Panaji, the official capital of Goa, was called Panjim during the times of the Portuguese and was one of the three principal Portuguese cities along with Velha Goa (Old Goa) and Margao. Though it began as a suburb of Velha Goa it ended up becoming the capital of Goa in 1843 when the Portuguese Old Goa. It is also one of India's smallest and most charming state capitals.

Beaches of Goa are much ahead of other beaches in India in terms of popularity and the facilities that are available here. Goa is best known for its lovely languorous golden beaches that stretch across the 100 kms long coastline. The beaches here have been accepted as a matter of life, there are exotic cuisine backing the pleasure of have on sun and sand, and water sports facilities that include from water scooters to water gliding.

Margao is Goa's second largest city . It still retains semblance of Goa's Portuguese colonial past, and is connected to the rest of the Indian sub-continent by rail. Margao is the headquarters of South Goa District and is considered the main commercial city of Goa. It is famous for its ancient cultural heritage and traditional customs of the people of Goa.

This fort was built by the Portuguese in 1612 and was once one of the main bastions at the entrance into the Mandovi river. It has a church, a lighthouse and barracks (Aguada Jail) along the beachside. Sinquerim is the beach that lies below the fort. There are various water sport facilities at the southern end of the beach.

It is situated 30 kms from Panaji. Vasco Da Gama lies on the narrow western tip of the Marmagao peninsula, overlooking the mouth of the Zuari River. Acquired by the Portuguese in 1543, it was formerly among the busiest ports on India's west coast, and it remains a key shipping center, with container vessels and iron-ore barges. Goa's only airport, Dabolim is also 4 kms from Vasco.

The town of Ponda can be considered as the heart of Hinduism in Goa. When the Hindus abandoned their coastal settlements and moved inland during the Inquisition, a majority of them settled in Ponda. Ponda is now a transportation hub and some of the best temples in Goa are located here.
 

Goa is well connected by airline services to most major cities in India. All flights, national and international, to and from Goa, operate from the Goa Airport at Dabolim near the port town of Vasco-da-Gama.

Goa is connected with Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Secunderabad, Tirupati via Londa junction on the Mirage-Bangalore sector of south central railway, and to Mumbai, and Mangalore on the Konkan Railway Corporation section. Convenient stations are Margao/Vasco and Karmali.
 

Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka state transport corporations operate from the Kadamba bus stand at Panaji.Moving around in Goa is quite easy. One can find bus as well as car rental services.

The people of Goa are very friendly and extremely happy-go-lucky. They are fond of the good things in life and are certainly not caught up in the rat race. Siesta is an important part of life in Goa with shops downing their shutters from one to four the most Goans retiring for the afternoon. Though the people of Goa are of different faiths and from different cultural backgrounds, they have come together to create the easygoing Goan culture with its emphasis on good living.Food in Goa is a very serious matter and capitalizes on the range of food products available here. Goa boasts of many different cuisines - the Konkan, the Portuguese and the Bahamani Nawabi traditions. The fruits of the sea are used lavishly in Goan food different types of fish, prawns, mussels, oysters, crabs and many more. Festival time in Goa leaves you with your senses reeling - in more ways than you can imagine for the Goans celebrate any occasion with great gusto. Nightlife in Goa is exciting and there are many ways to liven up the evening. Goans enjoy going out and it is not unusual to find families out for a night of merriment. In certain areas, almost every third house has a bar-cum-restaurant.