The sun kissed beaches, the golden sand, the laid-back atmosphere, and the striking natural beauty makes Goa a beach Paradise of India. My Husband and I went to Goa in August and it was so beautiful. I still remember the feeling of soft golden sand between my toes, the crystal clear water, the suns rays, the cool breezes, happy faces, my tanned skin, music and the beautiful shacks serving sea food. Oh Gosh, I’m getting nostalgic now. We still remember how good it felt walking barefooted on the beach. We visited North Goa on our this trip to Goa which boasts of some of the most incredibly scenic beaches. So, below I have compiled a list of some of the most frequented and picturesque beaches of North Goa, and every little detail about them. These are some of the lovely beaches in Goa worth visiting.

Calangute Beach

Location: Calangute beach is located at a distance of 16 kms from Panaji/Panjim. This is a four miles long beach located between Baga and Candolim beach.

Famous For: Calangute beach is the largest, busiest and the highly commercialized beach in North Goa. During peak season, you can enjoy plethora of water sports activities like Para-Sailing, Banana Rides, water-skiing, boating, Crocodile and Dolphin Spotting Trip, speed boats rides, water scooter. This lively beach is one of the best places to relax while watching the Sunrise and the Sunset. Beach has many shacks, restaurants and bars which are open during peak seasons. There is a Tibetan Market just outside the beach area where you can shop antique items, junk jewelries, beach wear clothes, handicrafts and what not.

Ideal For: It is a family destination beach as there is no beach nightlife and all the bars and shacks shut down at 10 pm.

Best Time to Visit: November to February.

How was my Experience?

I think this is the very first beach everyone hits upon reaching North Goa. I went to Goa in August, so swimming, boating and other water activities were prohibited at that time, because from June-Sept, sea is rough and tides are high which makes it really dangerous to do water activities. But lots of Lifeguards remain there on the beach for the safety of people. It’s always crowded no matter what time of the year you visit it, be it off season or peak season. I went there in off-season and as you can look at the snap below, it was just so crowded.

Baga Beach

Location: Baga Beach is in Bardez and is located 16 kms away from Panaji and 40 kms away from Goa International Airport. This beach has Calangute Beach in its south and Anjuna Beach in its north. This is one of the most happening and popular beaches of Goa and is a part of 30 kms long coastline along the west coast of Goa. Baga beach has a beautiful rock edifice on one side of the beach.

Famous For: Visit Baga beach during peak seasons to enjoy water activities like swimming, snorkeling, wind surfing, parasailing, Dolphin rides, island trips. You can also simply rent a beach bed and relax and enjoy sunbathing or take a walk on the beach or make sand castles. There is a Flea Market also where you can satiate your thirst for shopping. Baga beach is lined up with numerous shacks serving mouth watering food and drinks. Baga is also famous for its happening and vibrant night life. You will find some of the biggest hot-spots here like Café Tito and Cafe Mambo.

Ideal For: Party people

Best Time to Visit: October to February

How was my Experience?

I went there in August, and beach was almost empty from morning till evening but night life was good. I still remember the awesome sights of crowded countless shacks on the beach lit with lamps. One word of caution is swimming without assistance can be dangerous because of the strong undercurrents.

Anjuna Beach

Location: Anjuna is located 21 km away from Panaji and 7 km from Baga and is 43.9 kms away from Goa International Airport.

Famous for: Anjuna Beach is a rocky beach with steep cliffs. Go to this beach and just sit on the rocks and watch the dawn and the dusk or simply watch the waves hitting the big rocks and the swaying palm trees all around. This beach is different from other beaches as it has rocks all around. During peak seasons, this beach is famous for its trance / rave parties. Visit this beach during New Year time for trance parties. There is an Anjuna flea-market which is open only on Wednesdays from where you can buy accessories, handicrafts, colorful beach wears, souvenirs etc.

Ideal For: This beach is ideal for party lovers.

Best Time to Visit: October to February

Arambol Beach

Location: Arambol Beach is located at a distance of 50 kms from Panaji and is 60 kms away from Goa International Airport.

Arambol Beach is a 16 km long, clean and secluded beach in North Goa and is a lot less commercialized than other beaches of Goa. If you want to stay away from the maddening crowd of Calangute and Baga, then go spend your time at Arambol beach.

Famous For: During day, rent a sun bed or beach chair and relax in the serene environment. But this Beach comes to life specially at night when most of the shacks have live performances and beach parties. People go to this beach to enjoy the sunset, music and drums. During peak seasons, enjoy hiking, paragliding, kite surfing, dolphin spotting trips at this beach. The narrow lanes leading to the Arambol beach are lined up with markets selling some really cool bohemian clothes, accessories, handicraft works.  There is also a fresh water lake near the beach. Arambol Beach is also famous for mud bath. There is a hot spring that drains into the fresh water lake causing silt deposition on the lake shore. You can smear lots of mud on your skin as its known to have soothing effects on body and mind.

Best Time to Visit: October to february

How was my experience?

I was absolutely mesmerized by its beauty and serenity and walking along the shores barefooted was a pure bliss and an awesome experience.

Ashwem Beach

Location: This beach is located in Pernem district of North Goa at a distance of 33 kms from Panaji and 52 kms away from Goa International Airport.

Famous for: Ashwem beach is a rocky, sandy and unspoiled beach located to the north of Morjim and south of the Arambol beach. A relatively cleaner, quieter and an isolated beach in Goa, here the waves are gentle and hence the waters are safe for swimming. Tourists visit mostly the southern part of the beach. The northern end has a small lagoon with a rivulet flowing across the beach. During peak seasons you can go for wind surfing and swimming. Beach side huts are available for accommodation. Ashwem has few beach shacks that serve sumptuous sea food, some delightful resorts to stay in, and stylish beach bars for drinks and  party. If you are lucky enough, you will spot Olive Ridley turtle during the months of September and February as this place is nesting ground for these turtles.

Ideal For: People who are looking for spending some time away from the maddening crowd should go to this beach.

Best Time to Visit: October to February

 Much Love, Neha