerial view of the Vagator beach & Anjuna beach.
    •   Timings – 10:00 am to 5:30 pm.
View of Vagator beach from Chapora Fort
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View of Vagator beach from Chapora Fort

Lunch can be taken at Florentine’s Restaurant, Saligao, which is about 5 km from Calangute Beach. The specialty of this Restaurant is Portuguese-influenced Chicken Cafreal, prepared from 7-10 different ingredients, giving it a special taste.

  • Spend your evening at Calangute Beach.
  • Dinner can be taken at Souza Lobo restaurant at Calangute Beach –  An old restaurant where the must try dishes are – Crab Xacuti, Fish Cafreal & Veg Xacuti. Xacuti is a mixture of 18 different spices.
  • Overnight Stay in Calangute area.
Chicken Cafreal, Florentine, North Goa
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Chicken Cafreal, Florentine, North Goa

Day 3: Beach Enjoyment in North Goa

Start your day early with the visit to the Candolim Beach, which is one of the cleanest beaches of North Goa, The tourists enjoy walking along the sea or sitting on the sand and enjoy the magnificence of nature.

Candolim Beach
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Candolim Beach

Tourists can have breakfast and lunch near Candolim Beach in the following places :

  • Navtara Restaurant – A neat and clean pure vegetarian restaurant, serving Goan, South Indian and North Indian cuisine,Mushroom Xacuti Paratha being a must try delicacy. The restaurant has numerous outlets across Goa.
  • Fisherman’s Cove : A very popular food joint located in the Candolim Area, serving tempting sea food and a variety of north Indian dishes. Crab Xec Xec is a must try dish for sea food lovers. Live music by the band uplifts the mood of the diners at all times.
Fisherman Cove
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Fisherman Cove

If you are an adventure enthusiast and want to get a thrilling experience in the river or sea then you must try the sea adventure sports like Flyboarding, parasailing, banana boat etc, mostly taking place on Calangute beach which is about 4 km from Candolim Beach (For more details refer to Suggestions & Recommendations section below).

  • Two very popular beaches are the Calangute Beach and Baga Beach, Calangute being the centre of sea sport activities and Baga for music, dance and nightlife.
Baga Beach, North Goa
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Baga Beach, North Goa

Dinner can be taken any shack(restaurant) on the beach or at UDIPI – Plantain Leaf – South Indian Vegetarian Food

  • Overnight Stay at Calangute

Day 4: Beach Visit & Return to base location

Start your day with breakfast at the hotel and head for sightseeing.

  • Querim Beach – It is the largest beach of North Goa, about 30 km from Calangute beach. The beach is cleaner as compared to the other beaches of Goa and a very calm and peaceful one.
    Though one can visit the beach anytime, but morning visit gives a unique experience. Sitting on the rocks, walking along the coast and feeling the morning sea breeze is a mesmerising experience.
  • Arambol Beach – Arambol Beach is well known for its sweet water lagoon and is about 10 km from the Querim beach. Its shack-culture, mouth-watering Goan delicacies served in the beach side restaurants, cafes and the parties often held here make the beach very popular among the tourists.
Querim Beach
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Querim Beach

Lunch can be taken at  Copperleaf Porvorim, a very famous multi-cuisine fine dine restaurant. Must try dishes are Vindaloo masala, Xacuti, Recheado Masala, vindaloo being spicier as compared to Recheado masala.

Check-out from the hotel based on the check-out time and head to the Airport or Railway for the return journey to home location.

Suggestions & Recommendations

  • There is a shopping area right outside the Calangute beach & Baga beach where one can easily spend upto an hour and a half. There are several  shops selling t-shirts, swimming costumes, accessories etc. Tourists if interested, can  also get a tattoo done both temporary and permanent. The area has a lot souvenir shops, where one can shop for self and loved ones.
  • You can buy Bebinca & Dodol, which is Goa’s popular dessert, from any of the grocery or bakery shops in Goa.
  • Aguada Fort, which is about 7 km from the Calangute beach, is another popular destination which can be visited. It is an old Portuguese fort and lighthouse on the Sinquerim beach.
Chapora Fort
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Chapora Fort