Anjuna Hotels - things to do and attractions

Things to Do in Anjuna: Anjuna Hotels travel guide on the best things to do in Anjuna. We’ve got all the best attractions listed with reviews. Have a look below for more details on Anjuna Attractions, restaurants, nightlife, bars, clubs, events and shopping.

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Top things to do and Attractions in Anjuna:

Anjuna, located in north Goa, is a young and lively resort, famous for its’ fabulous beach, weekly flea market and wild beach parties. Just 8km from Mapusa, Anjuna attracts a mixed group of tourists and locals alike, and still retains its’ reputation as the hippie capital of Goa. Christmas and New Year are especially busy in Anjuna, with crowds of tourists and backpackers visiting for the infamous full-moon beach parties.

Anjuna Hotels - Beach Flea Market in Anjuna

Visit the colourful Anjuna Flea Market
The beach at Anjuna is beautiful – a long uninterrupted stretch of white sand, backed by swaying palm trees.

A rocky headland towards the south of the beach ensures that the swimming conditions in this part of the Arabian Sea are safe.

And there is a good choice of places to eat and drink, with locals selling fresh fruit such as coconuts, pineapples and watermelons along the beach.

The famous Anjuna flea market is held every Wednesday, and originated in the ‘60’s, when the visiting hippies began to sell off their possessions to fund their stay.

Now a must-see tourist attraction, the colourful market at Anjuna sells everything from books, music, clothing and jewellery to local, Kahmiri and Tibetan handicrafts.

Famous for its’ full-moon beach parties
Anjuna has some fantastic places to eat and drink, mostly simple and reasonably priced, and selling local specialities, Western food and, of course, plenty of cold beer.

Anjuna Hotels - swimming at Sunset

The atmosphere in Anjuna is lively and young, with techno and trance music played in most places.

Some of the most popular bars are the Shore Bar, the Guru Bar, Primrose Café and The Alcove, with the beach the scene of the famous full-moon parties around the campfire.

Other things to see whilst holidaying in Anjuna are the well-preserved Chapora Fort, built by the Portuguese in the 17th century and offering stunning views along the coast, and the magnificent Albuquerque Mansion, constructed in the 1920’s.

Beach
Anjuna beach is one of the most popular and beautiful beaches in Goa, and although not as commercialised as some of the beaches in Goa it does have a range of nearby bars and restaurants.

Anjuna beach is world famous for its all night full-moon beach parties where you can dance until dawn in the warm Indian air.

Flea Market – evening more!
The Wednesday flea market in Anjuna is a must for visitors from around the world. You can buy anything here from tattoos and haircuts to cigarettes and scotch. Try some of the local food, have a beer or coffee and just relax and watch this fascinating spectacle.

Without doubt the most important date in the Anjuna diary, market day sees scores of local and expat vendors descending on the market site at the far south of the beach, to haggle the day away over clothing, jewellery, souvenirs and a good deal, these days, of usual tourist tat.

Pick through the rubbish (underfoot, quite literally) to seek out treasure, including sparkling ceiling hangings, dancing dolls, and posh frocks made from dazzling saris.

Even if you don’t come home loaded with shopping, it’s an unmissable event, where you’ll find Goa’s old faithful hippies mingling with I Heart Goa–clad Indian tourists, package-holiday Brits and Russians, and young backpackers

Yoga
Anjuna is a very spiritual place where people come to practice meditation and yoga. Numerous classes are held here for every level, including children and pregnant women. Try Healing Here and Now, or the Purple Valley Yoga Centre.

Diving
If you are feeling a little energetic then diving in Anjuna may be the thing for you. Diving is very popular and the marine life is diverse; expect to see shark, barracuda, lionfish and turtles while you swim in and around the sunken Portuguese and Spanish galleons.

Chapora and Vagator
Day trippers from Anjuna visit Chapora and Vagator for the three beaches, laid back party atmosphere, and to explore the 16th century Chapora Fort. There is also a very pretty harbour at Chapora where you buy fresh fish straight from the boats.

Eating
Restaurants and cafes in Anjuna are plentiful especially around Anjuna beach. Some have been in Anjuna since the early hippy days, and there is a fantastic range or Italian, Indian and even German food available. The food and drink are inexpensive and you will get plenty for your money.

Anjuna Hotels - Restaurants, Eating, Dining and Food!

Avalon Sunset
Anjuna, India Restaurants › International
Good food, a pool table, a chill-out area and free wifi make this a great representative of Anjuna’s clifftop restaurant parade.

