Family Holidays To Goa

If you have always wanted to take your family to India, then Goa is the perfect place to start.  Its beautiful mix of Portuguese and Indian cultures will make you feel at home while exploring something new. 

The Cultures

Goa began as a Portuguese colony over 400 years ago when it played a major role in Indian and European trade routes.  This lead to many influential people travelling to Goa, resulting in a culture that is continuously changing.

In Goa, you can experience a rich and diverse cultural background, where Portuguese meet Indians and Hinduism, meet Islam and Catholicism.  Due to the cultural diversity inherent in the area, everything about Goan culture is unique.  Their dance styles are distinct, having evolved from Western and Indian dances.  Dances differ depending on the time of year, so the time of year that you go will dictate the type of dancing you’ll see.  Their art melds Christian, Hindu, and Muslim backgrounds.

Goan music is rich, and like everything else in the city, unique to the area.  A lot of their music combines Muslim, Portuguese Christian, and Hindu genres.  Many of the popular Indian musicians come from Goa, including Lata Mangeshkar and Sura shri Kesarbai Kerkar, the most prominent of them all.  Because music is so important to Goan life, it is part of everything from drama to dance.  Your visit to Goa won’t be complete without experiencing some form of art.

The Beaches

With 130 kilometres of coastline, Goa is known for its palm-fringed beaches.  The beaches in Goa are perfect for just about any ocean-side activity that you can imagine.  Swimming, reading, sunbathing, parasailing, canoeing, wind surfing, scuba diving—you name it, and you can probably do it in Goa.  The nice mix of adventurous and relaxing beach activities will help you to meet the needs of your whole family.

Arossim Beach in South Goa is lined with colonial mansions, palms, traditional fishing villages, and paddy fields.  With 25 kilometres of beach, it will make you feel like you are on a traditional beach holiday.

Baga Beach in North Goa provides your family with the chance to experience carnival life along the Arabian Sea.  Baga Beach features beach shacks, fruit sellers, sacred cows, fishing boats, water sport huts, and a village within walking-distance for great food and shopping.

Both South & North Goa have even more beaches to choose from, multiplying the options your family will have.

The Food

Everything in Goa perfectly depicts its multicultural background, and their food is no different.  Christian communities, Hindu communities, and Muslim communities all show some level of influence in the foods inherent in these religions/cultures. In many of the bigger hotels, package holidays are very popular, with unlimited food included in the price. You will find more westernized types of cuisine, suited towards younger families.

Most communities in Goa use fish as their primary source of protein; however, Christian communities will also have pork and beef.  The food here is known for its spice and will include chutneys, cashews, pickles, chillies, and coconuts to flavour their foods.  Prices at the local restaurants are generally reasonable and may feature Portuguese-influenced dishes in overseas settlements, as well as in more Christian communities.