Goa Hotels
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PHOENIX PARK INN
Taj Exotica Goa
Cidade De Goa Beach Resort
Holiday Inn Resort Goa
Aguada Hermitage
At one time a byword for splendour, with a population of several hundred thousand,
Goa's erstwhile capital, OLD GOA , was virtually abandoned following malaria and cholera
epidemics that plagued the city from the seventeenth century onwards. Today you need
considerable imagination to picture the once-great capital as it used to be. The maze of
twisting streets, piazzas and ochre-washed villas has gone, and all that remains is a
score of extraordinarily grandiose churches and convents. Granted World Heritage Status
by UNESCO, Old Goa today attracts bus loads of foreign tourists from the coast, and
Christian pilgrims from around India, in roughly equal numbers. While the former come to
admire the gigantic facades and gilt altars of the beautifully preserved churches, the
main attraction for the latter is the tomb of St Francis Xavier , the renowned
sixteenth-century missionary, whose remains are enshrined in the Basilica of Bom Jesus .
If you are staying on the coast and contemplating a day-trip inland, this is the most
obvious and accessible option. Just thirty minutes byroad from the state capital, Old
Goa is served by buses every fifteen minutes from Panjim's Kadamba bus stand;
alternatively, hop into an auto-rickshaw, or rent a taxi. GTDC also slot the site's
highlights into several of their guided coach tours ; further details and tickets are
available at any GTDC hotel or tourist office.