Candolim Beach

Candolim Beach is in North Goa, only just 12.7 kilometers from Panaji, the capital of Goa. It is the closest major beach to the city and a top attraction for tourists. Candolim is also the starting point of the 7-kilometer-long unbroken coastal stretch that extends up to Baga. It is a wide beach with golden sand that gradually sloped down into the Arabian Sea. You can swim safely in the sea. There are lifeguards as well in the peak tourist season (November to February).

Candolim is a busy area with many hotels, resorts, luxury villas for rent, shops, cafes, restaurants, tattoo parlors, and massage centers, especially around Aguada-Siolim Road. Vendors sell hats, clothing, fridge magnets, coconut water, and handicraft items. You will find shops of all sizes and even supermarkets. You will also find two popular nightclubs – Sinq and LPK. Close to Candolim, there is the Nerul River, where you can kayak. It has a mangrove area, which is the home of many birds.

Along the Candolim beach, you will find many shacks, all having their own sun beds and umbrellas. During the day, you will see many tourists relaxing on these sun beds, enjoying their drinks and food. You can get a massage too if you want. After dark, there is live music and dancing in many of these beach shacks.

Candolim Map

Candolim Gallery

Luxury villa with direct access to the beach. 5* star service. Prime location of North Goa.
Villa for rent from 19 000 Rs. per night

Quick Facts About Candolim

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Candolim is during the winter (November to February) because of the lower temperature. The summer can be hot and humid with the temperature reaching 35 degrees C or more. But the neighborhood is so popular that you will still find a lot of tourists in the summer. The shops, beach shacks, and everything else will be open. The sea water will be choppy during the monsoon (July and August), so there will be very limited water sports.

However, everything costs less in the summer and monsoon seasons. There are also many festivals between December and February. Christmas and the New Year are big events in Goa. The Carnival is held in February. You can see a colorful parade with the locals wearing many exotic dresses and bringing out floats.

Fort Aguada — By hague33, CC BY-SA 3.0

By Jasir Hamim — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Weather

The winter season, between November and January is the best time to visit the beach. Nice and cool weather. You can spend long hours on the beach or go sightseeing without the worry of rains or getting sunburned. The summer between March and early June will be hot. On some days, the temperature will go up to 35°C. Humidity will be high. Middle of June to September is the monsoon. Expect heavy rains because of Goa’s coastal location. There is a chance of thundershowers on some days. There won’t be any water sports activities.

5 Best Restaurants in Candolim

The Candolim beach and the Aguada-Siolim Road are both packed with many restaurants and shacks. You will find many gems even in the small lanes. Here are some of the best places for food and drinks –

1. After Seven – This is a seafood restaurant that is also popular for its pizzas and Goan delicacies. They also serve vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free foods. Try their pork chops, wood-fired pizzas, soups, wines, cocktails, Goan, and European foods.
2. Earthen Oven – This restaurant is also called ‘Indian Oven’ because of their authentic North Indian tandoori recipes that are prepared on charcoal. Choose from outdoor sitting on the terrace or the air-conditioned indoor. Try the curries here. There is live folk music and a great ambiance too.
3. Tuscany Gardens – Tuscany Gardens is an Italian restaurant in Candolim. It has a European style dining room with a garden area. Try the pesto pasta, spinach risotto, pepperoni pizza, bruschetta, ravioli, and lasagna.
4. Karlton’s Horizon Grill – The Horizon is best known for their barbecues, grilled steaks, and continental foods. This is a great place with good music and ambiance. You have to try their tandoor pork chops, beef wellington, and garlic chili prawns.
5. Café Chocolatti – There are many places in Candolim that serve a good breakfast buffet. Café Chocolatti opens at 9. They serve hot coffee, a variety of puddings, pies, and cakes along with a very nice American breakfast.

Shopping in Candolim

The main supermarkets in Candolim are Newton and Delfinos. There is also the Fruit & Fish Market, only a 5 or 6 minute drive from the beach area. You can also check out the main night market at Ingos Market, which has an incredible range of stalls selling food, fruits, vegetables and other odd items.

You will find plenty of shops to buy various goods and souvenirs at reasonable prices. Visit Fabindia, one of the best places to find high quality clothing and original Indian jewelry.

