Goa’s second most important city after Panaji, Margao (Madgaon) is the administrative and commercial capital of the South Goa district. Located nearby is Colva, one of the most developed beach resorts in South Goa. Inland from Margao, the villages of Loutolim and Chandor are home to several beautiful colonial palacios. Further east lies the small hamlet of Rachol, which originally was the site of an old fortress built by the Bijapur sultans.
Church of the Holy Spirit: Holy Spirit Rd, Borda; 0832 271 4005; open 9am–noon, 4–7pm daily
Figueiredo Mansion: Loutolim; 0832 277 7028; open 9am–5pm daily; adm; www.figueiredohouse.com
Braganza House: Chandor; 0832 278 4201; open 9am–6pm daily; adm
Goa Chitra Museum: Benaulim; 0832 657 0877; open 9am–6pm daily; adm; www.goachitra.com
Rachol Seminary: 0832 277 6052; www.racholseminarygoa.org
Palácio do Deão: Quepem; 0832 266 4029; open 10am–5pm Sat–Thu; www.palaciododeao.com
Colva Beach
Sat Burnzam Ghor: 0832 266 4029
Ancestral Goa: Loutolim; 0832 227 7034; open 9am–6pm daily; adm; www.ancestralgoa.com
This towering Baroque church has a grand interior with an impressive stucco ceiling, a gilded pulpit, Rococo altar and elegant altarpieces in the transepts.
East of the church, a road winds up to Monte Hill. Although visitors cannot enter the chapel at the top of the hill, the views across Margao’s rooftops of the southern coast from here are great.
Believed to be more than 500 years old, this mansion has a narrow passage with disguised gun holes, below the building. The Figueiredo family used this as an escape tunnel when attacked by bandits.
The impressive scale of Braganza House, and its magnificent interior, make it Goa’s grandest mansion. Built by the Braganza family, the house was later divided into the east and west wings.
This ethnographic museum is set on a working organic farm. It aims to promote the region’s traditional agrarian lifestyle and has antique agricultural tools and artifacts on display.
Spectacularly located on the summit of a hill, this seminary has a fort-like façade, flanked by watchtowers. Adjacent to it is the Church of St Ignatius Loyola, dedicated to the eponymous saint. According to legend, bone fragments and a vial of his blood are enshrined near the entrance.
Built as a country house by Portuguese nobleman Jose Paulo de Almeida, this colonial mansion with its tropical gardens was once a retreat for the colony’s viceroys. Visitors can enjoy lunch on the terrace, overlooking the Kushavati River.
One of Goa’s longest stretch of sand, Colva’s proximity to Margao makes it an ideal summer retreat. It is dotted with seafood cafés.
Named after the original seven gables on its roof, this mansion is Goa’s only surviving example of a house with a pyramidal roof.
This model village depicts Goan life from a bygone era. Here there are statues of tradesmen, miniature colonial homes as well as a laterite sculpture of Mirabai.
Villages around Margao have colonial country mansions, dating from the 18th to the 19th centuries, when local landlords began to profit from Portugal’s control over the maritime trade routes from Africa to Malaysia. Loutolim nearby was an important Portuguese administrative centre, and has many stately homes. South of Margao, Chinchinim and Benaulim also have fine mansions.
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