10 Best Beaches in North Goa, India

North Goa has gorgeous long stretches of coastline with beautiful white and golden sand beaches. Our top picks for the best beaches in North Goa are Mandrem, Ashvem, and Morjim. These three beaches comprise an extensive sandy stretch at the north end of the State.

North Goa has several other excellent beaches, each special in its own way, whether it’s known for watersports, nightlife, or rock-hopping and exploring. Read on to discover our recommendations for the 10 best North Goa beaches based on the three months we spent there.

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1. Morjim beach

Soon after we arrived in Goa, we asked a few friends and locals what they considered the best beaches in North Goa.

Morjim beach rated high on the friends’ consensus, so off we went!

We were really impressed with the vast open space at Morjim beach. The massive stretch of gorgeous sand was so welcoming, and the gentle waves were perfect for swimming as a family.

The girls loved being on a sandy beach, in perfect conditions for building sandcastles. This was a bit of a novelty after three years in Europe, with mostly shingle or pebble beaches.

We’d also go as far as saying Morjim was nicer than most beaches we visited during our three years in SE Asia (our opinion, based on where we went). We’re excited to share more of the best beaches in Goa with you because we are sure there are plenty!

Morjim is one of a few designated turtle nesting beaches in Goa. The beach is lined with lush greenery, and you’ll find various restaurants and beach shacks to dine in the shade.

We were there on a windy day and saw a couple of kitesurfers pulling off awesome tricks, so kitesurfers may want to add this beach to their itinerary!

2. Ozran beach

If you’re looking for the best beaches in North Goa, it might be easiest to suggest visiting the long sandy stretches between Morjim and Arambol.

However, there are many other lovely beaches, each special in its own way.

You can reach Ozran beach (little Vagator) by walking down a long flight of stairs next to Level Resort.

We found this was a nice little beach for active activities. Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, there’s a volleyball net on your left and also a netted trampoline, so it was the perfect spot for us to park up with the kids. There were also people nearby batting balls back and forth.

It’s a rocky beach, so the swimming wasn’t the greatest, but we found a sandy patch for a dip, albeit amid plenty of seaweed!

But there’s magic to be found hopping from rock to rock and peering into little rock pools, so we’d recommend you check it out.

There are also beach restaurants and shacks offering a good selection of meals at lower prices than you’ll find in many beachfront locations.

Vagator is known as being a bit of a party spot. We left just after sundown as the party music started cranking up from the hillside.

3. Miramar beach in Panjim

Panjim might not be the first place that comes to mind when you’re looking for the best beaches in North Goa.

Although it’s not quite as nice as some of the beaches further north or south, it’s worth a visit.

Miramar beach is a vast sandy beach in Panjim City. It’s sandy and stays shallow for ages, so it’s excellent for kids.

We picked up some rubbish on the beach and were approached by some locals who told us the beach got cleaned by the government every day. Still, we’re going to pick up rubbish when we can, even if it feels like it makes little difference in some places where the task is overwhelming. I notice it at least helps build awareness.

This beach is very non-touristic, and the long stretches of sand were relatively clean. It’s often the areas just off the beach that have the biggest trash pile-ups. We notice this pretty much everywhere.

About midway along the beach, we saw many locals out playing beach sports like football and cricket. It was nice to visit a beach not filled with umbrellas and sunbeds – this is just a nice place to enjoy the beach and have fun.

The most Northern end of Miramar beach is a superb spot to go as a family. Check out Perfect Cup, an air-conditioned cafe with delicious food. You’ll also find a good playground there, so it’s easy to stay in this area for the whole afternoon.

4. Ashvem beach

Ashvem beach is high on the list of the best beaches in North Goa. It’s part of a seemingly endless stretch of sand covering several beaches and is nestled between Morjim and Mandrem.

Ashvem is a quiet beach boasting light sands and family-friendly swimming. The waves are fun, and it feels safe. The kids can run, play and build sandcastles on the vast expanse of sand, and the water stays shallow for ages.

The only thing disrupting the peace was the coastguard driving along and shouting at people on their loudspeakers ?. I can only guess they wanted them swimming closer to shore so they wouldn’t have to rescue anyone (but that’s just a guess).

Ashvem beach is an excellent place to take surfing lessons. You’ll find surf schools all the way from Morjim to Arambol, including those that offer kids’ lessons.

Palm Grove is a nice place to park up at Ashvem. As you step in, you’ll feel like you’ve entered a rainforest (they clearly water their greenery, as it doesn’t rain here this time of year!). If you eat at their restaurant, you can pull up a sunbed for the afternoon, and they have other useful amenities like water refill stations, a beach shower, and somewhere to hose off your feet.

