I had been obsessed with visiting India for almost 20 years by the time I moved to Bahrain, so obviously it was at the top of our “to go” list from the beginning. The country is so vast and magical that you definitely need more than a few days to even get a feel for it, but I thought since we were so close, we could visit multiple times to see different parts. And our first visit turned out to be a perfect introduction and getaway: a long weekend in Goa.

The first thing you should know about Goa is that while it is obviously in India, it has a different heritage and feel than many other regions. The main reason for this, of course, is that it was a Portuguese colony until 1961. It also is well known for its beaches and party atmosphere, which combine to attract tourists from the UK, Russia, and other parts of India, as well as hippies from all over the world. But you don’t have to party like a rockstar to have a good time. Here’s how we spent our long weekend in Goa.

Itinerary

Friday: Arrive and check in, lay by the pool, watch the sunset from the hotel bar, walk to nearby shops and local restaurant.

Saturday: Morning yoga, more pool time, explore Ft. Aguada, go to the Saturday Night Market. Dinner at Mum’s Kitchen in Panaji.

Sunday: Visit the ruins of the Church of St. Augustine, the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Se Cathedral, Tropical Spice Plantation, Mangeshi Temple, and Panaji (including seeing Our Lady of Immacuate Conception Church and the Old Latin Quarter). Dinner at restaurant near our hotel.

Monday: Check out early and go straight to the beach. Lunch at a seaside cafe (Zeebop) before heading to the airport.

What to do

There are plenty of things to see and do in Goa — in fact, we apparently missed a pretty epic waterfall when we were there — but Goa’s main draw is really the beaches. The Basilica of Bom Jesus is definitely worth seeing, and the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and Se Cathedral are right across the street. We also were really glad we visited Mangeshi Temple and the Old Latin Quarter of Panaji, to get a feel for the history and culture of the region. But the spice plantations are kind of a tourist trap. We also enjoyed Ft. Aguada, but you could see that at the same time as Panaji if you’re not staying nearby.

For beaches, South Goa has plenty and we were told (by several people) that they’re less crowded than those in North Goa. We really enjoyed Utorda Beach, and if you go there, you have to try Zeebop restaurant.

Staying active

I was really excited to practice yoga in India, and the free class offered by our hotel did not disappoint. We did get a bit of walking in while exploring the different tourist sites, and I swam laps in our hotel’s pool, but there are also plenty of water sports if you prefer that to sitting still on the sand. We also got two brisk jogs in on our way to and from Goa, as connecting through the Mumbai airport takes a lot longer than I had anticipated (more on that below).

Cocktails

Inexpensive beer and cocktails are plentiful in Goa. Most restaurants offer a wide range of alcoholic beverages, and super cute little huts along the beach (like the one above) allow you to order cheap drinks from your beach chair. I think Toby got a beer for 75 cents!

There also was a nice bar at our hotel that had happy hour around sunset, which is always nice. And just in case you needed proof that Goa is always ready to party: I saw this drink cart next to the pool during my morning swim on a Sunday morning!

Where to shop

I love shopping at FabIndia whenever I’m in India, so I was excited to see that their Goa flagship was within walking distance of our hotel. (See a full list of their Goa locations here.) We also enjoyed the Saturday Night Market, which is an experience in and of itself. We got a bunch of spices and tea, lots of little elephant and Ganesha figurines, and hot pink sari for me. There are also ladies there that can do henna painting. Just be aware that the market is seasonal, and you need to bring a bunch of cash if you’re looking to take home souveniers for everyone — none of the vendors take cards, and the market itself is in the middle of a big field, with no ATMs nearby.

Where we stayed

We are Marriott rewards members, and when I was planning the trip I thought Panaji was where we wanted to be, so I chose the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. We really liked a lot of things about the hotel (particularly the breakfast and the wonderful staff), and the location worked well for our first visit. However, if we ever go back, we would stay further south — that’s where all the nice beaches are, and there are plenty of hotels and resorts there, too.

What else you need to know

I planned our long weekend in Goa completely on my own, and I found that there is really no reason to use a tour company or guide service when visiting that region. However, you do need to be very careful about taxis and drivers. The airport has a desk inside where you go and tell them where you’re going, pay at the desk, and they give you a ticket for a real/approved taxi. Our hotel also was able to set up drivers for us when we wanted to explore; all of our drivers were great and gave us some history and local information with our rides, and even recommended places to go. The prices for all of those rides are also determined ahead of time, unlike the sketchy “taxis” that are really just people’s personal vehicles and have no meters.

One of my favorite things about Goa was that there are cows EVERYWHERE. As you probably know, cows are sacred in the Hindu religion, so they are free to do what they want. And, because Goa is a pretty rural area, there are tons of cows just wandering around in the street, poking their head into shops, and generally being awesome.

The food in Goa is delicious, but pretty spicy across the board. Even when I asked for things to be “mild,” they were usually so spicy I couldn’t finish them. However, I appreciated the huge variety of vegetarian options (even at seafood restaurants), and the inexpensive cocktails to help cool down my mouth after particularly spicy bites.

Even though Goa is a popular tourist destination for lots of European people, Toby and I were very popular and got tons of requests for photos from Indian tourists. The first time someone asked me for a photo, I was afraid they were making fun of me, but we both got several more requests later — one lady even asked if I would be in a picture with her and her baby! We also thought maybe people thought we were famous (one guy did ask Toby if he was John Cena), but I think it’s just that many of them are not used to seeing people who are so fair skinned, particularly with bright red or blonde hair.

Make sure you give yourself enough time if you’re flying in from another country and connecting through an Indian airport. You will have to get your luggage, recheck it, and then go through passport control and security in the first airport (for us, this was Mumbai), and that can take a LONG time. I thought we would be OK with an hour and a half, and we barely made our flights each time, even with cutting to the front of the security lines and literally running to our gate.

Goa weather is pretty hot and humid year round; we visited in February and it was very sunny and warm during the day. Make sure you check the weather before you go, and bring lots of sunscreen!

You’ll see people wearing all sorts of things, and it is very hot, but I still tried to dress a bit more conservatively than I might in the U.S. (several people actually commented on how nice Toby and I looked). Also keep in mind that some of the churches do not allow shorts, short dresses, or exposed shoulders, so bring a scarf or two with you if you’re wearing something sleeveless and/or above the knee. I wore a sleeveless maxi dress on the day we did most of our tourist stuff and just needed to put my scarf around my shoulders at one church.

Outfit details
Turquoise/blue dress: Fab India. Gold chandelier earrings: Gift from my grandmother. Hot pink bag: Rebecca Minkoff (old, but this neutral one is similar and this red one is cute). Multicolored bracelet: Lilly Pulitzer (old, but this one and this one are fun). Beaded sandals: Anthropologie (old, but these are kind of similar).
Yoga clothes: Leggings: Sweaty Betty (old print, but these are cute and reversible!), Tank: Athleta, Kimono: Maaji. Headband: Sweaty Bands (use code SC5y for 15 percent off your purchase)
Swim cap: Sweaty Betty. Goggles: Aqua Sphere.
Navy beaded dress: Lilly Pulitzer (similar). Earrings: Gift from my mom. Scarf: Super old.
White maxi dress: Vineyard Vines (old, but this and this are cute). Silver chandelier earrings: Stella and Dot. Red and beige bag: Gift from a friend, but this one and this one are similar, and I love this pink one with tassels. Animal-print gladiator sandals: Dolce Vida

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