Done Baga, Old Goa and Dudhsagar on your last three trips? There are new places to visit in Goa, and most of them are in the south, which suits a car. Here is what has opened in the past few years, what is still behind barricades, and how to fit each one into a day with a self drive car.
Quick answer
Open now: the Ram statue and Ramayana park at Partagali, the museum complex at the old Aguada jail, the Birla temple at Sancoale and the refurbished Museum of Christian Art in Old Goa. Not confirmed open as of October 2026: the Shivaji museum at Farmagudi and the Zuari bridge towers. Check before you drive to either.
The Ram Statue and Ramayana Park at Partagali, Canacona
The biggest new thing in the state. On 28 November 2025 the Prime Minister unveiled a 77 foot bronze statue of Shri Ram at the Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math, marking the Math's 550th year, and opened a Ramayana theme park beside it the same day, as reported in the Press Information Bureau's New India Samachar for December 2025. The sculptor was Ram Sutar, whose studio made the Statue of Unity.
The Math sits on the Kushavati river, roughly 11 km inland from Palolem. From Calangute allow roughly two and a half hours each way, from the Dabolim side roughly an hour and a half, both depending on traffic. It is a working religious institution, not a monument: dress modestly, keep your voice down near the temple, and go in the morning before the heat. Pair it with Palolem or Patnem for a swim, and if you are staying north, make it part of a South Goa day drive rather than a there and back.
The Museum Complex at Aguada Jail, Sinquerim
For centuries the fort at Aguada guarded the mouth of the Mandovi, and until recent years the lower fort was Goa's central jail. It has since reopened as a museum complex: an interactive museum in the old cells covering Goa's land, its freedom struggle and its people, a restored reservoir, the jetty, the lighthouse above, and restaurants facing the sea. Guided heritage walks run there too.
Drive in through Candolim; from our Calangute office it is roughly 20 minutes, from Panjim roughly half an hour. Opening hours and ticket arrangements change, so check them the day before. This is the one we suggest for children, because they can touch things. It fits neatly with a Candolim beach afternoon.
Birla Radha Krishna Mandir, Sancoale
A white Makrana marble temple with five shikharas on the BITS Pilani campus at Sancoale, one of the newer temples in Goa. If you have seen the Birla temples in Delhi or Jaipur, it is in the same family: quiet, clean and at its best in the late afternoon light.
What makes it useful is where it is: roughly 15 minutes from Dabolim airport, on the road towards Vasco. If your flight is early evening, it is a calm last stop before you hand the car back at Dabolim. Temples keep their own hours, so check the darshan timings before you go.
Museum of Christian Art, Old Goa
Not new, but new to most visitors. The museum inside the Convent of Santa Monica in Old Goa was closed for a full refurbishment and reopened with a much better display of Indo-Portuguese religious art: ivory, silver, painted wood and textiles made by Goan craftsmen for the churches. It is small, cool and rarely crowded, a short walk from the Basilica of Bom Jesus. If you are doing the Old Goa churches anyway, give it 45 minutes. Old Goa is roughly 10 km from Panjim.
What Is Not Open Yet?
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj digital museum at Farmagudi, Ponda. A projection and light-and-sound museum on the old fort site about Shivaji's links with Goa. Prudent Media reported in September 2026 that the tourism minister expected it to be ready by the end of October 2026, with about 60 percent of the work complete at that point. Check that it has opened before you drive there expecting a ticket counter. Ponda is inland, roughly 30 km from Panjim, and the Mangeshi temple is close by, so it will slot into a temple day once it opens.
The Zuari bridge observation towers. Two tall towers planned on the cable-stayed Zuari bridge, with viewing decks and a restaurant. The Goan reported in August 2026 that the project was still awaiting environmental clearance and that construction was due to start after the monsoon, with completion several years away. You will drive across the bridge every time you go between North and South Goa, and the view from the road is already the best on NH66, so enjoy that for now.
How Do I Fit These Into a Day?
| Base | Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|---|
| North Goa | Aguada jail museum complex, lunch in Candolim | Old Goa churches and the Museum of Christian Art after 3 pm, when the tour buses have left |
| South Goa, or a long day from the north | Partagali first, then Palolem | Agonda or Patnem, home by dark |
| Flying out of Dabolim | Pack and check out | The Birla temple on the way to the airport, then hand the car back at arrivals |
None of these are on a bus route worth relying on, and a self drive hatchback gets you to all of them. For the longer south days, something that sits higher, such as a Creta or a Thar, is nicer on the hill roads. Our guide to things to do in Goa with a self drive car covers the older favourites.
