Calangute Beach – Introduction & Attractions

A 45 minute bus ride up to the coast from the city of Panjim bring one to Calangute, Goa's busiest and most commercialized resort, and the flagship of the state government's bid for a bigger slice of India's package-tourist pie. This peaceful fishing village was a favourite hideout of the hippies in the 70's and 80's. Today, Calangute beach symbolise Goa's reputation as a haven for beach and coastal splendour

Shopping At Calangute Beach
The road from the town to the beach is lined with Kashmiri-run handicraft boutiques and Tibetan stalls selling Himalayan curios and jewellery. The quality of the goods - mainly Rajasthani, Gujarati and Karnatakan textiles - is generally high. Haggle hard and don't be afraid to walk away from a heavy sales pitch - the same stuff crops up every Wednesday at Anjuna's flea market.

Leisure Activities At Calnagute Beach
The beach itself is nothing special, with steeply shelving sand, but is more than large enough to accommodate the huge numbers of high-season visitors.

Attractions Around Calangute Beach
Kerkar Art Gallery: Located at close proximity is the Kerkar Art Gallery, displaying the paintings and sculptures of various talented, upcoming artists of Goa. The gallery also hosts a night of Indian music and dance, once every week.

Church Of St. Alex: As the vast tourist traffic on the CHOGM road reaches the village site of Calangute, the Church of St Alex greets the visitors with its two towers and a magnificent dome gracing the façade. The inside of the church is a display of the line and beauty of its architectural style and attractive altars.

Why Goa Calangute Beach is so special?
Goa Calangute beach is a haven for the hippies. It was the hippies who discovered this beach in the late 60s. The exquisite beauty of the Calangute beach in India's Goa soon spread around, bringing hordes of European tourists. And this trend has still been continuing…tourists come down to this small Indian state of Goa searching for this lovely beach. Once you reach Calangute beach in Goa, then you can spend your vacation soaked in the serenity of the sea, sun and sand. Goa Calangute beach is often crowded with people, children making sand castles, colorful crowds surging towards the sea, hippies busy remembering the good old times and the young and old alike lazing on the golden sands. This picture of a perfect tourist haven is completed with shacks and stalls under the shade of palm trees selling everything from fried prawns and beer to trinkets made of seashells.