Margao: Bazaar and Heritage

Margao combines a covered bazaar with historic buildings and other cultural sites. If you’re looking for a hotel in Margao, it helps to decide what you’d like to focus on during your stay: shopping and visiting the market, architecture, or getting your bearings in the rail network all highlight different interests. The following places offer specific pointers to help you make that choice.

The bazaar and rail network as practical points of reference

Margao’s covered bazaar is a good place to browse for souvenirs and find bargains. Individual vendors and available goods may vary, so you should keep your plans for specific purchases flexible.

Margao is the terminus of the Konkan Railway.

City history and architecture

The Margao Cultural Walk takes you on foot through older and especially picturesque parts of Margao, where large Goan mansions can be found. The walk is a bookable tour; check current availability before your trip.

The House of Seven Gables was commissioned in 1790 by Sebastino da Silva. He was an envoy and private secretary to the Portuguese viceroy. The Church of the Holy Spirit was completed in its present form in 1675. The two dates mark different historical events: the completion of the church and the commission for the mansion, respectively.

Indo-Portuguese mansions line Abade Faria Road and the area around the church square. Together with the House of Seven Gables, they give architecture a distinctive place in Margao’s history.

Gardens and cultural sites in Margao

Ana Fonte Garden in Margao has footbridges and fountains designed in an Oriental style. This adds a different design accent to the city’s architectural history.

Damodar Sal is a small private temple dedicated to Damodar. Its private character is part of what defines this cultural site.

More cultural history in the wider destination of Salcete

In the wider destination of Salcete, the Goa Chitra Ethnographic Museum in Benaulim presents Goa’s agricultural heritage through mostly old farming tools and equipment. Set against the backdrop of an organic farm, it conveys traditions of the past and aims to introduce visitors to traditional local implements. Agriculture is therefore at the heart of this museum.

Rachol Seminary is also in the wider destination of Salcete, immediately beside the banks of the Zuari River. It was built between 1574 and 1610 and is a center for the study of philosophy and theology. Today, what remains of Rachol Fort is mainly a ruin, with an archway over the road to Rachol Seminary and a dry moat around the seminary hill. The fort was built by the Bahmani Sultanate and later fell to the Vijayanagar kings after a long, bloody battle.

Discover more destinations: Bandoli, Dramapur, Verna, Curtorim, Majorda, Utorda, Mulem, Loutolim.

Go to the wider travel overview: South Goa.