Goa

Currency

Rates in the beach towns are poor. Exchange in Panjim or Margao, or simply withdraw from a bank machine. Many beach shacks are cash only, and card machines stop working whenever the network does.

ATMs & cards

HDFC, ICICI and Axis in the towns. Machines in the beach villages run empty at weekends and in high season. Withdraw in Panjim or Mapusa before heading to the coast.

Withdraw in Panjim or Mapusa before heading to the coast. Beach shacks are cash only and card machines stop working whenever the network does.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Generally relaxed and safe, with two genuine risks. Scooter accidents are the leading cause of tourist injury, and the coast road is worse after dark. The sea has strong undertows and drownings happen every season — swim where the lifeguards are and respect red flags. Drugs are common in the north and the penalties are severe.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies — India has the world’s highest rate of rabies deaths
• Japanese encephalitis for rural stays
• Hepatitis B for longer stays

Getting treated

Private hospitals in the big cities are genuinely excellent and inexpensive, which is why medical tourism is a major industry. Standards drop sharply outside them, and Agra in particular is thin — serious cases go to Delhi, two hours away. Payment up front is expected.

Never drink tap water or take ice outside good hotels. Traveller’s diarrhoea affects a large share of visitors — give street food a few days. Any animal bite or scratch, including from monkeys at the monuments, means a clinic the same day.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Goan food is its own thing — fish curry rice, pork vindaloo as it is actually made, and bebinca for dessert. Beach shacks are good and inexpensive; feni, the local cashew spirit, is an acquired taste.

Getting around

• Scooter rental — how Goa actually moves, ~₹400/day. Helmets are legally required and the police do stop tourists
• Goa Miles and Uber — the app taxis, and cheaper than the taxi unions who have long resisted them
• Local bus — very cheap along the main coast road, slow and crowded
• Ferry — free river crossings that save long detours in the north
• Airport: Manohar (GOX) in the north or Dabolim (GOI) in the south — check which is closer to your beach

Must-see

Things to do

• Beach-hop the quieter south from Agonda to Patnem
• Wander Fontainhas in Panjim for the Portuguese houses
• See the basilica and cathedral at Old Goa
• Take a spice plantation tour inland
• Ride to Dudhsagar Falls in the monsoon aftermath

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Hindi

• HelloNamastena-mas-TAY
• PleaseKripyaKRIP-ya
• Thank youDhanyavaaddhan-ya-VAAD
• Yes / NoHaan / Nahinhaan / na-HEEN
• How much is it?Kitne ka hai?KIT-neh ka hai
• Too expensiveBahut mehengaba-HUT me-HEN-ga
• No thank youNahin, dhanyavaadna-HEEN dhan-ya-VAAD
• Water, pleasePaani dijiyePAA-nee DEE-ji-yeh

Namaste with palms together works everywhere in the north and is never wrong. In Goa, Konkani is the local language but Hindi and English are both understood.

Religion

Hindu majority, with large Muslim and other communities

Around 80% Hindu and 14% Muslim, plus Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and Jain communities. Remove shoes at every temple, and at many shops. The Taj Mahal is a working mosque on Fridays, when it closes to tourists.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Eat and give with the right hand — the left is considered unclean
• Remove shoes before entering temples, and often before entering a home or a shop
• Dress modestly outside beach areas: shoulders and knees covered, and more conservative for women
• Accept that the head wobble means yes, agreement, or acknowledgement, depending entirely on context

Don't

• Do not show public affection beyond hand-holding; it draws stares and in places open disapproval
• Do not photograph people, religious ceremonies or cremation grounds without permission
• Do not touch anyone with your feet, and apologise if you do it by accident
• Do not assume "yes" means yes — a reluctance to disappoint often replaces a direct no