Café Diogo
Anjuna, India Restaurants › International
Probably the best fruit salads in the world are sliced, diced and served with honey and fresh curd at Café Diogo, a small locally run place on the way down to the market.

Also worth a munch are the mean fry-ups; the generous toasted avocado, cheese and mushroom sandwiches; and an unusual gooseberry lassi (yoghurt shake).

Some of our top eat picks in Anjuna:

Basilico is a pizza and pasta place near main crossing, to get there turn left on the way to Paradiso from main crossing, you’ll see the sign indicating the way.
Biryani Palace is just down for Starco corner; this slightly more expensive restaurant specializes in North Indian dishes like Kebabs, Biryani and Tandoori dishes. Friendly waiters.
Curlies is one of the most active beach shacks of Anjuna beach. It’s located near the south end of the beach. This is one place to go to meet people.
Munches a.k.a. Munchies corner is open 24 hours a day. a place to eat food, have a drink, watch cable TV, meet people at night or find a list of upcoming parties. It’s located on the left side of the road, on the road to Vagator between main crossing (Starco junction) and Oxford Arcade.
Oasis is one of the most popular restaurants in Anjuna. It serves cheep food and has friendly staff, its located on the north side of the main road towards the beach from Starco junction.
The German bakery is a nice and relaxing place for breakfast, having a drink with friends, or getting some quality bread and pastries. It’s located on the way to the flea market; you can’t miss the German bakery sign where you have to turn.
At LaFranza you will find one of the best Kingfish in Anjuna, King Prawns and Specialty’s from the Tandoori-Oven (Chicken, Fish etc.) Try the Butter-Chicken, it’s a must. Relax after a good Meal upstairs, or watch the Nightlife pasting by while you playing Pool or check your e-mail at the Internet-Cafe.
Zuri, next to the nightclub Paradiso, is a very nice place to go to eat. The views to the sea are beautiful and it feels really comfortable to be there with the breeze. The menu is not the best, but has some unique options.
Shore Bar. This is definitely the best place to eat in Anjuna. The food is really good and the menu is never ended!!! People are nice is is by the sea.
Avalon Sunset – Is a multi cuisine restaurant by the shore, good food and the Menu offers Indian, Israeli, Continental and Chinese. Very friendly staff. Being right on the shore by the rocks it s a great place to just sit by and enjoy an afternoon drink as well. It’s the first restaurant as you walk southwards towards the beach on the main street of Anjuna. They also hire bikes and the restaurant is a WI FI zone for browsing the internet. They even have laptops that they let the customers use.
Tantra Beach Shack, Flea Market. Vegetarian food and thali on the beach. three floors, antique furniture edit
Whole Bean, (on the main road to the Anjuna flea market). Excellent place for lunch. Offering great tofu and other health foods. Worth a try

Fancy a beer too? Bars, Clubs and Partying in Anjuna:

Alcohol is cheaper all over Goa and is more freely available than most other places in the country, due to the relaxed taxes.

Beer
Beer is very common and is available from nearly all restaurants (German bakery is an exception) and many stores.
* Kingfisher is the most common beer in Anjuna. It is available in large and small bottles.
Fosters from Australia is also fairly common.
King’s, a pilsner specific to Goa, as opposed to Kingfisher which is an Indian lager.
Carlsberg and Budweiser are also quite popular and easilly available in and around Anjuna.

Andy’s Tattoo Studio
Anjuna, India Shopping › Tattooing
Shop for a more permanent sort of souvenir next door to the San Francisco Restaurant, just where the Anjuna cliffside slides down to meet the beach. Andy embellishes shoulders, ankles and everything in between – drop in to make an appointment.

Brahmani Centre
Anjuna, India Activities › Yoga
This friendly drop-in centre, in the grounds of Anjuna’s Hotel Bougainvillea (also known as Granpa’s Inn), offers daily classes in ashtanga, vinyasa, hatha, dynamic, kundalini, restorative and, intriguingly, ‘Superhero Acro-Flow’ yoga, as well as pranayama meditation. There’s no need to book: just turn up 15 minutes before the beginning of class to secure space enough to spread your yoga mat.

Weather in Anjuna

Three seasons, choose you’re favourite
Located on the south west coast of India, holidays in Goa are famed for their sunshine, and the weather in Anjuna can be broken down into three seasons; the dry, the hot and the wet. Late October to April is regarded as the dry season, the monsoon season is over and the days are long, hot and sunny.

