Goa Museum - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Surrounded by sturdy laterite walls studded with typically Portuguese turrets, it was erected in 1551 to protect the narrowest point at the mouth of the Mandovi river. It was used as a residence for viceroys and later converted to a fortress.

An estuarine mangrove habitat declared as a Bird sanctuary. The sanctuary is named after Salim Ali, the eminent Indian Ornithologist. Accessed by a ferry service running between Ribander and Chorão, it sanctuary has a paved walk that runs between mangroves.

A well preserved 17th-century fort along with a lighthouse overlooking the Arabian sea. It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. A freshwater spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to stop by. This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning Water.

Candolim is a census town in North Goa ,and is a tourist destination. It is less congested and has better planned than the other beaches of Goa

The Basilica is partially in ruins but still a model of elegance, and a fine example of Jesuit architecture. This is the only church in Old Goa, which is unplastered on the outside. The lime plaster which existed earlier was stripped off by a zealous Portuguese conservationist in 1950. The church contains the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier.

Built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over a Muslim army, leading to the capture of the city of Goa in 1510. Since the day of the victory happened to be on the feast of Saint Catherine, the cathedral was dedicated to her.