What Are the Best Things to Do in Goa Beyond the Beach?

The four things Goa is known for

Beaches come first, and the Goa Tourism Department posts clear rules for using them: beaches are open from 7 AM till sunset and closed from sunset to 7 AM, and driving a vehicle on the beach or littering is an offence. Heritage comes second. Old Goa holds the Bom Jesus Basilica, a World Heritage site, and the Shree Manguesh Shantadurgai Prasanna Temple sits near the village of Mangeshi. Food is third, from curry houses to village bakeries. The fourth is the water beyond the coast: rivers, backwaters, mangroves and islands that most visitors never reach.

This page concentrates on that fourth part and on the heritage and food, because those are the things to do in Goa that a beach holiday misses.

Goa at a glance

The table below pulls the headline experiences together with what they cost and how long they take. Tour prices come from our listed operators.

The islands: Divar and Chorao

Divar Island sits in the Mandovi river and is quiet, green and almost traffic free, which is why it works so well by electric bike. The Divar Island E-Bike Tour runs 3 hours with Rare Escapes Goa for $32.17 per person, rated 4.9 from 1,201 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Chorao Island is reached by ferry from Pomburpa ferry point, and its nature and birdlife pair well with a Goan cooking session.

The Chorao Island Nature and Cooking Day with Soul Travelling runs 6 to 7 hours for $54.64 per person, rated 4.9 from 714 reviews.

Old Goa and Fontainhas

Old Goa holds the Bom Jesus Basilica, a World Heritage site, and the nearby Shree Manguesh Shantadurgai Prasanna Temple near the village of Mangeshi. Expedia lists an Old Goa Heritage Walk among its family picks, so it works with children too. In Panjim, the Fontainhas heritage quarter is the Latin quarter of narrow painted streets, and the Fontainhas Heritage Walk by Make It Happen is one of the popular tours listed on Tripadvisor.

The Mandovi river after dark

The Paradise Dinner Cruise along the River Mandovi is one of the most popular Goa tours on Tripadvisor, and it is the simplest way to see the riverfront without planning anything. Our own Mandovi River Night Cruise with Dinner runs 2.5 hours for $16 per person with free cancellation 24 hours ahead.

Kayak the mangroves

Monsoon kayaking in the northern backwaters passes mangroves with peacock calls and eagle sightings overhead. The Sal Backwaters Mangrove Kayaking trip with Goa Kayaking runs 1 hour 30 minutes for $65 per person, rated 4.9 from 242 reviews, and it is non refundable, so book it for a day you are sure about. You paddle, not motor, which is why the birds stay close.

Eat bread from the last traditional bakery

Baker Jose Carlos D'Silva has been a baker for 50 of his 78 years, and his is the only traditional bakery left in the region. The breads are poi, pao, kakon and katro, baked in an earthen oven. A visit fits easily into a Chorao or Divar day.

Jump into a well at Sao Joao

The Sao Joao festival involves young men jumping into wells to mark the monsoon's arrival. It is one of the strangest and best loved local spectacles in the state, and it happens in the villages, not on the tourist strip.

Take the slow road to an island

Island hopping and backwaters speedboat runs are both listed among the offbeat experiences travellers report from Goa. Getting to Chorao is simple in practice: go to the Pomburpa ferry point and take the ferry across. Ferries are the everyday transport for islanders, so they run through the day.

A food day that works

Start in Fontainhas, the heritage quarter of Panjim, on the Fontainhas Heritage Walk by Make It Happen, one of the popular tours listed on Tripadvisor. The streets hold bakeries, taverns and painted houses, and you can do the walk in a morning. For lunch, travellers single out local restaurants rather than beach shacks, with La Plage restaurant often recommended in the north. In the afternoon, head for a traditional bakery: the breads are poi, pao, kakon and katro from an earthen oven.

If you would rather have someone arrange the whole thing, the Chorao Island Nature and Cooking Day adds a cooking session to a full island day for $54.64 per person.

Where culture shows up on the calendar

Festivals are free to watch and easy to plan around. The Sao Joao festival, with its well jumping, lands in the monsoon and turns whole villages into a party. Heritage sites run all year: the Bom Jesus Basilica in Old Goa is a World Heritage site, and the Shree Manguesh Shantadurgai Prasanna Temple near Mangeshi is one of the most visited temples in the state.

Compare the four

All four are operated by local companies and bookable through goa tours and packages. Prices are per person as listed by each operator.

