Area: 3660 sq km (1430sq mi)
Population: 1.3 million
Capital City: Panaji
People: Goan
Languages: Konkani and Marathi, with a Smattering of English and Portuguese
Religion: Hindu, Muslim and Christian
Town/Cities: Panaji | Mapusa | Vasco| Old Goa| Margao
Reaching Goa:The place is well connected by all means of transport, air, rail and road... more>>
Getting Around: It is said that the best way to get around Goa is to hire a motorcycle, though be sure to carry the necessary paperwork (licence, registration & insurance) because checks on foreigners are a lucrative source of baksheesh for the police. If you don't know how to drive, motorcycle taxis are a legitimate and fun way of scooting between towns.
Places to Visit: Beaches> North Goa>
                           Anjuna Vagator Baga Calangute Candolim Dona Paula
                          Beaches> South Goa>
                           Colva Majorda Cavelossim Palolem
                          Other Places to Visit
                           Fort Aguada Bom Jesus Basilica Panaji Old Goa Anjuna Flea Market
                           Church of St. Francis Mansions Dudhsagar Waterfalls

Festivals:         Mardi Gras Carnival in Feb.-March Shigmo in March
                           Shri Mangesh festival in Feb. Christmas in Dec.
                          Feast of St Francis Xavier in Dec.

Reaching Goa:The place is well connected by all means of transport, air, rail and road.

AIR - Those who are interested to go by air can do so by Indian Airlines, Air India and Alliance Air from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin and Pune.
Several charter companies fly into Goa's Dabolim Airport direct from the UK and Germany. There are also regular flights between Dabolim Airport and Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi, Udaipur, Bangalore, Madras, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

RAIL- It is connected by rail with Mumbai, Delhi, Rajkot, Mangalore, Cochin, Trivandrum through Konkan Railway.
For those visiting Calangute and Mapusa, convenient station is Thivim, for Panaji it's Karmali and for Madgao and nearby places is Madgao station.
The 760km (465mi) Konkan Railway opened in January 1998 linking Mumbai with Goa (10 hours) and south to Mangalore (15 hours), dramatically cutting travel times along the western coast.

ROAD - It is also connected by good motorable roads with the entire major towns in India via National Highways NH-4A, NH-17A. Private companies still offer the dreaded super deluxe video buses from Panaji and Margao to Mumbai (15 hours), Mysore (16 hours) and Bangalore. A flashy and pricey catamaran service sails daily from October to May between Panaji and Mumbai, taking just seven hours.