Margao (Madgaon)
South Goa's market town and railway junction
A Margao tour is mostly a base visit: the 1675 Holy Spirit Church, the municipal market and garden, and Madgaon Junction, the rail hub for South Goa.
Overview
Madgaon Junction, station code MAO, is where most train journeys to South Goa end, and the city around it, usually spelt Margao, is the commercial and administrative centre of the south. It is the headquarters of Salcete taluka and of South Goa district, with 87,650 residents in the 2011 census. Treat it as a base and a connection point first and a sight second, with enough to fill half a day.
The old centre lies around Largo de Igreja, the square where the Church of the Holy Spirit stands. The present church dates from 1675 and is known for its white front and gilded interior. The Municipal Garden, laid out with lawns and flower beds, is a short walk away, and the municipal council building from 1905 faces the same town centre. The market, the Mercado de Afonso de Albuquerque, which locals also call Pimplapedd, is the best place to see everyday South Goa trade, with produce, spices and household goods in tight lanes.
The name comes from Mathgram, a word for a village of monasteries, and the city has a longer Hindu past than its Portuguese churches suggest. In the 1600s the Portuguese absorbed the area and destroyed many temples and rest houses. One survivor is the Damodar Saal, a temple hall inside a private house where Swami Vivekananda stayed in October 1892.
One date matters if you can plan around it. The Holy Spirit feast, called Purumentachem Fest locally, is held at the church around Pentecost in May or June and is also a fair where people buy provisions such as spices and dry fish before the rains.
Margao works well as a hub. Colva beach is about 6 km away, and Rachol Seminary lies a few kilometres from Raia village on the Margao to Borim Bridge road. Dabolim airport is about 23 km away and Panaji about 33 km, while National Highway 66 carries traffic south to Karwar and Mangaluru. State buses run from here to Palolem and the other southern beaches, so you can change buses or trains here and go on to the coast the same day.
Known for
The present church dates from 1675, on Largo de Igreja
Happening soon
Updated Oct 7, 2026Coming up, dates to be confirmed
Holy Spirit Feast and Purumentachem Fest, Margao
culturalThe yearly feast of the Church of the Holy Spirit around Pentecost, with Masses, a procession and a fair where people buy spices and dry fish for the monsoon.
Usually on a Sunday in late May or early June, around Pentecost, which comes 50 days after Easter. Past feasts were on 8 June 2014 and the Sundays near 24 May 2015 and 15 May 2016.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesQuick facts
Tropical and humid, with most of the year's rain in the southwest monsoon from June to September.
Goa International Airport (Dabolim), about 23 km. Manohar International Airport (Mopa), about 64 km.
Madgaon Junction (MAO), within the city, on the Konkan Railway and South Western Railway
Margao is on National Highway 66, about 33 km from Panaji and 6 km from Colva. State buses run to the southern beaches. Drive times (to be supplied).
Look up trains by the station name Madgaon or the code MAO, since timetables use that spelling instead of Margao
Plan a visit around the Holy Spirit feast at Pentecost if you want the fair around the church, and confirm the date locally
Change at Margao for buses to Palolem and the other southern beaches, which lets you break a long journey with a meal or a market stop
Location
Packages that visit Margao (Madgaon)
All packages →
4D / 3NGoa Churches and Chandor Mansions
A Goa churches and Chandor mansion tour in four days: Old Goa's UNESCO churches, Braganza House and Margao, with private transfers from Dabolim.
Old Goa → Chandor → Margao (Madgaon)Heritage & Temples
4D / 3NSouth Goa Beach Stay at Colva and Benaulim
A South Goa beach stay at Colva and Benaulim: four days of quiet sand, village churches, Goa Chitra and a Margao market morning, with Dabolim transfers.
Colva and BenaulimBeaches & CoastlineSouth Goa Heritage and Beaches
A five-day South Goa heritage tour: Margao's 1675 church, Rachol, Chandor's Braganza House, and two beach nights at Colva and Benaulim, with airport transfers.
Margao (Madgaon) → Chandor → Colva and BenaulimHeritage & TemplesPlan a trip to Margao (Madgaon)
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