Goa Complete Guide 2026: Old Goa UNESCO Churches, Anjuna, Palolem, Dudhsagar and Portuguese Heritage
Browse more guides: India travel | Asia destinations TL;DR Goa is India's smallest state by area (3,702 km²) and population (1.5 million), packing 451 years of Portuguese rule (1510 to 1961), one UNESCO cluster (Churches and Convents of Old Goa, 1986), about 100 km of Konkan coast, and the 310 m Dudhsagar Falls into a strip you can cross in 90 minutes. I spent ten days covering Old Goa basilicas, North and South Goa beaches, Panaji's Latin Quarter, and Mollem sanctuary in the Western Ghats. Why Visit Goa in 2026 Three pulls brought me here. First, the UNESCO churches at Old Goa, where Saint Francis Xavier (died 1552) lies in a silver casket inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus, unique on the Indian subcontinent. Second, Goa is India's beach capital, with Calangute marketed for decades as the "Queen of Beaches" and Palolem among South Asia's most photographed crescents. Third, the Portuguese inheritance shows up in Konkani, cuisine (vindaloo, xacuti, bebinca)...