Best time to visit Goa
Goa has two faces. From November to February the sea is calm, the shacks and markets are open and days are dry and sunny — with Christmas and New Year the most crowded and expensive weeks. March to May gets steadily hotter and quieter. The monsoon arrives in early June and lasts until September: swimming is banned on most beaches and many huts close, but the hinterland turns green and Panjim, Old Goa and the villages are at their most atmospheric. October is the shoulder month as the season reopens.
Seasons in Goa
- Winter, Nov–Feb: Dry, sunny days around 30°C with cool nights; shacks, markets and water sports all open. In season: Morjim, Mandrem & Arambol, Anjuna & Vagator, Calangute, Baga & Candolim, Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa, Colva, Benaulim & Varca, Palolem & Agonda.
- Summer, Mar–May: Heat and humidity build (33–35°C); beaches quieter and many huts close by late May. In season: Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Palolem & Agonda.
- Monsoon, Jun–Sep: Heavy rain, rough seas and no swimming, but green hills, waterfalls and the lowest prices. In season: Panjim (Panaji).
- Post-monsoon, Oct: Green and humid with showers at times; shacks and huts reopen. In season: Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa.
Peak, shoulder and off season in Goa
- Peak season, Dec–Jan: Christmas, New Year's Eve and the weeks around them; rates double from about 20 December.
- Shoulder season, Feb–Mar, Oct–Nov: Good beach weather with better rates; Carnival (Feb or early March) and IFFI in late November.
- Off season, Apr–Sep: Hot or monsoon months with the lowest prices; monsoon trips are for scenery, not beaches.
Goa in January
Winter · Peak season
Peak season continues after New Year: dry, sunny days around 30°C and cool nights. Prices fall after the first week; markets, shacks and water sports all run.
In season: Morjim, Mandrem & Arambol, Anjuna & Vagator, Calangute, Baga & Candolim, Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa, Colva, Benaulim & Varca, Palolem & Agonda.
Goa in February
Winter · Shoulder season
Dry and warm, the best-value month of the season. Goa Carnival parades in Panjim, Margao and Mapusa usually fall in February or early March before Lent (date shifts).
In season: Morjim, Mandrem & Arambol, Anjuna & Vagator, Calangute, Baga & Candolim, Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa, Colva, Benaulim & Varca, Palolem & Agonda.
Goa in March
Summer · Shoulder season
Heat and humidity start to build, but beaches are still good. Shigmo, the Hindu spring festival with float parades, runs around Holi; Carnival can fall in early March.
In season: Morjim, Mandrem & Arambol, Anjuna & Vagator, Calangute, Baga & Candolim, Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa, Colva, Benaulim & Varca, Palolem & Agonda.
Goa in April
Summer · Off season
Hot (33–35°C) and humid; quieter beaches and lower prices. Some huts start to close late in the month.
In season: Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Palolem & Agonda.
Goa in May
Summer · Off season
Very hot and humid before the monsoon; many huts and shacks shut by late May. Cashew and mango season, with feni distilling in the villages.
In season: Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms.
Goa in June
Monsoon · Off season
The monsoon arrives in early June: heavy rain, rough seas, swimming banned on most beaches and water sports stopped. São João (24 June) sees villagers leap into wells and ponds in Siolim and elsewhere.
Goa in July
Monsoon · Off season
Peak monsoon: green hills, waterfalls and the year's lowest prices, but beaches are for walks only. Dudhsagar jeeps are usually suspended.
In season: Panjim (Panaji).
Goa in August
Monsoon · Off season
Monsoon continues with sunny breaks. Bonderam on Divar Island (fourth Saturday of August) has flag fights and floats; Ganesh Chaturthi can fall in late August or September.
In season: Panjim (Panaji).
Goa in September
Monsoon · Off season
Rain eases towards the end of the month. Ganesh Chaturthi is Goa's largest Hindu festival, celebrated at home and in villages for several days (date shifts).
Goa in October
Post-monsoon · Shoulder season
Post-monsoon: green, humid and showery at times. Shacks and huts reopen and Dudhsagar jeeps usually resume. On the night before Diwali (Oct or Nov) villages burn Narakasura effigies.
In season: Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa.
Goa in November
Winter · Shoulder season
The season starts properly: calmer seas, markets reopen and prices rise. The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) fills Panjim in late November.
In season: Morjim, Mandrem & Arambol, Anjuna & Vagator, Calangute, Baga & Candolim, Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa, Colva, Benaulim & Varca, Palolem & Agonda.
Goa in December
Winter · Peak season
The busiest month: the Feast of St Francis Xavier at Old Goa (3 December), Christmas Midnight Mass and New Year's Eve parties. Rates double from about 20 December, so book months ahead.
In season: Morjim, Mandrem & Arambol, Anjuna & Vagator, Calangute, Baga & Candolim, Dudhsagar Falls & Ponda spice farms, Panjim (Panaji), Old Goa, Colva, Benaulim & Varca, Palolem & Agonda.