Here are some shops that are very popular with the tourists:

• Acron Arcade Shopping Center — You will find a rich collection of clothes, footwear and souvenirs. The service staff is friendly.
• FabIndia — A very nice shop with wide selection of quality cotton-made products, including clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, linen, furniture, and handicrafts at reasonable prices.
• InStyle Jewellers — Pick from high-quality jewelry and hand-made suitcases. The shop can create unique designer things based on your design. Certificates are also issued here.
• Tony`s the Designer Jewellers — This is the place for only quality jewelry. Top quality service and consultation. Certificates are issued.
• Elephant shop — A good place for currency exchange and SIM-cards.

Amazing Things To Do In Candolim

Attractions

• Fort Aguada – A Portuguese fort from 1612, it stands tall on a hill on the northern edge of Candolim Beach. It is at the confluence of the Mandovi River and the Arabian Sea. There is a lot to see at Fort Aguada, including the military barracks, church, prison, and the lighthouse, which is the oldest in Asia. Most tourists go to the fort for panoramic sea views from the top. You can see Panaji on the other side of the river.
• Reis Magos Fort – A short distance from Candolim Beach, you will find the smaller Reis Magos Fort. This is another Portuguese fort and it is even older than Aguada. You will get amazing sea and river views from here as well. You can also see the floating casinos on the Mandovi River.
• Coco Beach – Coco is a small beach at the mouth of the Nerul and Mandovi rivers. This rocky beach is lined with many tall trees, making it very picturesque. You can see many crabs. It is also a fishing beach. You will see many boats and fishermen drying their nets. A small river meets the sea here. Coco Beach is also the starting point for many dolphin sighting trips.
• Dolphin Trips – Coco Beach and the mouth of the Nerul River, both very close to Candolim, is the starting and ending point of dolphin trips. The sightings are almost guaranteed every time. Most trips are organized early in the morning or late in the afternoon. There are many operators who run these dolphin trips.
• Ayurveda and Yoga – You will find many ayurvedic and yoga studios in the Candolim area. A professional trainer can help you with yoga, teach you the best practices, help you meditate, and give a therapeutic massage. Many rejuvenation and purification treatments are on offer. Ayurma and Ayurtouch are both good clinics.
• Water Sports – Candolim Beach is a top place to enjoy water sports in Goa. All along the beach, you will find many operators offering a range of activities. Choose from speed boats, banana boats, water scooters, Jet Skiing, bumper board riding, wakeboarding, knee boarding, and more. Different packages are also available, where you can enjoy three activities for a pre-determined amount of money.
• Parasailing – Parasailing gives you a birds-eye view of the beach and the neighborhood. You will be up in the sky above the sea. You can even see the Aguada Fort.
• Nightclubs – There are two major nightclubs. Sinq and LPK are both very good and rank among the best in Goa.
• Kaurati’s Caves & Devils Finger – Kaurati is a small cave very close to Aguada Fort. Most tourists don’t know about this cave, so they miss this attraction. It is a 10-15 minute trek from Aguada Fort. But be careful about the tide timings because sea water will enter the cave at high tide. Also, be careful as the rocks are slippery. The mouth of the cave, which is very narrow, is called Devils Finger. Visiting the cave will be a very experience for adventure-seekers. You will be rewarded with awesome scenery.

By Harvinder Chandigarh — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

By Harvinder Chandigarh — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Watersports and activities

There are a lot of watersports activities – parasailing, speed boating, banana boating, and jet skiing. You can also go on a bird watching and dolphin watching trip. These trips are very popular with tourists. Parasailing will cost you about 600 INR, a banana boat ride the banana boat riding will cost about 300 INR, and a 5-minute jet-ski ride will cost about 500 INR.

You can also try dinghy sailing. These small boats can hold 4-5 people. It will be a unique experience for sure for a small group.

Jet-skiing, parasailing, banana rides and paragliding are all popular water sports activities in Goa.

Of course, many tourists come to Candolim to just relax on the beach, enjoy the sea water, get a tan, and to enjoy the nightlife. But there are other attractions as well, like the festivals. The Sunburn festival, for example, is held in December every year. It is very popular. Children will also find interesting activities in Candolim. You can take them to the Splashdown Goa or the Melange Children Park. There are many pools, sliding boards, and other games here.