This is regarded as the busiest holiday season in Anjuna with temperatures rarely sliding below 30C during the day. At this time of the year the sun is in the sky for around seven to nine hours per day. May to September is the hot season with temperatures hitting 35C with some chance of rain. June through to August is the monsoon season, and although still hot, rainfall will be heavy for these three months.

Anjuna Weather – Never less than hot all year round
No matter what time of the year you take a holiday in Anjuna you can be guaranteed hot weather. Year round the temperature in Anjuna will never usually dip below 30C. With some of the most beautiful beaches in the world lapped by the warm Arabian Sea, it is no wonder that Anjuna is a dream for beach lovers. The months between October and April will see continuous sunshine for around nine hours per day, with very little rain. The summer months from March until June can see temperatures hitting 40C, with the sun shining for nine hours a day and you may be glad of the cooling breeze drifting in from the sea.

Weather in Anjuna – Christmas and New Year sun
Many holiday makers beat the cold in the UK by taking a winter holiday in Anjuna. The sun is out for nine hours a day, the temperature is over 30C and the sea is perfect for swimming, diving or snorkelling. The weather in Anjuna around Christmas and the New Year draws holiday makers from around the world, enjoying a festive season in the sun.

Some other top tips!

Chapora fort near Anjuna beach
In Anjuna, there is everything a traveler may need an ATM (see Money section), it is possible to rent bikes, rooms, houses. you can also find many cyber cafes…the best one is at Nehal Travels and Manali Guest House, Manali Bookshop is the best Bookshop in this area, restaurants with different kinds of food (Goan, Indian, continental, Israeli, Italian, French, …), small grocery shops, a convenience store (oxford’s arcade), and 24/24 open restaurant (Munchies).

Beaches
Anjuna Beach is to the south of the village with its usual lot of restaurants and bars. Not really the most beautiful beach you can see in Goa, and not really a quiet place (beware of the occasional skydiver landing on the beach, watch out for that one infuriated cow), but it’s still possible to have good times there. Be sure to check Curlie’s at the end of the beach, that’s the place where people meet, chill or just listen to music.

Movies
Some restaurants have TVs with cable TV but if you want the movie experience, two movies per night are shown on a big screen at the Sea Queen restaurant on the south side of the road about half way between Starco Junction and Paradiso. This place is good for watching films but never stay there as the Sea Queen staff, seem really friendly and good to talk to, especially while the cleaner is cleaning your room, and stealing the money of the customers. Waiters work with the cleaner in this and the owner knows about it, so he might be involved with all of this. BE CAREFUL and do not let your holidays to become a nightmare like it happen to many of us who stayed there.

Nightlife
Anjuna is also the home of the most popular night club of Goa: Paradiso, and so despite the fact that they will try to charge some people with entrance fee and not others. Most of the time the security service will prevent the locals to enter the club. Even if it’s worth going in once to enjoy the view, this is not the place where you want to go if you’re looking for parties. Better go to nine bar or hilltop in Vagator and ask around for open-air parties. There are nightclubs catering to western package tourists in Baga and Calangute to the south that are easy enough to get to by taxi.

Curly’s
This is definitely one of the best places in Goa during daytime for trance people, freaks, hippies & other positive people… It is located just next to the Anjuna Flea Market place, on the extreme south of Anjuna beach. Nice beach shacks with really nice music (psy trance & ambient in Curly’s bar, and Israeli psy trance in some another beach shack 50 metres further to the south), nice people – so this is really excellent place for some psychedelic relaxation before/after parties, or just for watching the beautiful Goan sunset while drinking some fresh pineapple juice.. )

Anjuna is famous for its parties, however they are increasingly being discouraged by the authorities, you may be unlucky and not find any while you are here due to the police stopping them, you may want to try Arambol further north.

The situation is currently under review, as there are state elections (April 2007). As many business owners complain about plunging visitor numbers, the next government (and season) might allow more parties.

Places to find parties near Anjuna are: Dolce Vita/Bamboo Forest (recently closed, Feb. 07), but particularly at the beach. If there’s one when you’re around, be sure to go to one of the famous full moon parties, or one of the less known black moon parties.

You can spot where the parties are by looking for the flickering lights of the “chai ladies” on the beach. They always congregate where the parties are happening, and the flames from their kerosene lamps are a great signpost.

Best idea is to go to Nine Bar in Vagator and ask around.

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