Calangute is the beach to which everyone heads for the moment they land in Goa. So it is natural that it is overcrowded in both in peak and off seasons. This huge seven kilometer sweep of sand located 15 kms from Panaji, is called the ‘Queen of Beaches’. All the travel agencies and tour operators have a base here from where bookings are done for most of all the other beaches.
Years of tourism has brought in a tremendous change in the scenario and therefore, hotels and guesthouses stretch uninterrupted from Calangute to Baga. The village of Calangute has all basic facilities like post office, banks, foreign exchange offices, resort companies, all kind of eateries and medical facilities. The number of internet cafes in Calangute might totally exceed the number in the entire city of Panaji.
Huge showrooms filled with exquisite handicrafts from Kashmir, Tibet, Indonesia, Rajasthan and other exotic places line up the main road running towards Anjuna. But the beach as such is not the best of all. There are neither swaying palms nor are there any traditional boats lying there to add variety. The waves are bigger and heavier here due to the rapid drop.
It takes just 45 minute to take you to the Calangute Beach from the city of Panjim. Calangute beach is one of the most popular and busiest Beaches of Goa.Today Calangute beach is regarded as a haven for beach and coastal splendour.You can do shopping at Kashmiri - run handicraft boutiques which is lined from town to the beach.You can find quality goods belonging to the state of Rajasthan, Gujrat and Karnatakan textiles is really good. Haggle hard and don't be afraid to walk away from a heavy sales pitch - the same stuff crops up every Wednesday at Anjuna's flea market. Calangute beach is also a perfact place for water sports activities like Parasailing , water skiing and wind surfing.
Goa Calangute beach is a haven for the hippies. It was the hippies who discovered this beach in the late 60s. The exquisite beauty of the Calangute beach in India's Goa soon spread around, bringing hordes of European tourists. And this trend has still been continuing tourists come down to this small Indian state of Goa searching for this lovely beach. Once reached Calangute beach in Goa then you can spend your vacation soaked in the serenity of the sea, sun and sand. Goa Calangute beach is often crowded with people, children making sand castles, colorful crowds surging towards the sea, hippies busy remembering the good old times and the young and old alike lazing on the golden sands. This picture of a perfect tourist haven is completed with shacks and stalls under the shade of palm trees selling everything from fried prawns and beer to trinkets made of seashells.