Anjuna in the 1970s was where the Goa Freaks lived, the international counterculture that arrived in Goa and did not leave. The full-moon parties are a distant memory and the infrastructure has changed, but the Wednesday flea market has been running since the 1970s and remains a legitimate market rather than a tourist stage. Craft workers, Kashmiri traders, Tibetan goods, clothing made in the neighbourhood: the flea market operates on a different logic from the beach shack economy and is worth a few hours regardless of whether you buy anything.
Vagator, the adjacent village, has the best cliffs in North Goa and two small bays below them. Little Vagator Beach is reached by a path down the face of the red laterite cliff, and at sunrise, before the shacks open, it is one of the better beaches in the region. The bars and restaurants on the plateau above the cliffs have been there since the 1990s and run at a pace that is noticeably slower than Baga.
Together, Anjuna and Vagator form the quieter-but-connected part of North Goa that appeals to people who want the Goa aesthetic without the Calangute density.
Travellers who want North Goa's beach scene at a slightly lower volume. Anyone specifically interested in the Goa Flea Market and the craft goods that concentrate there on Wednesdays. People who want a cliff-top base with a view and access to smaller beaches. Return visitors who know the main strip and want to spend time somewhere with more character.
Not the right base for first-time visitors who need a lot of infrastructure. Anjuna and Vagator are well-served but the hotel options are more varied and the general vibe requires more navigation than Calangute.
The Wednesday Anjuna Flea Market from ten in the morning: walk the whole thing before buying anything. Little Vagator Beach at sunrise or late afternoon: the path down the cliff face is not obvious, look for the gap in the wall above the bay. The bar on the cliff above Little Vagator, which changes names every few years but has been in the same location since 1993 and has the same view regardless. Curlies at Anjuna Beach for the beach-shack lunch that has been running at the same spot for twenty-five years. The drive between Anjuna and Vagator at dusk along the cliff road, which takes eight minutes and is worth the scooter rental for the light alone.