5. Candolim beach

Candolim makes the list of the best beaches in North Goa. The sand is lovely and golden, and the beach appeared very clean.

Coast cafe is a good entry point to the beach. The food is ok, the prices are good, and you can grab a sunbed to chill in the shade. They also have a few nice swings around and a shower you can use after swimming.

The swimming itself wasn’t as family-friendly as the beaches further north (Morjim, Ashvem, Mandrem) because the waves were crashing hard on the shoreline, and the water gets deep quickly. Miss 9 could dive under the waves and play around with the water over her head, but we could only paddle in the shallows with miss 4.

Still, it was a lovely clean beach, and we recommend a visit. You can see the nearby Aguada and Sinquerim forts from Candolim, so you could combine your beach afternoon with a visit to the forts.

6. Arambol beach

Arambol makes it to our list of the best beaches in North Goa because it has a few things going for it.

It’s quite touristic, but it does have plenty of character with its beach shacks and rocky outcrops lining the coast.

You can’t miss the surf school right in the middle of the beach, and you’ll also find plenty of places to grab a bite.

Something that makes Arambol a little different is the Sweet Lake just north of the beach.

To get there, you need to walk 10 minutes or so through a little laneway along the coast’s edge, full of clothing stalls for tourists.

Keep walking, and you’ll get to another beach on the other side of the rocks, where you can enter the sweet lake.

The lake is smaller and shallower than I expected. I was hoping to swim some laps, but it got very shallow in places when the seaweed almost touched my face?.

So it’s a pretty good spot for kids to swim because it’s so shallow. I say pretty good because there were a couple of kids there crying because they said they got bitten by something in the water, although not sure what.

The Sweet Lake beach is nice and shaded with trees. You can purchase a drink at the shack or rent a sunbed for 200 rupees.

7. Querim beach and cave

Querim is another nice beach to visit at the very Northern end of North Goa.

There’s a good sandy stretch for swimming and some basic beach shacks.

What makes Querim a bit different is the wee cave you can walk through at low tide (check the tides before you go).

It’s small, but combined with a bit of rock hopping around, it’s fun for a little exploration. From one or two cave reviews, it seems there may be a couple of other caves further on.

It’s also nice to watch the paragliders flying over the hill here.

8. Mandrem beach

Mandrem could be the best beach in North Goa! With endless long stretches of flat sand, gentle waves, and a shallow lagoon for the littles, it’s the perfect family-friendly beach to hang out at.

The clean sands are excellent for building sandcastles, practicing gymnastics, or just sitting and relaxing.

You’ll find some nice restaurants and beach shacks at Mandrem. Check out The Lazy Dog, which has a nice grass patch and swimming pool, an ideal spot to hang out for the afternoon.

Parking can be tricky if you don’t know where you’re going. Head to Beach Street, which leads down to a parking area and The Lazy Dog.

9. Sinquerim beach

Sinquerim is a lovely, clean beach in North Goa that’s worth a visit. It’s very close to the Aguada fort so you could visit both on the same day.

The water was beautifully clear when we visited Sinquerim, and the only thing interrupting the peaceful ambiance was a person riding their jet ski at full speed back and forth across our swimming path?.

Sinquerim is pretty much an extension of Candolim beach. There are a few places you can eat, and it’s a lovely place to spend an afternoon.

10. Vagator beach

Vagator is a decent beach to visit in North Goa. It’s relatively clean, apart from the area around the rocks, and there’s a bar and restaurant on the beach. Vagator also has some excellent cafes away from the beach (such as Cafe We and Bean Me Up vegan cafe).

You can ride a jet ski or banana boat at Vagator, drink fresh coconut water, or just enjoy a swim. The rocks are fun for climbing, exploring, and watching crabs. Just make sure you wear shoes as, sadly, there’s a lot of broken glass around. The rocky area would be a good place to bring a rubbish bag and pick some trash up if you want to help clean up the area.

We enjoyed watching a cow next to us digging holes and making itself a comfortable spot to sit❤️

The best beaches in north goa | in conclusion

Goa is an excellent choice for a beach vacation with its long stretches of white and golden sand, watersports, nightlife, and family-friendly beaches. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our recommendations for the top beaches to visit. Please leave any questions or comments below.

For further reading about Goa, check out these top tips for families moving to Goa and discover the best things to do in North Goa and/or top things to do in Anjuna.

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