Unique things to do in Goa, from spice farms to feni in old taverns
Walk old Panjim before the heat, cook with a Goan family on an island, paint a tile and taste the spirit Goa has made for centuries: the 12 I'd book, and when.
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In short
- The unique things to do in Goa reward an early start: Fontainhas at first light, Old Goa's churches before 11 AM and birding by boat on Chorão at 7 AM.
- For a cooking class, my pick is a Goan family's kitchen on Chorão island: a hands-on class and lunch, booked a few days ahead.
- Tropical Spice Plantation in Keri, Ponda, walks you through its spice gardens and into a Goan buffet lunch. It's open 9 AM to 4 PM daily.
- Feni is poured all year, but the cashew stills run only from late February to mid-May. At about 43% it's strong, so don't drive after.
- Book walks, tours and activities on LetsGoa a day or two ahead in season. Yoga retreats book up weeks ahead.
The unique things to do in Goa are rarely on the beach. They're a walk through Panjim's Latin quarter at first light, the churches of Old Goa before the heat, a boat through the mangroves, a Goan kitchen on an island and a glass of feni in an old tavern. Most are best early in the day and between October and March, and most are worth booking a day or two ahead.
I wrote the guide my guests receive in Siolim, and these 12 come from it, each with when to go and one practical line. For sea sports, diving and white water, see adventure activities in Goa.
Old Goa and Panjim, on foot
Go early, for the cool and the quiet. Fontainhas is at its best before the city wakes, and if you'd rather wander it alone than with a guide, go between 6:30 and 8:30 AM. Old Goa's churches are best before 11 AM, ahead of the midday heat and the crowds. People live in these lanes, so keep your voice low.
Fontainhas heritage walk
A guided two-and-a-half-hour walk through the Portuguese-era lanes of Panjim's Latin quarter, with a stop at an old bakery.
LetsGoa lists four starts a day, and I'd take the 8:30 AM one. Ask before photographing people.
Book on LetsGoaPhoto: iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The churches of Old Goa
Bom Jesus, with the relics of St. Francis Xavier, the Sé Cathedral and the St. Augustine tower, all part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Cover shoulders and knees, and keep voices low during Mass.
Heritage walks on LetsGoaPhoto: iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPaint a tile together
Azulejo, or tile, painting and high tea in a seven-generation family home in Panjim.
LetsGoa also lists a two-hour azulejo workshop in Panjim, Monday to Saturday at 11 AM or 3 PM. Your tile is kiln-fired to take home.
Tile workshop on LetsGoaFor a whole day in the capital, from the market to the Mandovi at dusk, see a day in Panjim.
A cooking class, a spice farm and feni
If you take one cooking class in Goa, make it on Chorão, an island village a ferry ride from Ribandar, where a family cooks with you and you sit down to eat what you made. I'd pair the spice farm with Old Goa's churches the same morning, and keep the feni for the evening.
Feni is Goa's own spirit, and cashew feni was the first Indian spirit to earn a geographical indication, in 2009. Drink it slowly.
Cook with a Goan family
A hands-on class and lunch on a family's spice plantation, reached by ferry. You cook a Goan curry and a sweet.
Book a few days ahead. LetsGoa lists it daily, 11:30 AM to 3 PM.
Book on LetsGoaA spice farm and lunch
A walk through the spice gardens, then a Goan buffet. Tropical Spice Plantation in Keri is the established choice.
Open 9 AM to 4 PM daily. Go late morning, so the walk runs into lunch.
Official site
Feni, Goa's own spirit
Distilled from cashew or coconut. The cashew stills run only from late February to mid-May, and urrak, the lighter first distillation, comes into season in March.
Taste it all year in the old taverns, say a kokum feni at Joseph Bar in Panjim. At about 43% it's strong, so don't drive after.
Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsLetsGoa also lists food trails in Panjim, among them a Latin Quarter food trail and a feni and tapas trail. The dishes themselves are in what to eat in Goa.
On the river and the islands
Chorão and Divar are island villages in the Mandovi, reached by government ferries that are free for foot passengers. Go early, while the birds are busy, and carry water, because the islands have few shops. Crab catching, in the backwaters of Candolim and Nerul, is the one to plan around the tide rather than the clock.
Birding in the mangroves
A guided trail and boat ride through the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, 178 hectares of mangrove.
Bring binoculars and repellent. Boat trips follow the tide, and LetsGoa's run November to May.
Book on LetsGoaPhoto: Gannu03, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsDivar by e-bike
A guided three-hour loop past paddy fields, a hilltop church, temple ruins and old houses.
It starts near Old Goa. Carry water.
