Sightseeing Of Old Goa

General information

Destination	Category
Goa, India	Sightseeing Tours

Program details

Travel back in time to Old Goa, the stunningly beautiful former capital of the state of Goa, with this half-day tour from the north. Old Goa may be just 10km away from Panjim, the current capital of Goa but it is worlds away in every other sense. Of all its many attractions, Old Goa is best known for its churches and this tour takes you to the two most famous Catholic temples.

Goa was a Portuguese colony for more than 150 years and the legacy of this period is evident everywhere and nowhere more so than in the beautiful baroque-colonial churches that dot Old Goa. Today, more than a quarter of Goans are Catholics, marking the state out from the rest of India. Visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a Unesco World Heritage Site, which is renowned for its marble floors and gilded altar. Completed in the 1605, it houses the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, who came to Goa in 1542 and is now the patron saint of the state’s Christian community. A silver casket placed on a tall platform contains his body.

Across the road from the basilica is the Se Cathedral. Construction began in the 1562 and took 90 years to complete. The cathedral is said to be the largest church in Asia. On top of the façade hangs the Golden Bell – also Asia’s largest – whose mellow sound reputedly could be heard all over Goa. The cathedral has eight chapels and six side altars, as well as a main altar dedicated to St Catherine.

Meeting/pick-up point: Collection from hotel.
Start/opening time: 8.30am.
End/closing time: 1pm.
Languages: English.