Family picks that work

Viator lists spice plantations, wildlife sanctuaries, colonial forts, dolphin spotting cruises and waterparks as the core family attractions. Expedia adds the Old Goa Heritage Walk and several BLive Electric Bike Tours such as Ilha Verde and Silent Shores of Siridao as family picks, which matters because an electric bike removes the effort of pedalling in the heat.

Mayem Lake, with its paddle boats, comes up again and again in offbeat Goa lists as an easy half-day with children. Pair it with the Chorao ferry from Pomburpa ferry point and you have a full island and lake day.

Timing a family day

Keep days short and start early. Beach rules from the Goa Tourism Department are worth knowing with children in tow: beaches are open from 7 AM till sunset and closed from sunset to 7 AM, so plan water time in the morning and move to plantations, forts or lakes after lunch.

The free list

Expedia names Margao Market, Our Lady of Merces Church, Arossim Beach and Municipal Gardens as free things to do. To that add the World Heritage Bom Jesus Basilica in Old Goa, which is free to enter, and the Shree Manguesh Shantadurgai Prasanna Temple near Mangeshi.

Add the islands and the cost barely rises. The ferry to Chorao Island from Pomburpa ferry point is the local crossing, so a day spent walking Divar or Chorao is a day spent for the price of a scooter tank of fuel.

Scooters, ferries and tours

Renting a scooter is a favourite Goa experience in its own right, with Birtos named by travellers as a good place to get one. A scooter covers beaches, bakeries, forts and the road up to a ferry point. For the islands, the ferry is the way: Chorao is reached by ferry from Pomburpa ferry point, and the crossing is part of the fun.

When a day needs equipment or water access, book instead. The Sal Backwaters Mangrove Kayaking trip supplies kayaks and guides for the mangroves, and the e-bike island tours run on quiet roads that suit first time riders.

Beach rules worth knowing

The Goa Tourism Department notice is blunt on a few points. Beaches are open from 7 AM till sunset and closed from sunset to 7 AM. Driving a vehicle on the beach is an offence, littering is an offence, and breaking bottles on the beach is prohibited.

Rain-season experiences

Monsoon kayaking in the northern Goa backwaters passes mangroves with peacock calls and eagle sightings, and the waterways are at their fullest and greenest. The Sao Joao festival, with its well jumping, belongs to this season and is a spectacle you cannot schedule any other time of year.

The practical upside is price and space. Island roads and ferries run as normal, since they carry residents all year, and the heritage sites in Old Goa and Fontainhas are indoors or shaded. What you give up is calm sea swimming, so treat the monsoon as the season for rivers, backwaters, food and festivals rather than the shore.

Day 1: Old Goa and Fontainhas

Morning at the Bom Jesus Basilica and the Old Goa churches, then the Shree Manguesh Shantadurgai Prasanna Temple near Mangeshi if you have the appetite for more. Afternoon on the Fontainhas Heritage Walk by Make It Happen in Panjim. Evening on the Mandovi River Night Cruise with Dinner, 2.5 hours for $16 per person, which starts and ends in the same riverfront area.

Day 2: an island

Pick one island and give it the day. The Chorao Island Nature and Cooking Day with Soul Travelling runs 6 to 7 hours for $54.64 per person and covers the ferry, the nature and the cooking in one booking. If you prefer wheels, the Divar Island E-Bike Tour runs 3 hours for $32.17 per person and leaves the afternoon free for Mayem Lake paddle boats or Margao Market.

Day 3: water and bread

Morning kayaking on the Sal Backwaters Mangrove Kayaking trip, 1 hour 30 minutes for $65 per person, with peacocks and eagles in the mangroves. Afternoon for a traditional bakery and a slow scooter ride, since renting a scooter from Birtos is an experience travellers count among their Goa highlights.

For couples

The Mandovi River Night Cruise with Dinner is the obvious evening, 2.5 hours on the water for $16 per person. Pair it with a slow island day, since Divar and Chorao are quiet enough that you will hear birds rather than traffic. Offbeat lists single out homestays in ancestral houses and a drive along the river from Pomburpa to Panjim as the romantic Goa moves.

For adults travelling without kids

Kayaking at 4.9 from 242 reviews is the most praised active option, and the e-bike tour at 4.9 from 1,201 reviews is the most reviewed of the island and water tours on this page. Add the restaurant circuit in the north, where La Plage is a repeated recommendation, and the Vaayu hotel comes up in the same breath as a place to stay.