Daman

Daman, a small former Portuguese town on the Gujarat coast where the Daman Ganga river meets the Arabian Sea, is a relaxed and unexpectedly atmospheric seaside escape — a pocket of Indo-Portuguese heritage of cobblestone lanes, old churches, sturdy forts, and casuarina-shaded beaches, today the administrative capital of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

• The Portuguese held Daman from 1559 until 1961, and the town still divides, as it did then, across the river into two halves.
• Moti Daman ("Big Daman"), the southern walled quarter, is the heritage heart: its grand fort, built from 1559 and covering some 30,000 square metres, is ringed by sturdy ramparts and old cannons and encloses the imposing Portuguese-era heritage buildings, the old colonial ruins, and a Portuguese-era lighthouse looking out to sea.
• Nani Daman ("Small Daman"), the busier northern half across the river, holds the Nani Daman Fort with its St Jerome's Gate and a riverside promenade.
• The town's beaches — the popular Devka beach to the north, with its seaside parks and resorts, and the quieter, black-sand Jampore beach to the south, fringed with casuarina groves — are its main draw for the Gujarati and Mumbai weekenders who come for the sea air and the old-world calm.
• The Indo-Portuguese churches, the seafront promenade, and the gardens around the Mirasol lake make for an easy day of unhurried sightseeing on foot or by cycle through the old town.
• For vegetarian travellers, Daman is easy and rewarding: the surrounding region is Gujarati-speaking and predominantly vegetarian, so the table runs to Gujarati thali, dhokla and khaman, fafda-jalebi, farsan, and the Indo-Portuguese eggless bakery treats of the old quarter, with plenty of fresh tender coconut along the shore.
• The best season is October to March, when the coast is at its most pleasant.