Panajim, the state capital of Goa is popularly known as the seat of the Government, and also houses the head offices of most business concerns. Panaji is one of India's smallest and pleasantest state capitals. It is located on the south bank of the wide Mandovi River. The town has preserved its Portuguese heritage remarkably well and parts of it still consist of narrow winding streets, old houses with over hanging balconies, red-tiled roofs and numerous small bars and cafe's. Many signs in Portuguese are still visible over shops, cafe's and administrative buildings. One of the most charming things about Panaji is a that it is very small city, and has little scope for growth as it is bordered by Altinho (a hillock), on one side,the Arabian sea on the other Mandovi River on the third side, and Ourem Creek on the fourth.

History

For centuries, Panjim was little more than a minor landing stage and customs house, became capital in 1843 after the port at Old Goa had silted up and its rulers had fled the plague. It expanded rapidly in the 1960's and 1970's.

Access

By Air Domestic flights from Mumbai, Bangalore, Cochin, Delhi, Chennai, and Thiruvanantpuram arrived at Goa's Dabolim airport 29km south of Panjim.

By Bus
Long distance and local buses pull into Panjim at Kadamba Bus Terminal.
Cars : Cars with drivers are available for local sightseeing.
Auto-rickshaws : This is the most convenient way of getting around Panjim.

Excursions

Church Square
Church Square, also called the Municipal Garden is a green park, forms the heart of Panjim. To it's east, is the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, built in 1541 for the benefit of sailors arriving here from Lisbon.

The Secretariat
It is the oldest surviving building in the city. It was originally the palace of Goa's sixteenth century ruler the Adil Shah. Later it was converted into rest house for the Portuguese governors and then a residence for the viceroy. Today, it accommodates, the Goan State Legislature.

Fontainhas and Sao Tome
Fontainhas is the Panjim's oldest district. Here, many buildings have retained their traditional coat of ochre, pale yellow, green or blue - a Portuguese insistence that every building in Goa except churches, which had to be white, should be colour-washed after the monsoon. At the southern end, whitewashed Chapel of St. Sebastian is one of many Goan churches who has retained their old colonial style. Sao Tome lies at the north of the Fountainhas. This is the area where if you want to fancy a bar crawl, the narrow streets are dotted with dozens of hole-in-the-wall taverns, serving cheap Feni.

The Museum
It has a collection mostly of pre-colonial artefacts which includes village deities, puja utensils, sati and hero stones, fragment of temple sculpture, Jain bronzes rescued from smugglers and Christian icons and antique furniture etc.
Miramar and Dona Paula : Three km west of Panaji is Miramar, Panaji's nearest beach but it is less attractive than the other beaches in Goa. Four km further, along the same road is Dona Paula, a small town with several resorts complexes.

Hotels and Restaurants

Panajim has plenty of accommodation and finding a place to stay is only a problem during the festival of St. Francis in December and during peak season(mid-Dec. to mid-Jan). At other times, hotels offers substantial discounts. Fidalgo, Mandovi, Nova Goa are some of the top hotels in Panajim. Alfonso, Orav's, Republica are some of the inexpensive hotels in Panjim.

Panjim is packed with good places to eat. Venite, Goenchin, Chunghwa, A Pasteleria, atkar, Sher-E-Punjab are some of the good restaurants in the city.