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Calangute Beach

Calangute and Baga lie on the shores of the Arabian Sea of North Goa in India. Calangute is also known as the Queen of Beaches. They are encircled by the villages of Arpora-Nagoa, Saligao and Candolim. Agarvaddo is full of picturesque agors (saltpans), Maddavaddo is full of madd (coconut trees), Dongorpur skirts a bottle-green hillock and Tivaivaddo laces the beach. The gaudds or milkmen ran dairies lived in Gauravaddo. The Calangute Beach is a spotless stretch that is 7 km long.Calangute was the first hippie beach resort in India during the hippie era. And as the hippes faded from the forefront, domestic tourists recognized the potential of the pleasures offered by Calangute and turned it into a paddling, snacking, shopping, picnicking, vacationing beach. Calangute is usually crowded and the small resorts do a thriving business during the holiday season. It is one of the most popular beaches in Goa with a host of facilities to cater to visitors, including beach and water sports. The best attraction here is the beach itself. For a stay on the Calangute beach essentially means feasting on good Goan food, spicy delicacies, lobster prim rolls, and guzzling feni! Kids can be seen building endless castles in the sand, the adults strolling, the young and old alike lazing on the sands, and the hippies reminiscing their hey days.
Calungate is the perfect tourist haven, completed with shacks and stalls under the shade of palm trees selling everything from fried prawns and beer to trinkets made of seashells. Its rainbow hued canvas has welcomed everyone to it always though it became popular across the globe only after the hippies discovered it in the ‘60s.
Some of the places worth visiting near by are the St. Alex Church with its two towers and a magnificent dome gracing the façade. The inside of the church is a display of the line and beauty of its architectural style and ornate altars. In 1996, Calangute celebrated the fourth centenary of its parish church.The Kerkar Art Complex is the one and only of its kind on this beach. It is a popular center for exhibitions of arts and crafts of local artistes. On Thursdays and Fridays, connoisseurs of Indian classical music and dance can be an audience to various concerts.
Calangute Beach and Baga Beach can be visited at any time of the year, though the monsoon months, which bring heavy rains, are best avoided. The period from November to February is the most pleasant for a visit here.