Goa

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
6
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
5
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
4
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
8
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
57 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
311th/454
Top 70%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$80 ($125-$375 in 2024 prices)
Time of year visited
December
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"

Summary

Not a big fan of Goa. It was probably gorgeous 40 years ago with its west facing beaches, Portuguese influence and tropical vibe.  But, India being India, it’s taken the magical feel out of it and replaced with the typical mayhem and dirtiness unfortunately often found elsewhere in the country.

If looking for beautiful beaches and pleasant vibe, I would suggest the extra journey to South East Asia makes more sense.  That being said, if in India and not too far from Goa, it is still a comparatively pleasant break from the 10/10 mayhem everywhere else and these are my tips:

 

Stay at Ashvam. Nice beach, a bit quieter and easy access to the other spots.

The Anjuna Flea Market right next to Anjuna Beach is worth checking out. Beautiful setting.

Visit the Panaji Old Town – the old town area around Church Square and along the Rio de Ourem of Panaji is a nice combo of Portuguese and Indian styles, with some nice restaurants.  But, again, it’s a case of 10/10 potential often hitting 1/10 execution.

The Old Churches and grounds of Old Goa (5km to the east of Panaji) are worth a visit and UNESCO World Heritage listed.

 

Highlights

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#1 Walks at sunset along the long beaches of Ashvam

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#2 A wander through the Old Town of Panaji

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#3 Checking out the giant old churches of Old Goa

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#4 The Anjuna Flea Market right next to Anjuna Beach for its beautiful setting

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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