Nightlife on Candolim Beach

• SinQ Beach Club – SinQ is a chic lounge and nightclub with private poolside cabanas, an outdoor bar, and resident DJs. There is a dance floor and a billiard area. It is one of the best nightclubs in all of Goa.
• Love Passion Karma (LPK) – Another great place for a party. This waterfront club beside the Nerul River has a rock-carved theme interior. The music, dancing areas, food, drinks, and ambience… everything is awesome.
• Cohiba Bar & Kitchen – Cohiba is also very close to the Nerul. The live band plays rock and pop from the 80s. The restaurant is below a banyan tree. There is hookah, dancing, food, and drinks.

Popular bars, pubs, and nightclubs in Candolim:

• Bar-Be-Que & Grill
• Bar Eclipse
• Bar 1 The PUb
• Tinas Resto And Pub
• Bar Latino
• Pharaoh's Den

• Bar-Square Goa
• Jambalaya Restaurant & Bar
• Palm Shade Guest House Restaurant & Bar
• Bon Appetit Restaurant & Bar
• Buena Mesa

Hotels in Candolim

Le Seasons Beach Resort Goa in Candolim

Accommodation in Candolim costly slightly more compared to other places in Goa. You will find 4 and 5 star hotels, including some of the top names like Radisson, Hyatt, Taj, Aguada Hermitage, O-Hotel, Marquis and the 360 Degree Boutique Hotel.

There are many hotels, resorts and guest houses ranging from luxury, deluxe to standard, which offer comfort and all amenities for modern living.

Le Seasons Beach Resort and Lemon Tree Amarante Beach Resort are right on the beach. These 4* hotels provide their guests with swimming pools, comfortable rooms with mini bars, cable TVs, air conditioners, all necessary supplies and accommodation requirements, fitness centers, car rent services, small travel bureaus, bars and restaurants with local, vegetarian and European cuisines.

You will find the most affordable accommodation near the center of Candolim. Among them are the Summerville Beach Resort Hotel and Per Ave Hotel. These 3* hotels provide spacious cozy rooms with air conditioner, mini kitchen and bathroom, swimming pools, bars and restaurants with local, Asian and Continental cuisines.

Fortune Select Regina near the Fort Aguada is a top 5* hotel. You will get all comforts and amenities. The spa here is very good too. They have 4 restaurants offering international, Asian and Indian cuisines, including seafood and grilled foods..

Some popular Candolim hotels:

• Aldeia Santa Rita
• 360 Degree Beach Retreat
• Aguada Anchorage
• Acacia Goa
• Bougainvillea Guest House
• Alegria — The Goan Village
• Banyan Tree Courtyard
• Alor Grande Holiday Resort
• Casablanca

• Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Goa Candolim
• Celestiial Boutique Hotel
• Deltin Suites
• D'souza's Holiday Homes
• Fortune Select Regina
• Ginger Tree Beach Resort
• De Alturas Resort
• Ginger Tree Village Resort
• Godwin Hotel

Villas for rent

There are many luxury villas in Candolim to suit every taste and budget in Candolim - Villa Candolim, Farrington On The River and Garden Grove are some of the best properties. These villas are located near the key Candolim Beach attractions. They have good-sized rooms in modern style with spacious wooden beds, bathrooms with bath accessories and supplies, cable TV, air conditioner, sea and garden view terraces, free parking lot, open swimming pool and well-equipped kitchen with microwave, oven, fridge and other cooking implements.

Luxury 3-bedroom villa right on the beach. Centrally located. Private pool. From 25 000 Rs. per night

Riverside 3-bedroom luxury villa 10 mins drive from Candolim. Complete privacy. North Goa. From 25 000 Rs. per night

Luxury villa with direct access to the beach. 5* star service. Prime location of North Goa. From 19 000 Rs. per night

* Price depends on arrival dates and duration of stay.

Villas for rent in Goa

Candolim is one of the most popular areas in Goa. The facilities and infrastructure for tourists are very good. You will find everything here – a beautiful beach that is good for swimming, water sports, beach shacks where you can relax on a sun bed, good food and drinks at restaurants and bars, nightlife, shopping, massage, and more. Candolim offers everything for a fabulous holiday in Goa.

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