An evening on the Mandovi
A lively hour-long cruise with a live band and Goan folk dances, or a quieter 90-minute mangrove cruise.
Arrive early for good seats.
Cruises on LetsGoaPhoto: Fredericknoronha, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCrab catching
A few hours in the backwaters with local boatmen, catching crabs or fish.
Times follow the tide, so book a day ahead and ask when to be there.
Chorão, Divar and the ferries fit together with Ponda's temples in Old Goa and Ponda.
Slower things: yoga and art
Not everything here needs an early alarm. Yoga runs from November to March in the north, from Mandrem to Assagao, and on a wet day I'd send you to the Museum of Goa in Pilerne.
Yoga
Drop-in classes at small local shalas, or longer retreats such as Purple Valley in Assagao.
Retreats book up weeks ahead.
Museum of Goa
Contemporary art about Goa's history and people, founded by the artist Subodh Kerkar, with a café and a shop.
Open 10 AM to 6 PM, Tuesday to Sunday. About Rs 300 for adults.
Official sitePhoto: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsWhen to go, and how I'd pair them
Most of these are at their best from October to March. A few have seasons of their own: the birding boats follow the tide and run November to May, and feni follows the cashew. The rest run all year, if you mind the hours.
| Season | At its best |
|---|---|
| October to March | The Fontainhas walk, Divar by e-bike and yoga from November |
| November to May | Birding by boat on Chorão |
| Late February to mid-May | Feni, with the cashew stills running |
| Any month | Old Goa's churches before 11 AM, the spice farm every day and the Museum of Goa except on Mondays |
Dress with care: cover shoulders and knees in churches and temples, and take your shoes off at temples. Ask before you photograph people, especially in villages and markets. And book on LetsGoa, the booking site I trust, a day or two ahead in season.
Several of these pair well, and I'd put them into days. Do Old Goa before 11 AM, then Tropical Spice Plantation in Keri for the walk and lunch. Give Panjim a whole day: the Fontainhas walk at 8:30 AM, a tile at 3 PM and the Mandovi from 5:30 PM. On Chorão, go birding at 7 AM and cook from 11:30 AM.
Divar deserves a morning of its own: the 8 AM e-bike loop, with water and a picnic for the fields. For whole days built around these, from a slow Siolim day to a long day south, see my Goa itinerary.
Set one early alarm, at least. Fontainhas between 6:30 and 8:30 AM, its pastel houses and hillside steps still quiet, is worth every minute of lost sleep.
Questions people ask
Walk Fontainhas, Panjim's Latin quarter, at first light; cook a Goan lunch with a family on Chorão island; take a boat through the mangroves of the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at 7 AM; cycle Divar by e-bike; and taste feni, Goa's own spirit, in an old tavern. None of them is on the beach, and most are best early in the day.
My pick is on Chorão island, a ferry ride from Ribandar: a hands-on class and lunch with a Goan family on their spice plantation. LetsGoa lists it daily from 11:30 AM to 3 PM, and you cook a Goan curry and a sweet. Book a few days ahead.
Yes, especially paired with Old Goa's churches the same morning. Tropical Spice Plantation in Keri, Ponda, is open 9 AM to 4 PM daily. Go late morning, so the walk runs into the Goan buffet lunch.
You can drink feni all year, but the cashew stills run only from late February to mid-May, and urrak, the lighter first distillation, comes into season in March. Feni is strong, at about 43%, so don't drive after.
In season, yes: a day or two ahead for walks, tours and activities, and a few days ahead for the Chorão cooking class. I'd book on LetsGoa, the booking site I trust. Yoga retreats book up weeks ahead.
Go indoors, to the Museum of Goa in Pilerne, closed on Mondays, or to a cooking class on Chorão. LetsGoa's birding trips run only from November to May. For the rest of the rainy season, see things to do in Goa in the monsoon.
Sources and checks
- The House of Nivak guest guide (facts checked 27 Sep 2026)
- LetsGoa: Things to do in Goa
- LetsGoa: Fontainhas heritage walk
- LetsGoa: Local and heritage
- LetsGoa: Azulejos tile workshop, Panjim
- LetsGoa: The Kulagar Kitchen Experience, Chorão
- LetsGoa: Food and culinary
- LetsGoa: Birdwatching at Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary
- LetsGoa: Water activities
- Goa Tourism (GTDC): evening cruises on the Mandovi
- Tropical Spice Plantation, Keri
- Museum of Goa
- Wikipedia: Feni (liquor)
- Wikipedia: Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary
Opening days, prices and seasonal rules change. I check them before every update; please confirm anything time-sensitive before you go.
